Gyromancer
- November 17, 2009
- Square Enix
- 15h median play time
Get on Steam"Gyromancer" is a Puzzle RPG, combining elements of bejeweled twist with traditional RPG gameplay. As the deadly mage Rivel, you'll explore Aldemona Wood, battling enemies and commanding unique beasts to fight at your side. The game features a variety of objectives, awards, and grinding opportunities, resulting in a challenging and engaging experience.
PC
Windows
Xbox
Xbox 360
Reviews
- The game features gorgeous artwork and high-quality monster and character portraits.
- The gem-twist battle mechanics are addictive and provide a unique twist on the match-3 genre.
- The monster collection aspect adds a fun Pokémon-like element to the gameplay.
- The game suffers from a tedious UI and frequent crashes, especially in full-screen mode.
- There is a steep difficulty spike that can make the game feel punishing and frustrating.
- The story and dialogue are poorly written, often feeling nonsensical and unengaging.
- story146 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The story in the game is widely criticized for being poorly written, pretentious, and lacking depth, leading many players to skip dialogue entirely. While some find the narrative to be a generic fantasy quest, others appreciate its dark themes and occasional interesting moments, though overall it is considered weak compared to similar titles like Puzzle Quest. Many players agree that the gameplay is more engaging than the story, which often feels tacked on and unimportant.
“Finding, unlocking and training gorgeous beasts proves to be rewarding--and so does simply following the classic-yet-nicely-told story.”
“Great match 3 game with a very good story.”
“If you loved the RPGs made by Square Enix, you will enjoy the storyline in this game.”
“The story and dialogue are a load of pretentious nonsense.”
“The story is nonsense and the writing is terrible.”
“I've now finished all the main stages (the story was very boring, awkward, and badly written fantasy), accomplished the achievements for most of the levels, and I think unlocked all the beasts.”
- gameplay110 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Gyromancer has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its convoluted mechanics that often detract from the enjoyment of the match-3 puzzle format. While the basic match-3 mechanics are generally well-received, the introduction of punishing features, such as idle twist penalties and overly complex battle mechanics, has led to frustration and a sense of constraint rather than creative problem-solving. Additionally, technical issues like crashes and save data loss further mar the overall experience, leaving players divided on the game's potential.
“The actual match-3 battle gameplay is just fine.”
“It's a fantastic example of how to blend two genres of gameplay into a masterful whole.”
“The gameplay is essentially Bejeweled Twist, but with a Square Enix RPG encapsulating it all.”
“I can't tell you how frustrating it is to try and set up combos with these mechanics while the enemy is blowing things up on the board to ruin any expectation of fun.”
“The 'idle spin' penalty mechanic felt like a curse cast upon me by a vengeful sorcerer, turning every move into a gamble with fate.”
“Gyromancer is somewhat oppressive in many levels: character art pieces can be surprisingly wicked, the plot is dark and gory, and the gameplay--as far as gem-match puzzles go--aims to constrain the player instead of encourage creative problem solving.”
- music38 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it enjoyable and well-composed, while others criticize it for being generic, monotonous, and lacking variation. Many feel that the soundtrack does not enhance the gameplay experience, often describing it as overly simplistic or reminiscent of stock music. Overall, while there are positive remarks about certain tracks, the consensus leans towards a desire for more diversity and depth in the musical composition.
“Very enjoyable and satisfying game with excellent music.”
“It is a jewel puzzle game and it has an average story and the soundtrack is amazing.”
“The music is well done and the artwork is very good although cutscenes do not use any animations and are mostly reliant on text updates.”
“It's interesting on paper, but between the monotonous gameplay, generic dungeons and dragons-esque plot, and highly generic JRPG guitar music, this game has a lot of problems.”
“The music, though initially charming, soon became a symphony of monotony, each track blending into the next like a never-ending tavern song.”
“It's very by-the-book fantasy music, and it almost sounds like stock music.”
- graphics36 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the artwork and overall visual style as decent and enjoyable, while others criticize it for being reminiscent of outdated designs and limited to 720p resolution. Although the game features an uncapped framerate and can run on older hardware, it suffers from issues like static cutscenes and occasional crashes that detract from the experience. Overall, while the visuals are appreciated by some, they are not groundbreaking and may not meet the expectations of all players.
“The story isn't anything spectacular, but graphically the game is fantastic and the gameplay addictive.”
“Firstly, the game has an uncapped framerate, and while it did not tax my graphics card all that much, the game might increase the temperature significantly on certain computers.”
“On top of this, the artwork (all static) looks like a cheap knock-off of the art from old Dungeons and Dragons books.”
“I should add that the graphics are stuck at 720p.”
“What graphics options there are can be turned up to the maximum on any computer of the past decade (possibly two).”
- grinding24 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly when faced with significant level gaps that hinder progress despite prior grinding efforts. While some appreciate the need for grinding to improve their characters, many feel that it becomes overly repetitive and burdensome, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game. The combination of a restrictive level cap and challenging battles leads to a grind-heavy experience that can diminish the initial appeal of the game.
“A great game (for about 15 hours) that eventually gets ground into the dirt by the necessity for grinding and overly difficult 'bonus' levels.”
“But there comes a level where the bottleneck battle is 20 levels higher than your monsters, even if you've been grinding up till that point.”
“You have to repeat similar battles over and over again, slowly grinding levels to beat stronger monsters.”
- humor18 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as "f*cking hilarious," particularly in its absurd scenarios and character interactions, making it entertaining to watch. However, players find the gameplay itself disappointing, leading to a contrast where the comedic elements shine while the actual experience falters. Overall, the humor is a highlight, but it doesn't compensate for the game's shortcomings.
“It's f*cking hilarious!”
“Funny Valentine: well, well, well... it seems Gyromancer is a stand user in its own right.”
“Bullet for my Funny Valentine: if this game was a stand, it'd be the weakest in the Steel Ball Run.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some users reporting significant performance issues, particularly on PC. While some players attribute the problems to their specific systems, the general consensus suggests that the game may be poorly optimized overall.
“I was intimidated by some of the reviews here, which said that the game has horrible performance issues.”
“Seems like it is poorly optimized for PC, or maybe just my system.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, frequently stalling and freezing during gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. Users have noted that these bugs hinder the enjoyment of an otherwise promising concept.
“The entire game seems like a good concept; however, it frequently stalls and freezes the game screen.”
“Kind of buggy, and it feels like Bejeweled meets a somewhat lackluster storyline.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is criticized for its poorly written and unengaging story, leading to a lack of emotional impact for players.
“The story is poorly written and completely unengaging.”
“The narrative fails to evoke any emotional response, leaving it dull and lifeless.”
“I found the emotional depth lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game offers a semi-replayable experience due to the variety of creatures and moves available, allowing players to frequently switch them out to explore different gameplay styles. However, this may lead to a less compelling reason to replay the game extensively.
“The variety in creatures and moves makes the game semi-replayable, allowing players to switch them out often to experience each one.”
“The diverse range of creatures and moves enhances the replayability, encouraging players to experiment with different combinations.”
“With so many unique creatures and moves, the game offers a fresh experience each time you play, making it highly replayable.”
“The variety in creatures and moves makes the game semi-replayable, though you could just switch them out often to get a feel for each one.”
