Galaxy of Pen and Paper
- July 27, 2017
- Behold Studios
- 24h median play time
Get on Steam"Galaxy of Pen & Paper" is a turn-based RPG set in a sci-fi universe, where players create their own Game Master and party to explore an expansive galaxy and engage in customizable combat. This game builds on its predecessor, "Knights of Pen & Paper," with new races, skills, and campaigns, providing over 3 hours of additional gameplay in the +1 Edition. The game's setting and mechanics aim to evoke the nostalgia of pen and paper RPGs.
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Reviews
- The game features a charming and humorous narrative filled with pop culture references, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- Character customization is extensive, allowing players to build unique skills and abilities, enhancing replayability.
- The pixel art and soundtrack are well-crafted, contributing to an engaging atmosphere.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, including game-breaking issues that can hinder progress and disrupt gameplay.
- Combat can be tedious and slow, with lengthy animations and a lack of engaging mechanics, leading to repetitive battles.
- The user interface is confusing and poorly designed, making navigation and inventory management frustrating.
- story236 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of engaging main quests and a customizable mission creation system that allows players to craft their own side quests. While some players appreciate the humor and meta-narrative elements, others criticize the writing as shallow and filled with repetitive fetch quests, leading to a lack of depth and engagement. Overall, the story is entertaining but often feels overshadowed by gameplay issues and a lack of meaningful consequences.
“What I did enjoy was the story; it was an amazing story that had me very invested in what would happen next.”
“The story and meta-narrative is reasonably well put together and draws from different sci-fi elements, as well as name-dropping some famous authors who inspired the game as star system names.”
“Awesome twist on Knights of Pen & Paper; as expected, the storyline was hilarious and well written, the characters quirky as they come, and the gameplay that can keep you entertained for the duration.”
“And this is just a good old node-based map with combat, shops and side activities, and most of those activities are just NPCs who give even more stupid one-liners and pop references, so while you are trying to find optional quests you are punished by bad writing and wasted time.”
“The main story seems to exist only to plug jokes and references like if that's the main aspect of the game.”
“The story and the gameplay are so bland, safe, and forgettable that you can play it with your brain completely switched off and you won't miss anything.”
- gameplay100 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Galaxy of Pen & Paper" is characterized by a mix of turn-based combat and exploration, with players able to customize characters and create quests. However, many reviews highlight issues such as slow pacing, repetitiveness, and basic mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate the humor and charm, others find the gameplay tedious and lacking depth, leading to a mixed reception overall.
“The story is cute and gameplay is pretty fun, especially as you start unlocking more characters and classes to experiment with party combos.”
“I loved this from start to end, thanks in no small part to the gorgeous pixel art and incredible soundtrack. I got over 30 hours of gameplay bingeing on the base game and that was fine by me.”
“When it comes to the mechanics, you can play it as a casual game, or go deeper into the possibilities and strategies.”
“The story and the gameplay are so bland, safe, and forgettable that you can play it with your brain completely switched off and you won't miss anything.”
“I got this game for 65% less with a coupon and I think I am still going to refund this, as it's clunky, slow design, gigantic map, which is abused by making you traverse it violently for any kind of upgrade, the grind, the general lacking mechanics and much more is still not sufficient to call this game anything but a jokingly bad cash grab that needs to be discouraged.”
“For its length, a gamer may find themselves aware that the experience is getting more and more repetitive when nothing really new is added to the gameplay after a certain point.”
- humor66 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, with many players enjoying its quirky characters, pop-culture references, and self-aware storytelling. While some jokes may fall flat or be hit-or-miss, the overall comedic tone is considered a highlight, particularly for fans of RPGs and tabletop gaming. The game's lighthearted and colorful presentation further enhances its humorous appeal, making it a fun experience for those who appreciate a playful narrative.
“When one of the jokes made me laugh out loud from how clever it was, I wanted to write a review.”
“This is a great game, with great mechanics, and a hilarious story.”
“It’s full of bright, colorful, and humorously creative pixel art and the storyline is silly fun in a light-hearted and self-aware way.”
- grinding50 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 4 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, often leading to frustration during combat and resource gathering. While some appreciate the option to control the level of grinding, the overall sentiment leans towards it being overly grindy, with long animations and frequent loading times exacerbating the experience. Players suggest that the game could benefit from features to skip animations and a more balanced challenge to mitigate the grind.
