Islands of the Caliph
- September 29, 2023
- Schmidt Workshops
- 9h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Islands of the Caliph" is a strategy and management simulation game where players govern a group of islands in a medieval Islamic civilization. Oversee resource allocation, trade, and diplomacy to ensure prosperity and growth. Meet the diverse needs of your citizens and expand your influence through scholarly, economic, and military pursuits.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Islands of the Caliph offers a unique and engaging experience with its retro-style graphics and keyboard-only controls, reminiscent of classic dungeon crawlers.
- The game successfully integrates Islamic themes and cultural elements into its gameplay, providing a fresh perspective in the RPG genre.
- Exploration is rewarding, with a variety of islands, towns, and secrets to discover, making the gameplay feel immersive and enjoyable.
- The quest structure can be repetitive, often involving tedious fetch quests that detract from the overall experience.
- The autosave system can lead to frustrating situations where players lose significant progress or items due to poor design choices.
- Some players may find the combat simplistic and lacking depth, with limited enemy variety and basic mechanics.
- story130 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, featuring a unique Middle-Eastern fantasy setting that incorporates Islamic traditions, which some players found enriching while others felt it veered into proselytizing territory. Many quests are repetitive and can feel tedious, particularly fetch quests, but there are enjoyable moments of exploration and discovery, with some quests offering interesting narrative payoffs. Overall, while the story has its strengths in world-building and thematic depth, it suffers from a lack of engaging characters and a cumbersome quest log that requires players to take notes to keep track of objectives.
“I was very unfamiliar with Islam before completing this game, and I feel that worked to my advantage, as discovering the pillars of faith that underpin the main quest line felt truly new to me, and helped to deepen my understanding of the world.”
“The world-building and quests are refreshingly different, having a Middle-Eastern fantasy setting, with aspects of Islamic traditions and practices built into both the story and a full mechanical system on their own.”
“The highlight for me, personally, is the story.”
“The story was actually quite average - it tried to mix in things related to the Quran but I found it to lack any depth and the characters and narrative to be almost entirely uninteresting.”
“While the narrative implications of the last quest are of seismic importance in-universe, from a player perspective you're just kinda walking in circles, followed by a sudden splash screen.”
“With some exceptions, the game is fun, the look of the game is quite nice, and the game feel is excellent, however I cannot in good conscience recommend a game that preaches at you, between this and the demo I've sunk over eight hours into this game, but around the fourth island (around four hours into my playthrough) is where the preaching gets really bad.”
- gameplay101 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a blend of simple mechanics and engaging exploration, set against a unique Middle-Eastern fantasy backdrop that incorporates Islamic themes. While the survival mechanics and combat can feel basic and occasionally tedious, the overall experience remains enjoyable due to its colorful aesthetics, smooth controls, and a variety of quests that keep players engaged. However, some players noted clunky elements and a lack of clarity in certain mechanics, which can detract from the overall flow of the game.
“It’s colorfully gorgeous, has a great soundtrack, a diverse world, and very smooth and satisfying gameplay.”
“The gameplay is deep enough to stay entertaining because there are many islands, quests, and blocked paths to keep us engaged in exploring.”
“Really unique setting and a fun gameplay loop with lots to explore and find.”
“Also, the survival mechanics are very tedious.”
“A couple of quests (such as one particular fishing-related quest) have some odd timing issues, and those aren't helped by the rather clunky time-skipping mechanic.”
“Need to mention that while the colorful retro graphics and the fantastic soundtrack steal the spotlight, a good couple of gameplay aspects feel a bit clunky, repetitive, or sometimes unfinished.”
- graphics61 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Islands of the Caliph" are widely praised for their beautiful retro aesthetic, which effectively captures the charm of old-school dungeon crawlers while immersing players in a vibrant, Arabian Nights-inspired world. Many reviewers appreciate the game's unique art style and atmospheric visuals, although some note that certain graphical elements, like poorly implemented scanlines, could use improvement. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's engaging experience, complemented by a fantastic soundtrack.
“This game is dripping with style; the graphics are gorgeous, the music isn't too bad, and the fact that it leans so far into its Arabian Nights inspiration as to have a sidequest about fasting for Ramadan is genuinely pretty cool.”
“The graphics and music serve the gameplay and atmosphere, and fit the game well.”
“Great graphics, really manages to pull you in with a few hours.”
