Lands of Sorcery
- December 9, 2020
- Sun Bay Games
"Lands of Sorcery" is a first-person RPG set in a magical world filled with fantastical creatures and ancient lore. Players will embark on a journey to uncover the secrets of the land, battling enemies and solving puzzles along the way. With a variety of weapons, spells, and skills to choose from, each player's experience is unique in this immersive and dynamic open world.
Reviews
- The game features a nostalgic sword and sorcery theme reminiscent of 80s power fantasy movies, which many players find enjoyable.
- The gameplay is easy to learn and offers some fun abilities, making it accessible for casual players.
- The cutscenes and voice acting are well done for an indie game, adding to the overall charm of the experience.
- The combat is often described as repetitive and unbalanced, leading to a lack of depth and engagement over time.
- Many players find the game too easy, with a lack of challenge that diminishes the overall experience.
- The side quests and storytelling are criticized for being inconsistent and poorly executed, detracting from the game's potential.
- gameplay36 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 81 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally easy to learn and master, but suffers from slow animations and a lack of depth, making it feel rudimentary and repetitive. Many players compare it unfavorably to "Darkest Dungeon," noting its simplistic mechanics and absence of exploration, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the visuals and potential of the game, the consensus is that it requires more content and variety to justify its price.
“The gameplay is easy to learn and also easy to master.”
“The gameplay does drag, but I'd still recommend it over most of the other variations of the genre.”
“Once the game gets more campaigns, a few added characters and enemies, a better harem, and a bit more variance in gameplay, it could be worth its hefty price tag!”
“Gameplay is a pain even on easy, because of very, very, v e r y slow animations.”
“It's basically a cheap knock-off of Darkest Dungeon where you don't have the exploration mechanic and instead just fight the same battle four to eight times before proceeding to the next chapter.”
“Instead you get a terrible UI, high difficulty from having overly complex mechanics trying to emulate Darkest Dungeon, and lackluster character art with ugly CG nudity.”
- story34 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as a mix of enjoyable, cheesy elements reminiscent of 80s power fantasy films, but it suffers from inconsistent storytelling and a lack of depth, leaving some players feeling underwhelmed. While the cutscenes are visually appealing and the voice acting is praised, many reviewers express frustration with the lengthy exposition and desire for more interactive gameplay rather than extensive reading. Overall, the narrative is seen as decent but not engaging enough to maintain interest throughout the game.
“The storytelling in this game is pretty good (despite its corny moments), and heavily resembles some of those power fantasy movies that were quite popular in the 80s, which is very rare to see these days.”
“A deliciously cheesy story, which is refreshing given how serious most games have become.”
“The cut scenes are gorgeously presenting a cool, cinema-style story (with some nice light adult elements for those that turn it on), and the voice acting seemed nice too.”
“Inconsistent storytelling: switching back and forth from serious storytelling to cliché Americanized lines doesn't fit what you're trying to do.”
“The gameplay is okay, easy to understand, but the story is just too short, with a map and city that big?”
“To be fair, I only had one side quest until now, but this was pages and pages to read with an okayish story, but again nothing too interesting.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the visuals, character design, and smooth in-battle animations, while others criticize the disjointed art style and static artwork. Cut scenes are noted as visually appealing, but the overall execution is compared unfavorably to more renowned artists. Despite the decent graphics, many feel the game lacks depth and content.
“Artwork: some of the cut scenes of the concept artwork used as story elements came across visually appreciative.”
“This is an excellent game.. relaxing, fun with nice cool graphics and animations.”
“The in-battle visuals are very nice, the combat feels smooth and performance is good.”
“The art style suffers from being completely disjointed.”
“CG pretty much looks like the exact opposite of Frank Frazetta or Boris Vallejo artwork.”
“Unfortunately, this plays like a Final Fantasy knock-off with poser artwork of Amazons in place of the art nouveau drawings of Yoshitaka Amano.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive, leading to a sense of boredom and frustration, particularly in the campaign mode. While some still enjoy the game overall, many suggest that reducing the grind could enhance the experience.
“However, onto the actual game - while it's always true to the s&s genre, it is extremely grindy and overly difficult... and I'm sorry to say, sort of boring after a while.”
“It's too grindy.”
“Consider making it less grindy in the campaign.”
- music4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game features a solid rock soundtrack with elements reminiscent of "Age of Barbarian," complemented by well-executed voice acting and metal riffs, all contributing to a surprisingly polished audio experience for a smaller title.
“Music: not a bad rock soundtrack that does have the Age of Barbarian homage to it.”
“I have to say the voice acting, music (even some metal riffs), and writing are pretty well done for such a small game.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a point-and-click style that encourages player engagement, though some reviewers feel that elements like nudity should serve a more meaningful purpose beyond merely enhancing the ambiance. Overall, while the atmosphere is appreciated, it could benefit from deeper integration with gameplay.
“Even with a point-and-click atmosphere, the audience must enjoy the process.”
“The atmosphere feels empty and lacks the depth needed to immerse players fully.”
“While the visuals are striking, the overall atmosphere fails to evoke any real emotion or tension.”
“The game tries to create a dark atmosphere, but it often comes off as forced and unconvincing.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing dialogue and the comedic metal riffs that play at the end of battles, which many players find entertaining. Additionally, the character design and graphics contribute to the overall lighthearted tone, despite the presence of some gore.
“The metal riffs at the end of battle are very funny and awesome.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight strong graphics and character design, complemented by humorous dialogue; however, they do not provide substantial insights into the depth or progression of character development. Overall, the focus seems to be more on visual appeal and entertainment rather than meaningful character growth.
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its smooth combat mechanics and impressive in-battle visuals, contributing to a positive performance experience.
“The in-battle visuals are very nice, the combat feels smooth, and performance is good.”