“On one hand it is still better than the previous game, on the other hand - it still isn’t really fun, and considering that you will have to do a lot of combat - well, it gets tedious really fast.”
“I openly despise any RPG that relies on grinding and damage sponges to create the illusion of challenge.”
“I'm at level 30 and many hours in, but every battle is still super tedious and takes forever.”
- graphics46 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game present a mixed bag, featuring a blend of pixel art and low-poly 3D that some players find charming and well-suited to the game's tone, while others criticize the inconsistency and cluttered aesthetic. While the retro-inspired visuals evoke nostalgia and are praised for their creativity, technical issues and graphical glitches detract from the overall experience. Overall, the art style is appreciated for its uniqueness, but it struggles with coherence and polish.
“The retro graphics are done well.”
“The simple 3D graphics and delightful sprite work is a good mix.”
“About the aesthetic, it has 2 types of graphics (pixel art and low-poly 3D), that match very well with the tone of the story, and it is very well done and polished, with a very light and cartoonish vibe.”
“And to top it off, the art style is a mess: the pixel art (with a few nice sprites, to be honest) clashes horribly with the very basic 3D maps!”
“Honestly, fairly glitchy; the artwork doesn't give a very consistent feeling to the game (e.g., space is kind of 3D cartoonish while characters are pixel art), and, honestly, the game is quite glitchy.”
“I think the devs would've been much better served to focus on a richly detailed 2D map than worry about 3D graphics.”
- music34 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its quality and retro style, with many reviewers highlighting the incredible soundtrack and its ability to enhance the overall experience. However, some players noted that the music can become repetitive over time, and while it complements the game's visuals and humor well, there is a desire for a greater variety of tracks. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm.
“The music and pixel art are great.”
“The soundtrack is really good and eschews synth and vapor like a rainy neon lit street with a bust of some Greek philosopher floating over a tiled floor in a shop window.”
“I loved this from start to end, thanks in no small part to the gorgeous pixel art and incredible soundtrack :)”
“The soundtrack gets the job done.”
“I love the retro music; however, there's not too much of it and it can become repetitive.”
“Only slightly repetitive retro music.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its significant stability issues, including frequent bugs and game-breaking glitches that hinder gameplay, particularly during combat. While developers are reportedly working on fixes, many reviewers suggest waiting for updates or purchasing the game at a discount due to its current underdeveloped state. Overall, the consensus is that the game is too buggy at launch to recommend without reservations.
“Game freezes on the first turn of the first round of combat if you use a skill. How does a game-breaking bug get through the first 5 minutes of the game?”
“Way too buggy on release compared to other pen and paper games. I know the fixes are rolling in, but the game doesn't take so long to complete and has no replay value.”
“It is very buggy in its current state; however, the developers are working hard on the fixes, so maybe wait a few weeks before buying or definitely worth picking up in a sale (if the devs stick to their word on fixing the bugs, that is).”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game offers moderate replayability due to various in-game choices that can lead to different story outcomes and the ability to experiment with diverse character combinations and party builds. However, some players feel that the overall replay value is limited, suggesting a mixed reception on this aspect.
“It does lend itself to replayability a bit since there are a number of in-game choices you can make that have small effects on the story, and it might be worth a second play to see how they turn out, plus experimenting with different party builds.”
“Inventive missions and replayability.”
“Not much replay value.”
“Quite a bit of replay value in the number of combinations of characters you can use.”
“It does lend itself to replayability a bit since there are a number of in-game choices you can make that have small effects on the story and it might be worth a second play to see how they turn out, plus experimenting with different party builds.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some players expressing initial disappointment and a desire to stop playing due to unmet expectations, particularly in the context of its sci-fi setting and the franchise's heartwarming reputation.
“I was hyped about what can be done in a sci-fi setting within such a heartwarming franchise and was greatly disappointed.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game appears to have been intended as a mobile title with in-app purchases to enhance gameplay, but the absence of these features has resulted in a frustrating experience for players, making progression feel tedious.
“This was clearly designed to be a mobile game with in-app purchases to get it moving along, but that feature is entirely missing, making this game an absolute slog.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere has been criticized for being uninteresting, with reviewers noting that the writing lacks humor, contributing to a less engaging overall experience.
