Into the Fray

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 57 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Into the Fray Game Cover
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In "Into the Fray" , play as Hito, a Knight of the Empire, in an alternate 1899 Portland. Investigate a missing royal and the Sons of Washington rebels, who've made dark cosmic pacts. Experience oblique top-down action, fast combat, and a Lovecraftian story as you explore the island through a series of missions. No previous game knowledge needed.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 57 reviews
story11 positive mentions
music3 negative mentions
  • Fast-paced and engaging top-down shooter gameplay reminiscent of classic titles like Doom, providing a satisfying combat experience.
  • The game features a compelling story with interesting characters and a unique setting, continuing the Skautfold series' narrative effectively.
  • Variety in gameplay modes (Pure mode and RPG mode) allows players to choose their preferred style, enhancing replayability.
  • Gameplay can feel unbalanced, with certain enemies and bosses being overly difficult or frustrating, particularly for new players.
  • Camera issues and off-screen attacks can lead to unfair deaths, detracting from the overall experience.
  • The game lacks polish in some areas, such as hitbox accuracy and visual clarity, which can make combat feel less satisfying.
  • story29 mentions

    The story is a standout feature, offering a refreshing twist on the classic good vs. evil narrative, with engaging characters and a compelling plot that builds on the lore of the Skautfold series. Players appreciate the well-paced storytelling and unique elements, such as eldritch horror themes, which enhance the overall experience. While some mechanics may not fully align with the narrative, the rich world and intriguing developments keep fans eager for future installments.

    • “The story is a refreshing twist on the classic good vs. evil.”
    • “The story is good enough without having played those games, but it becomes incredible with all the context you get from those games.”
    • “I really do feel the need to emphasize how much I love the world and story Steve Gal has been developing.”
    • “The mechanics do not match what is being told in the story.”
    • “For what it is at the moment, it delivers more in gameplay than it does in story.”
    • “The story is deliciously weird (there's a head in a jar that wants me to wear his cape and the cape requires the blood of my enemies).”
  • gameplay21 mentions

    The gameplay in "Into the Fray" is a notable evolution for the Skautfold series, featuring engaging top-down shooting mechanics and unique boss fights that offer rewarding challenges. While some players appreciate the fun and addictive nature of the twin-stick shooter format, others find certain mechanics underdeveloped and the overall experience somewhat frustrating, particularly at the beginning. Despite mixed feelings about difficulty and narrative integration, many look forward to future installments, highlighting the game's solid mechanics and enjoyable combat.

    • “Into the Fray is probably the most interesting evolution and experimentation of gameplay that Pugware has come up with in the Skautfold series.”
    • “Each boss fight has a unique mechanic and feels very rewarding to figure out.”
    • “A fun twin-stick shooter with some really fun weapons; it's overall very fun and addicting.”
    • “However, the gameplay overall leaves much to be desired.”
    • “Most areas certainly have different assets, all of them feel about the same to play through, and it's not because of the gameplay loop.”
    • “The mechanics do not match what is being told in the story.”
  • graphics6 mentions

    The game's graphics feature a charming pixel art style that enhances its fast-paced action, making it accessible for players. However, some users noted issues with movement speed and clunkiness, detracting from the overall experience. The aesthetic draws inspiration from Bloodborne, Lovecraft, and anime, with varied graphics and enemy designs introduced throughout missions.

    • “Aesthetically, it obviously draws from Bloodborne, Lovecraft, and anime.”
    • “I love the map art style though.”
    • “There are secret collectibles and cosmetics to find, and most of the missions introduce new graphics or enemies, and main missions often start with you finding a new weapon to play with.”
    • “Cause the game was so slow, both me and the enemies moved at like.... half the speed in the videos, and it has nothing to do with PC specs as these games are not demanding at all and I can run a game like Elden Ring at max graphics with ray tracing mods without issue.”
    • “It’s clunky to move and the random battles while traveling don’t really add much, I love the map art style though.”
    • “Into the Fray is the third game in the Skautfold series, and follows the trend of making each game in a new genre and style while carrying over characters, settings, and some graphics and sound effects.”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game features a shift to electric guitar and hard rock for battle themes, which some players find jarring due to its abrupt onset and cessation during combat. While the battle music is described as energetic and fitting for the action, it contrasts with the moody atmosphere of previous installments, leading to mixed feelings among players. Overall, the soundtrack has its strengths but could benefit from smoother transitions.

