Necrosmith
- July 13, 2022
- Alawar
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"Necrosmith" is a single-player fantasy hack and slash game with excellent mechanics, splendid visuals, and a fabulous soundtrack. As a Necromancer, you assemble and upgrade an army of undead creatures, combining body parts to optimize their combat abilities. Explore diverse biomes, build up your necro labs, and escape from this strange world. The game offers a good plot and humor, with some grinding required. Don't forget to check out Necrosmith 2 and Wall World.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 5
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- gameplay284 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its unique mechanics of assembling undead units and the engaging core loop of exploration and combat. However, criticisms include repetitiveness, a lack of depth, and frustrating AI behavior, which can detract from the overall experience. While some find it enjoyable and addictive, others feel it lacks sufficient strategic elements and quality of life improvements, leading to a gameplay experience that can become tedious over time.
“The gameplay loop of exploring the world, finding new body parts, and figuring out new recipes works really well.”
“The gameplay is simple at its core but with enough depth to keep you engaged.”
“Necrosmith offers a fun core loop that will keep you hooked with its 'one more run' gameplay style.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and there is no storyline; absolutely zero replayability.”
“Sadly it's held back by several design flaws, which makes for a very unrefined gameplay experience.”
“The gameplay is very slow and boring and you can't do too much to affect it.”
- grinding71 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that the game features significant grinding, often described as tedious and repetitive, which can detract from the overall enjoyment. While some players appreciate the core gameplay and find it entertaining, many express frustration with the excessive focus on grinding for upgrades and the lack of quality-of-life features, leading to a feeling of monotony. Overall, the grinding aspect is a major point of contention, with mixed feelings about its impact on the game's fun factor.
“Good game, good game loop, not too grindy, all around solid game for strategy players, good upgrade tree.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“The game is not bad but it emphasizes a lot on grinding, even too much.”
“This game depends too much on grinding and luck to win.”
“The progression gets a bit grindy in the late game but it's always rewarding.”
- graphics63 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant pixel art style and colorful aesthetics that evoke nostalgia. While some players appreciate the charming visuals and smooth animations, others criticize the lack of variety and resolution options, noting that the graphics can feel simplistic or poorly optimized at times. Overall, the art style is generally well-received, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere despite some technical shortcomings.
“The game is stylized in modern retro pixel graphics, very colorful yet not in a way that would overburden our attention.”
“The graphics are beautiful, all creatures are interesting and generally unique, and about 24 hours of game time if you want all the achievements.”
“Great pixel graphics that match the relaxing dynamic soundtrack.”
“Huge graphical overlay at the corners constricts your field of view way too much.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
- replayability40 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
Overall, the reviews indicate a mixed perception of replayability across various games. Many players express frustration with repetitive gameplay and a lack of engaging content post-completion, leading to low replay value. However, some titles are praised for their high replayability, particularly those with roguelite mechanics or enjoyable core gameplay, suggesting that updates and additional content could enhance the experience further.
“It has a high replay value and I'm looking forward to a new update!”
“Cool cozy game in the same idea of vampire survivors, very high replayability, very enjoyable and cheap game.”
“Great game, high replayability, and lots of potential.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and there is no storyline; absolutely zero replayability.”
“Very short game without much replayability after finishing the game.”
“This game has serious potential, but almost no replay value.”
- story39 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as minimal and lacking depth, with many players expressing a desire for more narrative content and character development. While some appreciate the simplicity and unexpected plot twists, others find the overall storytelling insufficient, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and limited replayability. Overall, the story serves its purpose but does not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
“As for the story, I wasn't even expecting one to begin with, so the fact that there even was one was a surprise.”
“The story was also surprisingly fun with a totally unexpected plot twist.”
“The story is simple, does what it needs to, and is easy to understand.”
“The gameplay is repetitive and there is no storyline; absolutely zero replayability.”
“The game has almost no story.”
“I haven't noticed any kind of deep story or character building.”
- music35 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many players praising its catchy and pleasant nature, often describing it as a charming retro soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. However, some users noted the limited number of tracks, which can lead to repetitiveness over time. Overall, the music complements the game's aesthetic and gameplay, contributing to its enjoyable atmosphere.
