Morbid: The Lords of Ire

About Morbid: The Lords of Ire

Morbid: The Lords of Ire is a single player hack and slash game with horror, fantasy, dark fantasy and violence themes. It was developed by Still Running and was released on May 17, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

From the makers of Morbid: The Seven Acolytes... experience another bloody disgusting take on the souls-like genre with unnerving aesthetics, abysmal monsters and gore galore as you set out to defeat the Lords of Ire.

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Reviews

65%Audience ScoreBased on 144 reviews

gameplay21 positive mentions

stability9 negative mentions

Visceral and satisfying combat with emphasis on parry and riposte mechanics that are responsive and rewarding.
Distinctive dark fantasy atmosphere and world design featuring grotesque enemies and detailed environments.
Good variety and design of weapons and enemies, plus engaging boss fights that provide memorable challenges.

Combat can feel repetitive and slow-paced due to heavy reliance on parrying and limited weapon movesets, reducing build variety.
Poor optimization and technical issues including clunky animations, occasional crashes, and camera problems detract from experience.
Frustrating enemy placements with frequent overcrowded fights in confined areas, coupled with linear level design and a tedious progression system.

gameplay
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27% positive mentions, 68% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions
The gameplay offers a solid soulslike foundation with satisfying combat, diverse weapons, and unique mechanics like sanity and gunplay, but suffers from unpolished execution, repetitive movesets, and a sometimes frustrating emphasis on parrying and posture. While enemy designs and level variety provide interesting encounters, balance issues, unclear mechanics, and limited progression dilute the overall experience. Fans of the genre may find enjoyment after adjusting, but others might be put off by janky gameplay and underdeveloped systems.
- “Then I decided to try some early introduced mechanics that I hadn't used before and my word was it fun after that.”
- “Other than that, the combat is actually fairly satisfying and there are plenty of options in terms of weapons, upgrade cards, runes, stealth mechanics, etc. to have different builds.”
- “A nice take on the souls genre, with great new mechanics, satisfying combat feel, decent level design, and interesting art design.”
- “I tried to give the game a chance but I can't play it anymore. They tried to copy from loot games like parry from Dark Souls, and when there are no enemies around you don't lose stamina like Lies of P and Elden Ring. Even with this copy pest I tried to ignore it, and I did for a while, but the gameplay itself didn't help at all and the poor optimization the game has doesn't help either, so I don't recommend the game.”
- “The poise/ragebreaker mechanic is really badly designed and it spoils the combat for me.”
- “Unpolished gameplay, untested areas and balance is non-existent with arbitrary choices made throughout the game.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37% positive mentions, 53% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed feedback, with praise for its unique dark fantasy and horror-inspired art style, atmospheric levels, and solid effort given the indie budget. However, many note inconsistent visuals, outdated or mediocre graphics, and uneven animation quality, though the overall aesthetic still effectively captures the game’s tone. While not AAA-level, the visuals are considered impressive for a small studio and contribute positively to the experience.
- “The aesthetic and art design were top tier!”
- “Yes, the graphics are not from a AAA, but it's a 25€ game from a small studio and the care they put in all the zones is amazing.”
- “Really fun combat, loved the aesthetic of the world, to see the enemies from the first game remade in 3D beautifully.”
- “You should only consider this game if you can overlook visuals that already felt a decade out of date at launch.”
- “It's like the devs wanted to add pieces of a bunch of different FromSoft games and other Souls-likes, and in doing so they created a badly performing game with no identity and mediocre graphics.”
- “The visuals for this game are kind of all over the place.”
story
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14% positive mentions, 72% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions
The story is generally seen as minimalistic and vague, relying on environmental storytelling and fragmented lore rather than deep character development or dialogue. While some appreciate the dark fantasy atmosphere and implied narrative, many find the plot uninspired, linear, and lacking depth, making it a weak motivation given the game's limited character progression. Overall, the story serves mainly as a basic framework to drive gameplay rather than a compelling narrative experience.
- “Rather than relying on heavy exposition, the story unfolds through implication—fragmented lore, nightmarish sights, and the desolate remains of a world swallowed by corruption.”
- “The story is vague, but is supplemented by the lore unlocked from fighting enemies.”
- “Linear, great main and quest bosses.”
- “The story is copy-paste type ooga crap.”
- “So much so that I'm surprised the game doesn't have character creation since the protagonist has no personality, backstory, or dialogue.”
- “The game costing $25 would maybe be fine if you had gear, armour, skills, or attributes like you have in Dark Souls or Elden Ring, but without any of those features, it leaves a very bland and frankly pointless gameplay loop. The only reason to play then is for the story, and the story of the game is hella meh.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56% positive mentions, 27% neutral mentions, 17% negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its grim, gothic art direction, oppressive and intense mood, and effective use of music and sound to enhance the dark fantasy setting. While visuals may have some rough edges, the distinctive monster design, area ambiance, and immersive audio combine to create a compelling and atmospheric souls-like experience that resonates with fans of the genre.
