Gedonia
- October 14, 2022
- Irondust
- 13h median play time
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PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a vast open world with plenty of secrets and quests to explore, reminiscent of classic RPGs.
- Character customization is extensive, allowing for a variety of builds and playstyles, which enhances replayability.
- Despite its jankiness, the game is engaging and fun, with a charming aesthetic and a sense of adventure.
- The voice acting and dialogue are often poorly executed, detracting from the overall immersion of the game.
- Combat can feel clunky and unresponsive at times, with issues related to hit detection and enemy AI.
- The game suffers from various bugs and glitches that can interrupt gameplay, making it feel unfinished.
- story769 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the main quest to be weak, generic, and poorly executed, often marred by bad voice acting and translation issues. While the main storyline lacks depth and can feel tedious, the side quests are generally more engaging, offering interesting choices and multiple outcomes that enhance the overall experience. Overall, players seem to appreciate the freedom to explore and engage with the world, often prioritizing gameplay and exploration over the main narrative.
“The story is a bit cheesy, but the game is surprisingly smooth running.”
“The quests generally tend to have markers on the main map, but the markers on the mini map are only helpful when you're already in close proximity.”
“The side quests can be approached from multiple angles, and there are plenty of skill checks giving you lots of room to flex your characters stats and skills.”
“The biggest problem is the writing, which is just unbearably awful; the main quest is literally a joke and the voice actors are either AI-generated or are so bad that they sound AI-generated.”
“The story is so basic and painful to engage with; the voice acting is utterly terrible in English to the point I considered changing it to Russian, even though I don't speak it, in the hopes it's better.”
“The main story is hilariously bad; I turned off the voice acting because it needs some serious work.”
- gameplay274 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Gedonia is characterized by its enjoyable open-world RPG mechanics, offering a blend of classic MMO elements and unique skill trees that allow for diverse character builds. While the game features a variety of engaging mechanics, including crafting and dungeon puzzles, it suffers from some clunky controls and bugs that detract from the overall experience. Despite its rough edges, many players find the gameplay loop addictive and rewarding, making it a solid choice for fans of indie RPGs.
“Enjoyable open world RPG with just enough depth to gameplay for a bit of challenge in an otherwise cozy, casual stroll.”
“The gameplay is broad and fun, with every skill tree feeling very distinct and powerful on its own.”
“Very good crafting mechanics and one of the best skill tree systems I've seen in an indie RPG.”
“So you get locked out of 90% of the game's mechanics... this is so stupid.”
“The gameplay, however, is just too unpolished to recommend.”
“The combat is just clunky, so if you're looking for Dark Souls level of gameplay, you might want to look somewhere else.”
- graphics247 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are simplistic and occasionally janky, they possess a certain charm reminiscent of older RPGs. Some appreciate the cartoonish art style and find it refreshing, while others criticize the visuals as dated and lacking polish. Overall, despite the graphical shortcomings, many players feel that the engaging gameplay and expansive content more than compensate for the visual limitations.
“The visuals are actually really nice, and the details are surprising, especially considering the art style.”
“The graphics are charming, and the combat feels good!”
“The graphics may not be pretty, but it makes up for it in the things you can do and explore, as games should be.”
“The graphics are as rough as they look, and somehow the voice acting and story are so bad that they make the graphics seem like a highlight.”
“This game has the absolute worst graphics I have literally ever seen.”
- stability74 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The game's stability is characterized by a mix of charm and frustration, with numerous bugs and glitches reported, ranging from minor annoyances to more significant issues that can disrupt gameplay. While some players find the jankiness endearing and manageable, others express frustration over game-breaking bugs and performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios. Overall, the game is seen as a work in progress, with potential for improvement as updates are released, but it currently lacks the polish expected from a fully developed title.
“This game is practically bug-free, with the occasional jank.”
“For an early access game, the game runs great and has a great feel to it.”
“Loading time/game size - the game is a small game, under 5 gigs, it takes like 30 seconds at most to ever load, and it runs great, even on my 5-year-old potato of a computer.”
“Feels like a demo, very basic, buggy and unresponsive.”
