Lantern Forge
- July 18, 2014
- Hearthfire Studios
- 28h median play time
Get on Steam"Lantern Forge" is a sandbox survival game with isometric hack 'n slash combat, set in a procedurally generated world with day/night cycles and dynamic lighting. Gather resources to build, craft, and explore different biomes filled with unique monsters and treasures. Choose from 4 skill trees, enchant equipment, and build a town center for trade. Descend 90 levels underground to find rare materials and power up.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Lantern Forge offers a fun blend of crafting, survival, and exploration, reminiscent of games like Minecraft and Terraria.
- The game features a variety of biomes and a procedurally generated underground, providing ample opportunities for exploration and resource gathering.
- The crafting system is extensive, allowing players to create weapons, armor, and even manage a town with merchants.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, including crashes and issues with pathfinding, which can disrupt gameplay.
- Controls are clunky, relying heavily on mouse movement instead of traditional WASD controls, making navigation frustrating.
- The game feels incomplete, lacking a clear story or objectives, and many players report it becoming repetitive after a short time.
- gameplay34 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with players noting enjoyable mechanics and a fun crafting system, but also highlighting significant issues such as bugs, crashes, and a lack of content that leads to repetitive experiences after a few hours. While some appreciate the art style and RPG elements, many feel the game is incomplete and not polished enough for a full release, with tedious controls and limited variety in gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game shows potential but requires further development to enhance the player experience.
“First the good: the combat is fun (although simple), and the RPG mechanics give it a little extra flavor that other similar games lack.”
“Besides the survival and crafting gameplay elements, the game offers a decent and solid RPG experience with different types of armor, weapons, enchantments, and skills for you to develop your own unique character.”
“It's a pretty good game and has very solid gameplay.”
“Any updates after their initial offering on Steam have largely done nothing to improve either gameplay or bugs and glitches.”
“Unfortunately, broken gameplay, poor design decisions, and a buggy client make it really hard for me to recommend this game in its current stage of development.”
“The game isn't marked as early access - it really should be, since very little about its gameplay or aesthetics feel polished enough to be a final released game.”
- grinding31 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the extensive farming, crafting, and exploration opportunities, others find the repetitive nature of these activities tedious and lacking in meaningful progression. Many reviews highlight that farming becomes unnecessary due to an abundance of resources from combat, leading to a sense of redundancy. Overall, the game offers a variety of activities, but the grind can feel excessive and detracts from the overall experience for some players.
“So in the end, it's really repetitive and grindy, and I'd say avoid it, unfortunately.”
“It's tedious going from level to level.”
“This gets tedious rapidly, and the problem is this is the entirety of the game.”
- story25 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its absence, with many players noting that it lacks a narrative, objectives, or engaging quests, resulting in a sandbox experience that can feel aimless over time. While some appreciate the freedom of a non-linear gameplay style, the overwhelming sentiment is that the game would benefit significantly from the addition of a structured story or goals to enhance player motivation and enjoyment. Overall, the potential for a richer experience is acknowledged, but the current lack of content leaves many feeling unsatisfied.
“Overall, I'd wait a spell for more bug fixes, some more enemies, a plot, story, or agenda to accomplish, and generally for it to be somewhat more expanded than this (if it ever is expanded on further).”
“Things to do and a purpose behind the game or at least a story of the world would be good.”
“Other than that it was pretty fun and I hope they update with more story/quests.”
“Weak, incomplete; no story or tutorial.”
“The game has limited content to explore, and story-wise, the game provides no plot, no choices, and no sense of urgency to motivate me to keep advancing.”
“There is no story whatsoever - sandbox only.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the appealing art style and detailed environments, while others criticize the overall quality as "meh" and reminiscent of browser games. Players report various graphical glitches and a lack of polish, suggesting that while the visuals have charm, they fall short of modern standards. Overall, the consensus leans towards gameplay being prioritized over graphics, with many feeling that the aesthetic could benefit from further refinement.
“The art style is not bad at all on the characters, monsters, and icons.”
“The graphics are awesome; I loved the different biomes that made each game unique.”
“The lovely art style and perfect overview of the isometric perspective is also very refreshing in a genre that is getting very saturated these days.”