- “The gothic art and sound direction fits well with the game's themes and creates an excellent atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere often does the heavy lifting where narrative detail is sparse, using imagery to convey the scale of the corruption rather than relying on long dialogues or dense lore texts.”
- “No matter how hard you want to sell the 'insanity atmosphere', you should never compromise basic visibility to this extent.”
- “It looks like a decent soulslike with a fitting atmosphere and visual ideas but the gameplay just isn't great.”
- “Taken as a whole, Morbid: The Lords of Ire is a rough but earnest entry in the indie souls-like space—one that succeeds through its visceral combat, oppressive atmosphere, and grotesque visual style.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The game's stability is inconsistent, featuring frequent animation glitches, buggy camera angles, and visual artifacts that disrupt immersion. While some players experienced few game-breaking issues, others faced significant bugs and performance problems, especially on the Steam Deck. Minor glitches are often resolved by quick restarts, but persistent issues like map softlocks and transportation bugs impact overall stability.
- “Technical issues surface often enough to break immersion: awkward camera angles during close-quarters combat, occasional animation glitches, stiff character movement, and inconsistent visual polish across different areas.”
- “Steam Deck: I assumed it would work just fine since the game doesn't seem to be very demanding but the performance on the Deck is awful and there are a bunch of visual glitches.”
- “Map artifacts causing softlocks are not uncommon, had plenty of visual glitches too.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for enhancing the atmosphere with memorable boss tracks and fitting ambiance, though it may not stand out enough for repeated listening by all players. The soundtrack is considered decent to very good, with some standout tracks like "Redemption" receiving special mention. Overall, the music complements the game's grim art style and distinct voice acting effectively.
- “Its grim art direction, alongside distinct voice acting, helps the characters stand apart, and the music adds atmosphere in the right places.”
- “The music and the atmosphere are awesome!”
- “The aesthetic and music are quite good and similar to the first game.”
- “Decent soundtrack and sound effects.”
- “Graphics and music are decent.”
- “The music adds atmosphere in the right places.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
Optimization is inconsistent across platforms, with solid performance on high-end PCs but poor performance and visual issues on the Steam Deck. Some areas are better optimized than others, resulting in varied experiences, though overall the game remains playable.
- “The game is technically well done: level design and environments are nice, performances are more than decent, the combat is very good.”
- “Graphics are good and performance is solid on my rig (3080, 7800x3d, 1440p).”
- “They have their own unique spin on the combat and so far the game seems pretty well optimized.”
- “Tried to play at least an hour, but the performance is one of the worst I have experienced on PC.”
- “Steam Deck: I assumed it would work just fine since the game doesn't seem to be very demanding, but the performance on the Deck is awful and there are a bunch of visual glitches.”
- “Some areas are better optimized than others and at certain spots there are some power drain spikes, but overall it is playable.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Grinding in the game is widely regarded as tedious and artificially inflates playtime, with players forced to repeatedly rebuild currency multipliers and navigate a cumbersome maze-like area just to access essential NPCs. This design leads to frustrating run-backs after death instead of providing convenient downtime between activities.
- “And instead lose your currency multiplier, that you will have to tediously build up again (or ignore and be underpowered), just to maintain the intended level of currency gain.”
- “It feels like a cheap, artificial way to inflate the playtime, forcing you into a tedious run-back every single time you die.”
- “Rather than being a convenient space to prepare between excursions, it’s a tedious maze that requires constant running around just to find each NPC for their specific function.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Users find the character development satisfactory, noting that character design and animations are more than adequate and contribute positively to the overall experience.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The emotional aspect is limited, with the protagonist acting mainly as a combat vessel rather than a character with depth or development, and the game's collapsing world serving more as a backdrop for action than an emotionally engaging narrative.
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Replayability is primarily tied to the New Game Plus mode, which may appeal to dedicated players, but most users are unlikely to experience it, limiting its overall impact.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Morbid: The Lords of Ire is a hack and slash game with horror, fantasy, dark fantasy and violence themes. Common tags for Morbid: The Lords of Ire include 3D, indie, female protagonist, atmospheric, third person and others.

Morbid: The Lords of Ire is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

Morbid: The Lords of Ire was released on May 17, 2024.

Morbid: The Lords of Ire was developed by Still Running.

Morbid: The Lords of Ire has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Morbid: The Lords of Ire for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Morbid: The Lords of Ire is a single player game.

Morbid: The Lords of Ire

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gameplay

graphics

story

atmosphere

stability

music

optimization

grinding

character development

emotional

replayability

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