“Very buggy, can't even play it; the camera just spins around for no reason, the game has no sound at all, everything is clunky, nothing works.”
“The game is absolutely horrendous, buggy, janky and just downright awful, and the screenshots are all fake to make it look better than it actually is.”
- music65 mentions
- 51 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its quality, atmosphere, and ability to enhance the gaming experience. The soundtrack is described as catchy, soothing, and fitting for various biomes, often evoking comparisons to well-known titles like Skyrim and World of Warcraft. However, some users noted issues with repetitiveness and sound design inconsistencies, suggesting a desire for more ambient sounds in certain areas. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that contributes significantly to the game's immersive environment.
“The music is really nice, and each biome has a unique soundtrack.”
“The music is fantastic and is absolutely perfect for an adventure.”
“The music and ambiance are top notch; I would put it up there with Elder Scrolls/Dragon Age in that category.”
“The music and sounds are generic, but I expected nothing else.”
“The game's visuals are nice and create an atmospheric world, and the sound design is okay, but I ended up turning off the music to listen to other things.”
“For it being made by a single developer, it lacks a multi-person project source of creativity whether it be in game mechanics and/or the game's scenery or music style, and so on.”
- replayability58 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its diverse character builds, skill trees, and multiple quest choices, allowing players to experience different gameplay styles and outcomes. Despite some technical flaws, many players find the depth of customization and exploration compelling enough to warrant multiple playthroughs. Overall, it is regarded as a hidden gem with significant replay value, especially for fans of RPGs.
“The game has a ton of replayability in character builds, so this ensures you get different content too!”
“There's such a rich variety of things to do, and the setup allows for ample replayability.”
“The class system is simple but genius in its simplicity, catering to a lot of different play styles and offering great replay value.”
“There's absolutely no replayability value because the story is short, there's no branching story, and the voice acting is just that terrible.”
“The thing is all these parts feel like great systems and fun if you could ignore the attribute system and use them all together, mixing and matching as you like but ultimately the attribute system is a limiter that forces a level of replayability to the detriment of the game.”
“I would also eventually like to see ways to increase attributes, although there's meant to be some replay value around this 'unique character building,' the game world is so vast and full of quests/content, I doubt I will ever come close to finishing it all and making a new character.”
- grinding49 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 2 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that while the game offers a vast world with plenty of content, it can become excessively grindy, particularly in the endgame and when pursuing achievements. Players often find themselves trapped in XP grinds due to level restrictions on quests, leading to tedious farming for gear and resources. However, some appreciate the freedom to engage in grinding at their own pace, with various crafting and exploration options available, making the experience enjoyable for those who embrace the grind.
“Also appreciated that there was no grinding whatsoever needed to get through levels; the pace is just right.”
“The gameplay does feel somewhat like an older MMO like WoW, but not grindy.”
“The world is pretty large with plenty of content, though it does feel a bit grindy after you're done with the Gedonia region and would like to move on to northern realms.”
“There is fun to be had, but once the main story and scripted side quests are completed, the RNG loot grind (which is on a two-hour timer to repeat the fights) is just tedious and gets boring very quickly.”
“The endgame grinding for the epic armor also seems punishingly long as you need 10 'marks' to upgrade to a second tier, then you have to combine 10 of those 25 times in order to get a third tier.”
- optimization45 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 31 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag, with many users reporting performance issues, particularly in crowded areas and during specific actions like horse riding. While some players have experienced smooth gameplay after updates, others continue to face significant lag, stuttering, and bugs that detract from the experience. There is a consensus that further optimization is needed to enhance stability and performance, especially given the game's potential.
“For a game created by one person, it's got quite a bit of content and is also optimized very well.”
“Gave it a try again after many updates, performance is basically flawless, so I'll give it a very well-deserved recommendation.”
“The developer managed to allow owners of mid-range graphics cards to enjoy maximum quality without lags, but the optimization methods are strange.”
“Has some performance issues in areas stacked with enemies, such as in the late game areas, and general small glitches such as getting stuck or having to save and reload to get things to work.”