    • “Great battle music, unique weapon, good atmosphere, rich story, active and responsive developer.”
    • “The music volume jumping up whenever a new enemy noticed you and the battle theme started was certainly unpleasant for my ears.”
    • “After a lot of moody and atmospheric music in the previous installments, Into the Fray's battle BGM favors the electric guitar and hard rock.”
    • “The music is suitably raucous for the style of combat, but cuts in abruptly at the start of each fight and stops just as abruptly at the end.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the unique battle music and engaging story, others feel that the shift to hard rock contrasts poorly with the moody ambiance established in previous installments. Overall, the atmosphere is seen as lacking in consistency and depth.

    • “Great battle music, unique weapon, good atmosphere, rich story, active and responsive developer.”
    • “After a lot of moody and atmospheric music in the previous installments, Into the Fray's battle BGM favors the electric guitar and hard rock.”
    • “Taken in a vacuum, it's pretty jarring compared to the atmosphere set up in Shrouded in Sanity and Usurper.”
    • “The atmosphere leaves much to be desired.”
    • “Taken in a vacuum, it's pretty jarring compared to the atmosphere set up in 'Shrouded in Sanity' and 'Usurper'.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while clearing rooms can feel tedious and punishing, especially with the risk of starting over from the beginning, the challenging boss battles provide a rewarding sense of accomplishment. Most enemies are not overly tedious to defeat, and the ability to regain spent resources upon restarting boss fights mitigates some frustration.

    • “How boring and tedious clearing room after room felt when just one mistake could send you back to the beginning.”
    • “Few enemies have enough health to be tedious to fight, and although a few of the bosses put you at risk of running out of ammo completely, you get what you spent back if you restart the fight.”
    • “There were a few teeth-grindingly difficult boss battles, but I always felt that sense of accomplishment from beating them, as opposed to the 'thank god it's over' I get with the really terribly programmed stuff you find out there.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game offers a solid replayability experience with a well-implemented difficulty system and two game modes that provide good challenges. However, the lack of replayable levels and the inability to revisit older areas hinder the overall replay value, particularly for players seeking to collect items.

    • “Everything works, had no bugs, there are some good challenges with nothing being absurd to act as a major wall, and it has a difficulty system with two game modes for lots of replayability.”
    • “The variety of choices and paths you can take makes each playthrough feel fresh and exciting, encouraging you to dive back in for more.”
    • “With multiple endings and unlockable content, every run offers something new, making it hard to put down.”
    • “The second biggest issue is the lack of replayable levels. This is a major pain when it comes to collecting items, which is only exacerbated by a beautifully drawn world map that seems to have no purpose at all, since you can't redo or revisit older levels.”
    • “Once you complete the game, there's little incentive to go back. The levels don't change, and the collectibles lose their appeal after the first playthrough.”
    • “The game lacks meaningful replayability; once you've experienced the story, there's no reason to revisit the same environments or challenges.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The game's humor is highlighted by quirky design choices, such as transforming blood into flowers on the easiest difficulty, which adds a lighthearted touch. While the humor is well-executed, the overall gameplay mechanics, particularly the RPG mode, feel disjointed and underdeveloped, leading to a mixed experience.

    • “The game offers five difficulties, with the easiest one changing blood into flowers, which is a very funny and quite cool detail, I gotta admit.”
    • “What humor is there is spot-on.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game's stability has been criticized for being less reliable than previous installments, with frequent bugs such as incorrect map positioning and visual glitches occurring when transitioning between screens or menus.

    • “One little issue I had was that sometimes there were visual glitches when going into different screens, or after opening the menu. These glitches only went away after going to the main map.”
    • “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
    • “I experienced several instances of lag and stuttering, especially during intense gameplay moments.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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