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 a charming combination of engaging combat mechanics and cozy, visually appealing environments, reminiscent of Stardew Valley.
- The character designs, artwork, and music are standout elements, contributing to a rich and immersive storyline that draws from various Asian folklore.
- The unique lunar blood and rot mechanics create an interesting risk vs reward system in combat, encouraging fast-paced and strategic gameplay.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including save file problems, crashes, and lack of proper controller support, making it feel unpolished.
- The writing and dialogue have been criticized for being cringeworthy and poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.
- Many players feel that the game was released too soon for early access, with a lack of content and features that do not match the expectations set by its promotional materials.
- story17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The game's story is praised for its rich backstory and character-driven narrative, drawing players in with its unique themes related to the midautumn festival and engaging character arcs. While some players appreciate the evolving storytelling and intriguing plot, others find certain elements to be overly simplistic or exaggerated. Overall, the combination of a compelling storyline, vibrant artwork, and a captivating soundtrack contributes to an immersive experience, despite some criticisms regarding depth and execution.
“I love that the town has Stardew Valley vibes and a rich backstory that gets better and better the longer you play.”
“The best parts about Midautumn are its characters, artwork, music, and storyline.”
“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 pet peeve for these kinds of games.”
“The story is bland and the characters are hyper-exaggerated caricatures.”
“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.”
“Don't expect the same storytelling complexity as Hades and its several branches, but what you do find is great on its own.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a dynamic blend of combat and cozy aesthetics, featuring unique rogue-like mechanics centered around lunar blood that enhance fast-paced action with a strong risk-reward balance. While the movement and overall mechanics are praised for their cleanliness and visual appeal, some players have reported issues with controller support and bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, it appeals to fans of challenging rogue-likes, particularly those who enjoy games similar to Hades.
“This game is such a perfect combination of combat gameplay and cozy scenery.”
“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.”
“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).”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its aesthetic appeal and contribution to the overall vibe, with many reviewers highlighting the excellent soundtrack as a standout feature. However, some players find the menu music repetitive and annoying, leading them to turn it off. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the experience, there are mixed feelings about its consistency and quality compared to promotional material.
“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.”
- graphics6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their charming pixel art and vibrant colors, contributing to a distinct and appealing aesthetic. Players appreciate the beautiful character portraits and the overall visual style, although some mention issues with bugs and glitches that can detract from the experience. Overall, the combination of artwork and clean gameplay mechanics enhances the game's appeal.
“The general vibe of the game is great too - I love the aesthetics and the soundtrack.”
“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.”
“The movement and gameplay is clean, the art style is distinct and the colors just pop.”
“The best parts about Midautumn are its characters, artwork, music, and storyline.”
“For example, I love the graphics and general game mechanics so far... but the bugs and glitches are a problem.”
“The movement and gameplay are clean, the art style is distinct, and the colors just pop.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is highlighted by its charming designs and engaging personalities, particularly that of Robin, which captivates players from the start. Reviewers express excitement about the potential for further character growth as the story unfolds, particularly in the context of the unique 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.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
“I was hoping for more growth and complexity in the characters, but they remain one-dimensional throughout the game.”
“The interactions between characters are limited, which hinders any meaningful development or emotional investment.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized for its buggy user interface and occasional issues with overlays not displaying correctly. However, players acknowledge that it is an early access title, which sets expectations for potential glitches and incomplete content.
“Overlays won't be shown at times, and the options have a buggy UI.”
“I love the graphics and general game mechanics so far, but the bugs and glitches are frustrating.”
“This is an early access game, and the developers 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.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by charming character writing and great art, but many players feel that the attempts at comedy often miss the mark, resulting in jokes that fail to elicit laughter.
“The character art is great and the character writing is really charming - lots of good humor.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the game's optimization is lacking, leading to stuttering combat experiences that detract from gameplay. Players express frustration over the apparent neglect of optimization efforts, comparing it to a careless spill that hinders performance.
“Why suffer through this stuttering combat more than I need to?”
“Midautumn decided to spill boba tea on optimization efforts.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by tedious and repetitive gameplay, with a lack of engaging narrative and unlikable characters contributing to an overall sense of boredom. Players find the writing to be clumsy and uninteresting, further detracting from the experience.
“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.”
“Midautumn is a tedious, boring Hades clone with cringe writing and unlikeable characters.”