“I can't recommend it enough, amazing graphics, amazing mechanics, amazing music in particular, just an amazing game.”
“The music is pleasant to listen to, although the limited song count can overstay its welcome for completionists such as myself.”
“The music is retro 1990's excellence adding to the relaxing addictive quality for those who love that sensual spooky sound such as myself who grew up playing the likes of Zombies Ate My Neighbors.”
“Music: it's ... I ... look, just turn it off in the options and listen to something on YouTube.”
“The music lasted about 10 seconds longer before I turned it off than most games.”
“Music and animation still playing, but just the intro screen and that's it.”
- humor30 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as chaotic yet entertaining, with players enjoying the absurdity of creating funny and horrifying monster combinations. The interactions between characters, particularly the necromancer and their cat, add a lighthearted touch, while the gameplay offers memorable moments through its quirky mechanics. Overall, the humor contributes to a fun experience, especially in the initial hours of play, despite some frustrations with controls and limited content.
“You slowly collect body parts at first which you are 100% free to mix and match onto hilariously tiny bodies and vice versa.”
“Conversations between the necromancer and cat are hilarious!”
“The assembled minions look horrifying and hilarious.”
- stability10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 70 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is mixed, with some users reporting significant issues such as freezing and requiring a PC reboot, while others experienced a bug-free experience. Overall, while there are mentions of mild bugs and performance hiccups, many players found the game to be solid and enjoyable without major glitches.
“It's fun, well designed, bug free, and the AI is actually interesting to play with. My only wish is for some RTS mechanics like selecting multiple units, group move, and group target.”
“Still bug free for me and not terrible; I will try a sequel.”
“The game is solid and bug free from what I can tell; I don't think I ran into a single bug!”
“Unfortunately, the game boots, but the screen becomes grey and it freezes my screen in a way that I have to reboot my PC.”
“Just freezes up.”
“Fun but buggy.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of Necrosmith has drawn criticism for its perceived cash grab nature, as it appears to be a mobile app hastily ported to Steam with minimal updates and support. While the gameplay aligns with the advertised experience, many users feel that the developers prioritize profit over quality, leading to a lack of genuine engagement with the player community.
“Necrosmith is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it was a real PC game (it's not)... it's a cash grab from greedy mobile devs. The game at first glance appears to be an upfront ripoff of Vampire Survivor, but it's not.”
“I will admit the premise for the mobile app isn't immediately awful, and the problems here all just spring from a lazy, phoned-in technical implementation (what do you expect from a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a cash grab?).”
“The developer releasing the 1.0 game and a total of about 3 updates before going radio silent, and then announcing a sequel just 5 months after the last update, makes this game feel like a cash grab.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews; while some players report no performance issues, others criticize the sound optimization and balance of creature parts. Additionally, there are calls for better compatibility with platforms like the Steam Deck. Despite these concerns, many see potential for improvement.
“Performance: haven't had any issues.”
“This game has a lot of potential; performance issues are no more, but it seems the spamming of enemies has decreased significantly.”
“There's also some balance issues with creature parts' cost vs. performance.”
“Terrible sound optimization; having a bunch of enemies banging on your tower gets very loud and annoying.”
“Despite the simple graphics, this game is poorly optimized.”
“I wish it was optimized for the Steam Deck, though.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally engaging due to its blend of humor and memorable moments, despite its smaller scale. While some express frustration with gameplay mechanics, the overall sentiment highlights a strong appreciation for the fun and value it offers, making it a standout experience.
“Not a majesty game, this is a much smaller proposition, but some nice touching humor and easy to understand meta is a fun and simple way to generate some memorable moments while you are fighting against the world.”
“When comparing price and the fun I got with it, this game is definitely one of the best, if not the best game I have bought. I must say they sure figured out how to still keep it challenging even with AI knowing to avoid enemy units from touching them.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers consistently highlight the game's strong premise and immersive atmosphere, suggesting that it effectively draws players into its world.
“The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world.”
“The game's ambiance perfectly complements the storyline, creating a captivating experience.”
“Every detail contributes to a haunting atmosphere that lingers long after playing.”
