Midautumn
- May 9, 2023
- Team Midautumn
Get on Steam"Midautumn" is a rogue-like dungeon crawler where you protect your hometown from gentrification and evil spirits as the new Spirit World guardian. Absorb lunar powers to blast enemies, meeting ancestral spirits for powerful gifts. Uncover more of the story with each visit to the Spirit World in this supernatural game celebrating Asian diaspora culture.
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Reviews
- The game features charming characters, beautiful artwork, and an engaging storyline that draws from various Asian folklore.
- The gameplay mechanics, particularly the lunar blood and rot system, create an interesting risk vs reward dynamic that keeps players engaged.
- The music and overall aesthetic of the game are highly praised, contributing to a fun and immersive experience.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including save file problems and lack of proper controller support.
- Many players feel that the writing is poor and the dialogue is cringeworthy, detracting from the overall experience.
- The game was perceived as being released too early, with many unfinished features and a lack of polish that makes it feel unplayable at times.
- story34 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The story of "Midautumn" is praised for its character-driven narrative and unique connection to the midautumn festival, offering an intriguing experience that evolves through multiple gameplay runs. While some players appreciate the rich backstory and engaging characters, others criticize the writing as ham-fisted and the plot as bland, suggesting a lack of depth compared to more complex titles. Overall, the game combines a charming presentation with a compelling storyline, though opinions on its execution vary significantly.
“Firstly, I love how character-driven it is, and the storyline really intrigues me. It's not trope-y at all, which is usually my bugbear for these kinds of games.”
“Add in an interesting story across the physical and spirit worlds and a pleasant presentation backed up by a killer soundtrack, and all the ingredients are here for a great game.”
“Yes, it's a challenging game, but because I'm drawn into the story, I'm compelled to keep at it!”
“They get much more annoying as the game progresses, but the story is bland and the characters are hyper-exaggerated caricatures.”
“The writing and plot beats are so ham-fisted as well: it goes from tedious exposition dumps to mysterious musings that nobody besides the development team would find interesting.”
“Runs can be finished and the story progresses, but I did run into issues here and there.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique roguelike experience centered around the lunar blood mechanic, offering fast-paced action that effectively balances risk and reward. While the movement and overall mechanics are praised for their cleanliness and distinct art style, some players have reported issues with controller support and bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, it appeals to fans of challenging roguelikes, particularly those who enjoy games similar to Hades, but may not meet expectations set by promotional materials.
“Its unique take on roguelike mechanics leads to fast-paced action that balances risk and reward strongly.”
“The movement and gameplay is clean, the art style is distinct and the colors just pop.”
“Fun rogue-like with a nice twist with the lunar blood and rot mechanics.”
“This is known and it gives you a warning ... but if you can't even dash, which is one of the main mechanics, then I would just leave the 'controller support' out of it for now.”
“For example, I love the graphics and general game mechanics so far... but the bugs and glitches ... yeah.”
“So I don't like to leave negative reviews for games normally, but I think this is important since what is displayed in the trailer doesn't really match what you get (my gameplay time bugged out, I played for about 30 minutes).”
- music18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while many players appreciate the overall soundtrack and its contribution to the game's aesthetic and atmosphere, some find the menu music repetitive and annoying. The soundtrack is often described as chill and fitting, but a few users feel it lacks the excitement showcased in the trailer. Overall, the music is seen as a strong element that enhances the game's appeal, despite some criticisms.
“The best parts about Midautumn are its characters, artwork, music, and storyline.”
“The general vibe of the game is great too - I love the aesthetics and the soundtrack.”
“Add in an interesting story across the physical and spirit worlds and a pleasant presentation backed up by a killer soundtrack, and all the ingredients are here for a great game.”
“The menu music is getting very annoying at this point, so I turn off the music, run an errand, and come back.”
“My windowed preference was thrown out for full screen, with the music blaring and a static image on the main menu.”
“Speaking of which, the music is very bland in comparison to what you hear in the trailer.”
- graphics12 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Midautumn" are highly praised for their vibrant pixel art and distinct character portraits, contributing to a visually appealing aesthetic. Players appreciate the clean movement and gameplay, although some mention bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. The combination of engaging visuals and an excellent soundtrack enhances the game's overall vibe.
“Add on an excellent soundtrack (a must buy if it is ever sold) and some nice pixel graphics paired with gorgeous character portraits, and we have the makings of a winner.”
“Visuals: the pixel art in the overworld is nice.”
“The movement and gameplay is clean, the art style is distinct and the colors just pop.”
“The graphics are disappointing and feel outdated compared to other games in the genre.”
“The character models lack detail, making the overall visual experience feel bland.”
“The environments are poorly designed, with textures that look low-resolution and unappealing.”
- character development6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the character designs and personalities in the game to be charming and distinctive, particularly highlighting the appeal of the protagonist, Robin. There is a strong anticipation for character development as the story progresses, especially in the context of the engaging premise involving the spirit world.
“The character design and personalities in this game are super charming, I'm really excited to see them develop later on in the game.”
“I was immediately drawn to Robin's character design and personality, and the initial premise of working for your grandmother by cleaning out the spirit world works for me.”
“Their character designs stand out.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for its buggy user interface and frequent glitches, particularly with overlays not displaying correctly. However, players acknowledge that it is an early access title, which the developers have communicated, setting expectations for potential issues and placeholder content.
“The overlays won't be shown at times, and the options have such a buggy UI.”
“For example, I love the graphics and general game mechanics so far, but the bugs and glitches are quite frustrating.”
“First of all, this is an early access game, and the game devs have been clear about this on the Steam page and in the game, so I wasn't surprised to see some placeholders or buggy content.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features charming character art and writing infused with humor, but many players feel that the comedic attempts often miss the mark, resulting in jokes that fail to land.
“The character art is great and the character writing is really charming - lots of good humor.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate significant issues with optimization, particularly highlighting stuttering combat that detracts from the overall experience. Players express frustration over the lack of effective optimization efforts, suggesting that performance problems hinder gameplay enjoyment.
“Why suffer through this stuttering combat more than I need to?”
“Midautumn decided to spill boba tea on optimization efforts.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of Midautumn to be tedious and unengaging, often comparing it unfavorably to other games in the genre. The repetitive nature of the gameplay, combined with poorly executed writing and unlikable characters, detracts from the overall experience.
“Midautumn is a tedious, boring, Hades-clone with cringe writing and unlikeable characters.”
“The writing and plot beats are so ham-fisted: it goes from tedious exposition dumps to mysterious musings that nobody besides the development team would find interesting.”