“The interface is janky, the graphics are meh... really, there are a lot of better games to spend your time on.”
“- graphic/memory bugs (from visiting 2 biodomes on, night cycle gives black flickering tiles, doors get blocked, items disappear) only solution is then to save and start again.”
“Finicky and unnecessarily difficult/weird controls, overly simple graphics, really bad GUI and it just always feels like a browser game for some reason.”
- stability13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and incomplete features that hinder gameplay. While some players experience fewer issues, many describe the game as abandoned and unfinished, leading to a recommendation against paying full price. Overall, the game's stability is a significant concern, with persistent runtime errors and poor design decisions affecting the overall experience.
“Any updates after their initial offering on Steam have largely done nothing to improve either gameplay or bugs and glitches.”
“Near-constant runtime errors, glitches, and bugs (sometimes my character's hair will disappear, sometimes the animal sprites are replaced with large blinking white boxes, other times my hair stays visible but my armor disappears, and further still, sometimes my character is just replaced with a big ol' white box).”
“Unfortunately, broken gameplay, poor design decisions, and a buggy client make it really hard for me to recommend Lantern Forge in this stage of development.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate its fitting atmosphere and integration with the game's graphics, others have noted issues such as a lack of variety during combat and bugs affecting the timing of background tracks. Additionally, there are reports of a black screen preventing access to the main menu, further complicating the overall experience.
“The fitting music and sound create an immersive experience.”
“The graphics and animation are sweet, and the music and sound effects fit the game nicely, contributing to a great atmosphere.”
“I get a black screen with music that I cannot exit from with any key combination.”
“The background music plays, but no logo or main menu pops up.”
“Background music seems to be buggy in that the daytime music starts playing at midnight instead of dawn.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly enjoyable and packed with content, offering significant replay value for its low price of $10. Despite some feeling that the developers left certain aspects unresolved, the overall consensus is that the game provides ample opportunities for replayability.
“Yes, the devs sort of left us hanging and it hurts since the game is very fun and has a lot of potential to be something more, but the game you do get is very enjoyable and has a lot to do for that $10, and has replay value.”
“That equals infinite replayability for a measly ten bucks.”
“Yes, the devs sort of left us hanging, and it hurts since the game is very fun and has a lot of potential to be something more. However, the game you do get is very enjoyable and has a lot to do for that $10, and has replay value.”
“Tons of replay value here and worth the asking price of $10 USD.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Recent updates have significantly improved the game's performance, addressing previous issues with long load times and enhancing overall optimization. The developers continue to work on the game in their spare time, providing regular patches that include both performance improvements and additional content.
“The devs have also been working on patches lately and have improved performance, which was one of my biggest negatives since changing z-levels resulted in painfully long load times. They've also added some new content.”
“Now, working in their free time after their jobs, they just released a new update that includes optimization, some polish, and a little more content.”
“The developers have been making some improvements lately, but performance issues remain a significant concern, especially since the change to z-levels has resulted in painfully long load times.”
“Despite the recent update that included some optimization and polish, the game still struggles with performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
“While the developers are working hard in their free time to address optimization, the game still suffers from noticeable performance problems that need urgent attention.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the character development in the game, noting its potential for crafting and adventuring, which enhances the overall experience.
“If you are into crafting, character development, and adventuring, this game has great potential.”
“The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to shape their heroes in unique ways.”
“I love how the game allows for meaningful choices that truly impact character growth and relationships.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the humor in the game, noting that it adds to the overall enjoyment, especially considering the game is already great and still has more content to come.
“The funny part is that it's already a great game and not even done yet, so there's still more to come.”
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with clever writing and hilarious character interactions.”
“I can't stop laughing at the witty dialogue and absurd situations the characters find themselves in.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its impressive graphics and animations, complemented by fitting music and sound effects that enhance the overall experience.
“The graphics and animation are stunning, and the music and sound effects perfectly complement the game, creating a fantastic atmosphere.”
“The immersive atmosphere draws you in, making every moment feel intense and engaging.”
“The combination of visuals, sound design, and environmental storytelling creates a captivating atmosphere that keeps you hooked.”