“It has an enormous potential, but the optimization is horrible; I can barely reach 40 fps and it freezes when I move fast on the map, and no, it's not because of my PC.”
“Game is poorly optimized as my GPU reaches far higher temperatures running this than any of the other games I've played recently, to the point where I'm afraid to run it anything above 1080p (RTX 2080 Super, by the way).”
- humor42 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mix of intentional and unintentional comedy, often stemming from its janky mechanics, atrocious voice acting, and quirky quests. Players find the absurdity of the bugs and the charm of the dialogue to be genuinely funny, with many highlighting the bard's musical abilities as a standout comedic element. While some aspects may frustrate, the overall lighthearted tone and humorous writing keep players engaged and entertained.
“Also, if you want a can't-miss way to enjoy the game, play as a bard. His guitar attack makes me laugh every time I use it, and the way you switch from battle song to remorse song to happy song really feels like mocking your enemies in the most hilarious way. It constantly makes me laugh.”
“The voice acting is atrocious, but honestly, it's so funny that it kind of works in the game's favor.”
“There's humor and playfulness in the cut scenes, and even when things are more serious, it doesn't take itself seriously.”
“So hard and not funny”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally described as positive, enhanced by pleasant music and appealing visuals that create an immersive world. However, some players feel that the sound design lacks depth, with limited atmospheric sounds and NPC interactions, which detracts from the overall experience. While certain elements like weather effects are praised, comparisons to other RPGs highlight a perceived deficiency in atmosphere compared to titles like Risen and Gothic.
“Music is pleasant too, adds to the atmosphere.”
“The soundtrack strongly reminds me of Skyrim and World of Warcraft at times, so that is also a plus because those games have amazing atmosphere because of the music alone.”
“The weather and atmospheric effects look amazing and sound amazing, especially the rain; but not to forget to mention the dusk and dawn and the starry night sky.”
“Visuals and graphics are serviceable, but compared to games like Risen and Gothic, there is no atmosphere to speak of.”
“The game overall is rough; the atmosphere, which the NPCs should be responsible for, is lacking.”
- character development11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is highly praised for its depth and versatility, allowing players to create unique builds with a variety of classes, abilities, and gear. The system encourages experimentation and offers multiple paths for progression, catering to different playstyles such as melee, magic, and crafting. Overall, players find the character development to be a standout feature that enhances the gameplay experience significantly.
“The character development and abilities you get are extremely varied, and it feels awesome to create your own build, which can be reset to try new things.”
“This game has very versatile character development as well as many ways to play it.”
“Character development is very open, with various paths for melee, magic, and crafting to mix.”
“No universal do all character development but allows you to play a wizard and become a great wizard...”
“The world has enough charm, and the pacing and character development is in depth enough that it is certainly worth a go for a true RPG fan.”
“Character development is very open, various paths for melee, magic, and crafting to mix.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is described as fun and wholesome, with some heartwarming moments, though the story lacks deep emotional investment. Players appreciate the sense of empowerment from leveling up, which enhances their enjoyment despite some drawbacks in graphics and repetitive storytelling. Overall, the fun gameplay outweighs these issues, making the experience worthwhile.
“Some were even really heartwarming.”
“Drawbacks are graphics and the story isn't deeply emotionally investing, but despite all that, there is so much fun to be had that it makes it worth it.”
“I rarely felt that leveling up gave me '+1% crit damage' or whatever, and instead, every level and perk point made me feel more and more powerful.”
“I would've preferred being able to swap builds on a single save so I don't have to go through the boring story each time, and I would've preferred having access to all these neat parts of gameplay that would've been fun to have together in some capacity.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy relies heavily on microtransactions, which some users criticize as a cash grab, especially in light of ongoing bugs and issues that remain unaddressed since launch. Players express frustration over the developer's focus on a sequel rather than improving the current game.
“Without microtransactions, the game is not financially feasible.”
“Now that a sequel game is planned, I strongly stand against wasting time on this. It's still a buggy mess, and the solo developer clearly wants to cash grab for his next game instead of fixing stuff that's been broken since the game launched.”