“Although I wasn't too much a fan of the art style of the people.”
“Part of 'throwback' means the graphics and animation are also from a distant standard.”
“The graphics are nice, although the very poorly implemented scanlines need work.”
- music60 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its fantastic quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, particularly with its Middle Eastern influences. Players appreciate the beautiful soundtrack that complements the colorful retro graphics and immersive world, although some express a desire for more musical variety. Overall, the music is described as charming, fitting well with the game's themes and contributing significantly to the enjoyable experience.
“The setting alone is enough to distinguish this game from the crowd, with beautiful music, art, and scenery all lending a nice atmosphere that pulls you in.”
“The music is fantastic--the only complaint is that there isn't more of it.”
“You go on a boat, no monster attack nor pirates, just time passing with no unique song or dialogue from the captain.”
“The music keeps you grounded in the atmosphere, while the landscape and sprite art is beautifully done while staying true to its limitations.”
“The graphics and music serve the gameplay and atmosphere, and fit the game well.”
- atmosphere38 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating blend of beautiful music, retro art, and a unique Islamic fantasy setting, which immerses players in a nostalgic dungeon-crawling experience reminiscent of classic CRPGs. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke strong vibes and a coherent aesthetic, making it a standout title despite some character depth issues. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a significant strength, leaving a lasting impression on players.
“The setting alone is enough to distinguish this game from the crowd, with beautiful music, art, and scenery all lending a nice atmosphere that pulls you in.”
“The tropical sun, the sea wind blowing over the beaches; jungles, mountains, and deserts, maze-like cities, full of markets and strange characters… coupled with the great soundtrack, the atmosphere in this game is simply great.”
“The atmosphere of this game will stick with me far longer than the gameplay mechanics, but, on the whole, I am grateful to have had this experience.”
“I am not a fan of these grid-based dungeon crawlers, but here the atmosphere created by the Middle Eastern aesthetic and all of the cool details, and tasks - actually being able to practice Islam for example - made for an amazingly engaging experience.”
“- Islands of the Caliph is a truly remarkable game that evokes the atmosphere and spirit of dungeon crawlers of the old days (especially the Might and Magic series) while taking on a personality all its own.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some quests can feel tedious and repetitive, particularly those requiring backtracking or specific item collection, the overall exploration and combat mechanics are engaging and enjoyable. The game strikes a balance by offering satisfying progression without excessive grinding, though certain survival mechanics, like the stamina system, can add unnecessary frustration. Overall, the nostalgic feel and fun secrets help mitigate the grindy elements.
“Many of the quests can be tedious repetitions of prior quests (there are so, so many people on islands asking for fruit found only on different islands).”
“Two particularly egregious quests were 'find 7 squid babies' forcing you to tediously re-explore the island you just finished exploring since they just spawn in when you accept this quest.”
“There is also a stamina bar for some reason which usually doesn't matter 90% of the time, but if you have 'blisters' then it means you'll have to tediously walk and wait for it to restore (and blister medicine is not on every island).”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that while the game is well-designed, it lacks sufficient humor. However, the incorporation of accurate and borderline edutainment elements related to Islamic education is noted as both hilarious and engaging.
“The accurate and borderline edutainment Islamic education is both hilarious and interesting.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express that the game evokes a strong sense of wonder and intrigue, highlighting its ability to elicit deep emotional responses that have been rare in recent gaming experiences.
“Wow - it's been a very long time since a game has made me feel this kind of wonder and intrigue.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs and performance problems, which can lead to unsolvable questlines and softlocks that hinder progress.
“However, at its current state, it's also pretty buggy at times, performs badly at others, and the questline became outright unsolvable for me in the end because the game ran out of clues for me to finish the final mysteries. Trying one of the routes basically softlocked my entire progress.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players note that the game's permanent consequences for actions enhance its replayability, encouraging them to explore different choices and outcomes in subsequent playthroughs.
“Some actions have permanent consequences for the game world, which gives the game significant replayability.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes encourages multiple playthroughs, making each experience feel fresh and engaging.”
“With different character builds and story paths, I find myself coming back to explore new possibilities every time.”
“Some actions have permanent consequences for the game world, which gives the game some replayability.”
“Once you've completed the main storyline, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
“The lack of diverse endings makes replaying the game feel redundant and uninteresting.”
