MARDEK

100%
Game Brain Score Based on 203 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • gameplay
MARDEK Game Cover
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"MARDEK is a single-player, fantasy role-playing game with a focus on a deep, intriguing story and beautiful game mechanics. As Mardek, a young man with the consciousness of a dead alien wizard, players will explore a lore-heavy world that blends fantasy and sci-fi, complete with vast dungeons, unique skillsets, and memorable characters. The game's initially lighthearted story evolves into a exploration of moral ambiguity, featuring plenty of humor and thought-provoking dialogue."

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Reviews

100%
Audience ScoreBased on 203 reviews
story39 positive mentions
grinding15 negative mentions
  • MARDEK is a nostalgic homage to classic RPGs, featuring a compelling story, engaging characters, and a unique skill acquisition system that rewards exploration and experimentation.
  • The game combines humor with serious themes, offering witty dialogue and memorable moments that resonate with players, making it a standout experience in the genre.
  • Despite its origins as a Flash game, MARDEK has aged well, providing a rich gameplay experience with over 30 hours of content, impressive music, and a dedicated fanbase.
  • The game is unfinished, with only three chapters released, leaving players without a complete story and a sense of lost potential for what could have been.
  • Some aspects of the game, such as the user interface and controls, feel dated and clunky, which can detract from the overall experience, especially for new players.
  • There are occasional issues with performance and minor bugs, particularly during battles, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay and frustrate players.
  • story101 mentions

    The story of the game is rich and engaging, featuring a diverse cast of characters and a blend of humor and drama that resonates with players. However, it remains unfinished, with only three of the planned eight chapters developed, leaving many eager for a continuation that may never come. Despite its incomplete nature, the narrative is praised for its depth, clever writing, and nostalgic appeal, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of story-driven RPGs.

    • “The story is at its best when it's making you laugh.”
    • “With witty yet masterfully-woven storytelling, a leveling system akin to Final Fantasy IX, catchy soundtrack, and combat that keeps you engaged with timing-based bonuses, there's something for everyone to love about Mardek.”
    • “The story, characters, and dialogue are the wittiest that you could find; some call Mardek a 'parody' of traditional RPGs, but I think 'extremely self-aware' is more accurate.”
    • “The story will never be finished.”
    • “Don't get engrossed into the story as the series will never 'finish.' The creator originally wanted to make 8 chapters but stopped after chapter 3.”
    • “My one negative is that, as things stand, it is an unfinished story.”
  • music65 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic and well-composed soundtrack, featuring original MIDI-style fantasy tracks that evoke memories of classic RPGs like RuneScape. Many reviewers highlight the developer's solo effort in crafting the music, which enhances the immersive experience and complements the game's storytelling and gameplay. The soundtrack is available as a separate DLC, allowing fans to enjoy the high-quality compositions that have left a lasting impression on players.

    • “The music is fantastic, the combat mechanics are simple but work well and have a very decent amount of customization and optimization, and exploration is always rewarding without dragging on, and every character is interesting.”
    • “The soundtrack is lovingly crafted, like many other things in the game, by a singular person.”
    • “With its epic battles, beautiful music, charming art style, compelling story, and hilarious writing, there's something in this game for everyone.”
    • “The music is a bunch of MIDI-style fantasy songs that would sound right at home on a RuneScape soundtrack, which is just more of a reason why it's a brilliant time capsule.”
    • “Volume is simply on/off for sound effects and music, no sliders, and the sound effects in particular can be disproportionately loud compared to the music.”
    • “You can turn off the awful music, thank god.”
  • gameplay61 mentions

    The gameplay of Mardek is praised for its solid mechanics, engaging turn-based combat, and a wealth of customization options, providing a satisfying experience that combines humor with depth. Players appreciate the nostalgic elements, diverse character abilities, and a compelling storyline that keeps them invested for over 30 hours. While some note minor balance issues and a lack of modern quality-of-life features, the overall consensus is that the gameplay is both enjoyable and rewarding, making it a standout in the retro RPG genre.

    • “The humour was on point, the gameplay was massively streamlined, it added half a dozen new playable characters, each with their own niches and playstyles, and the storyline made me laugh, made me cry, and made me shake my head in disbelief as characters went about their way in unexpected and dramatic fashion.”
    • “The music is fantastic, the combat mechanics are simple but work well and have a very decent amount of customization and optimization, and exploration is always rewarding without dragging on, and every character is interesting.”
    • “This game boasts 30+ hours of solid retro-RPG gameplay, punchy, tongue-in-cheek dialogue that can swing between hilarious and heartbreaking, ridiculously catchy music, and a surprisingly deep and well-crafted story.”
    • “Chapter 2 is much better, but a good deal longer, and still has mostly static gameplay throughout, being a more apt intro chapter.”
    • “Gameplay feels a little flat but otherwise, still feels good playing it as it did a decade ago (even more since I know what I'm doing this time).”
    • “As far as gameplay, you should expect something similar to standard turn-based JRPGs as far as battles go, but with a wide range of abilities and status effects to keep things interesting.”
  • humor48 mentions

    The humor in this game is widely praised for its cleverness and balance with serious moments, featuring a distinctively British wit and a mix of parody and crass jokes. Players appreciate the engaging dialogue, which is often funny and thought-provoking, contributing to a rich narrative experience filled with memorable characters and unexpected twists. Overall, the humor is considered a standout aspect, enhancing the game's nostalgic charm and replayability.

    • “It has a bitingly British sense of humor and has aged fantastically compared to flash games of its decade.”
    • “The dialogue is a strong point of this game -- it's funny, yet there are moments when the game does take itself seriously.”
    • “With its epic battles, beautiful music, charming art style, compelling story, and hilarious writing, there's something in this game for everyone.”
  • graphics21 mentions

    The graphics of the game evoke a sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of early RPGs, with a charming and endearing style that reflects the developer's passion. While not technically advanced, the artwork is unique and fits the game's thematic elements, captivating a dedicated fanbase despite occasional frame rate issues. Overall, the visuals are simple yet effective, enhancing the game's rich storytelling and character development rather than relying on cutting-edge technology.

    • “The graphics look like a passion project from a young person who was just finding their style on DeviantArt, drawing their own anime and furry OCs, and it's very endearing.”
    • “While it is not the most technically impressive artwork, the style fits perfectly to be symbolic of this era of gaming.”
    • “Charming graphics and nostalgic visual design are just the tip of the Mardek iceberg.”
    • “Don't expect at the end of the day, this is just a collection of connected flash RPGs so the graphics aren't the best and there are some frame rate drops at times during battle (this was an issue when playing it on its original, web-based release).”
    • “Don't approach this game if you're looking for extreme state-of-the-art visuals.”
    • “Don't be fooled by the basic graphics.”
  • grinding15 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is a mixed bag; while many players find it enjoyable and integral to the RPG experience, allowing for skill and ability progression, others view it as tedious and repetitive, particularly for new players. Some appreciate the quirky combat and the satisfaction of grinding for skills, but frustrations arise from the need to farm rare items and the overwhelming abundance of stats and skills to track. Overall, the game offers substantial gameplay hours without feeling artificially prolonged by grinding, though it can still lead to moments of drag and frustration.

    • “If you are a new player, understand that the game can be quite tedious: battles become repetitive; stats and skills are abundant and difficult to track; the dialogue suffers from verbosity and lack of depth.”
    • “Most RPGs, especially JRPGs like the kind Mardek parodies, have one universal, *hated* thing in common: grinding.”
    • “The 'use it till you learn it' skill acquisition method is cool, but gets very grindy if you want to max everything out, especially passives which only get one point per battle.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    Overall, "Mardek 3" features a well-optimized level curve and enjoyable combat mechanics, but it suffers from notable performance issues, particularly during battles with heavy effects, leading to frustrating lag and awkward controls. While the game runs adequately on lower settings, players with higher-quality setups may experience significant slowdowns that detract from the experience.

    • “The music is fantastic, the combat mechanics are simple but work well and have a very decent amount of customization and optimization, and exploration is always rewarding without dragging on, and every character is interesting.”
    • “Mardek 3 is about 70% of the game and the level curve is optimized for Mardek 3, not Mardek 1/2/3.”
    • “Again, on low performance this shouldn't impact you regularly.”
    • “The game has some odd performance issues for me and the controls can be quite awkward at times.”
    • “Performance: the game slows down a lot for many common battle effects.”
    • “Performance issues on higher qualities even with a good computer; the game lags when casting spells with heavy particle effects.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    The game effectively blends humor with emotional depth, featuring a storyline that elicits laughter and tears through unexpected character developments. Players appreciate the self-aware dialogue and catchy music, which enhance the emotional experience, making it a well-rounded retro RPG with over 30 hours of engaging gameplay.

    • “The storyline made me laugh, made me cry, and made me shake my head in disbelief as characters went about their way in unexpected and dramatic fashion.”
    • “It mixes serious moments, emotional moments, great humor, and 4th wall breaking, and it all just feels right.”
    • “The dialogue runs from self-aware jokes about RPG tropes to serious and emotional character development.”
  • replayability5 mentions

    Overall, the game boasts strong replayability due to its abundant content, diverse character options, and multiple story approaches, making it enjoyable to revisit. While some users noted a lack of replay value, the engaging gameplay and delightful elements compensate for this, ensuring a satisfying experience upon replay.

    • “There's a ton of content, and the replay value is very good.”
    • “A fantastic game that's aged remarkably well due to its retro texture, capacity for silliness, and insane replay value (nearly every character is good).”
    • “Also, there's a lot of party combinations you can do and ways to approach the story in this game, so lots of replayability.”
    • “The lack of replay value is more than made up for by the sheer delightfulness of it all.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development is well-executed, featuring a blend of self-aware humor regarding RPG tropes alongside moments of serious and emotional growth for the characters.

    • “The dialogue ranges from self-aware jokes about RPG tropes to serious and emotional character development.”
    • “The character arcs are incredibly well-crafted, making each journey feel personal and impactful.”
    • “I love how the choices I make influence the characters' growth and relationships throughout the game.”
    • “The character development feels shallow and lacks meaningful progression throughout the game.”
    • “I was disappointed by how predictable the character arcs were; they didn't evolve in any surprising or engaging ways.”
    • “Despite the potential for deep storytelling, the characters often fall flat and fail to resonate with the player.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Overall, users report minor glitches in both fullscreen and windowed modes, but the Steam port enhances stability with quality of life improvements. However, some resources remain limited despite an increase in availability.

    • “I've encountered a small amount of glitches in both fullscreen and windowed modes. While the Steam port does provide quality of life improvements, such as reducing AP costs for many skills and making some items like jade and blood opal farmable, some items, despite being increased in quantity, remain limited, like candriathope and silver/gold ores.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without constant saves.”
    • “I've experienced numerous stability issues, including random freezes and lag spikes that disrupt gameplay.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    Reviewers highlight that the game's atmosphere is enhanced by its engaging gameplay, distinctive art direction, and a touch of humor, creating a captivating and immersive experience for players.

    • “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world with its stunning visuals and sound design.”
    • “Every corner of the game is filled with a unique atmosphere that keeps you engaged and wanting to explore more.”
    • “The combination of haunting music and detailed environments creates an unforgettable atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

70hMedian play time
86hAverage play time
40-150hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

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