Oaken

About

"Oaken is a single-player, fantasy turn-based strategy game with roguelite elements, set in a mystical world filled with spirits and Celtic vibes. Experience a hero-oriented campaign with deck management, as you navigate a randomly generated world map filled with levels, bosses, and events. Engage in unique, tactical battles on a hexagonal grid, with spell and spirit upgrades, offering both chill and challenging modes."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 161 reviews

gameplay27 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and enjoyable music that enhance the overall experience.
Combat mechanics are engaging, requiring strategic placement and decision-making, which adds depth to the gameplay.
The game offers a unique blend of tactical turn-based strategy and roguelike elements, providing a fresh take on familiar genres.

The game suffers from a lack of content and variety, with limited heroes and repetitive gameplay mechanics.
Combat can feel slow and drawn out, leading to a tedious experience during longer runs.
The user interface and some mechanics are poorly explained, making it difficult for players to understand certain aspects of the game.

gameplay
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
52%
5%
The gameplay is a blend of tactical strategy and card mechanics, featuring a charming aesthetic and engaging music that enhances the experience. While some players appreciate the depth and complexity of the mechanics, others find them cluttered and occasionally unclear, leading to a learning curve that can be frustrating. Overall, the game offers a fun and polished experience with a unique identity, though it may benefit from more diverse mechanics to keep gameplay fresh.
- “Solid play-style diversity, some really neat boss mechanics, and slow-methodical strategy that is as advertised; easy to pick up and hard to master.”
- “The gameplay is phenomenal, bringing its unique ideas mixed with the best mechanics from tactics games and roguelike games into something completely brand new.”
- “Very fun gameplay loop with interesting enemies and fun items to unlock.”
- “The theme, art, and sound come together for a really cute presentation, but overall this is a mid-tier strategy with cluttered and clunky positional mechanics.”
- “The UI and visuals need a rework and a lot of the mechanics should be reworked.”
- “Regardless of which guide you choose at the start, you're going to be doing mostly the same thing, making the same decisions on the same fights, on the same map, with the same limited pool of, frankly, uninspired mechanics.”
graphics
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
54%
8%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the charming and unique art style, often compared to titles like "Ori and the Blind Forest." However, some players criticize the in-game visuals and combat animations as lackluster and repetitive, suggesting that while the aesthetic is appealing, it does not fully translate into engaging gameplay. Overall, the art style is highlighted as a strong point, but there are calls for improvements in the UI and combat visuals.
- “Enjoy its charming art and style, but be aware - beneath the cute visuals lies considerable depth.”
- “The art style and theme (cartoony woodland spirits) helps set Oaken apart from other titles in the genre.”
- “A unique and complex combat system, catchy music, and satisfying graphics make Oaken a must-play for anyone who enjoys strategy games.”
- “Concept seems similar enough to Slay the Spire, but I didn't really like the graphics.”
- “5/10 right away you will notice Oaken's combat animations and visuals are pretty lackluster (on the game board), which is sad because the actual models when previewed are generally pretty detailed.”
- “The cute art doesn't translate to the in-match graphics.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
14%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers noting its relaxing and atmospheric qualities. While the soundtrack is described as fantastic and catchy, some players express a desire for a greater variety of tracks. Overall, the combination of beautiful music and appealing art style contributes significantly to the game's immersive and enjoyable gameplay.
- “The music is fantastic as well; I only wish there was more of it.”
- “The music is very beautiful and contributes to the game immersion.”
- “The gameplay is intricate and deep, and the presentation and music are absolutely gorgeous.”
- “Sometimes if an energetic high tempo song plays, it can get in the way of thinking through your next turns.”
- “A slapping soundtrack.”
- “Behind pleasant, joyful art design and atmospheric music, there are neat game systems that create a very engaging turn-based roguelike.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The story in Oaken is generally perceived as simplistic and lacking depth, with many reviewers expressing a desire for a more linear and well-crafted narrative. While the visuals and music are praised for their quality and charm, the overall plot feels tacked on and unengaging, often overshadowed by repetitive gameplay mechanics. Some players appreciate the light humor and optional quests, but many agree that the story does not significantly enhance the gaming experience.
- “The art and music are just stellar, and complement a cute if simple story.”
- “Has cute visuals, and its story goes well with it all.”
- “The game is also so beautiful, I love the environment and story although it is not the kind of story that is wordy and demanding of your attention.”
- “The game features no proper level design or game/story flow/plot, as they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation algorithms as a substitute for adding such content to the game, to avoid doing the important job of level/map design.”
- “Maybe the story and the tutorial already bored me before it got started, maybe a lot of the information isn't exactly clear, maybe there's just nothing here that made me say 'aaah, oooh, I wanna try that build'.”
- “When it comes to cons: the story is very rudimentary if not a bit bland and the game could use some improvements in front-loading information about its systems.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers significant replayability through its diverse units, play styles, and the ability to increase difficulty and unlock new content. Players can enjoy multiple runs with varying strategies, and the roguelike elements inherently enhance replay value. Overall, the combination of unlockables and the option to experiment keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging.
- “The game also rewards thinking ahead and experimenting with its many different units and play styles - there are many things to tinker with here, and per usual for the genre, there is a significant amount of replayability to be had.”
- “Finally, I like that this game has very high replay value, especially since the story isn't all in your face.”
- “But it is a roguelike, so replayability is inherent to a certain extent, and I think what is already there is very fun.”
- “Quite replayable if you like it after the first hour, as each run after you can up the difficulty and give yourself some buffs as well.”
- “It looks like they are planning on implementing a lot of guides to unlock as well as another hero, so it may have a lot of replay value.”
- “So it can be cleared in a few hours (with all side objectives cleared), however, there is a lot of replayability and unlockables.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a unique visual style inspired by ancient Celtic themes, complemented by pleasant art design and atmospheric music. This enchanting environment enhances the engaging tactical turn-based gameplay, making for a captivating roguelike experience.
- “Tactical turn-based strategy and roguelike with a unique visual style and the magical atmosphere of the ancient Celts.”
- “Behind the pleasant, joyful art design and atmospheric music, there are neat game systems that create a very engaging turn-based roguelike.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the upgrade system to be tedious and unengaging, as the process is not only time-consuming but also lacks excitement in the upgrades themselves.
- “The upgrade system is not only grindy, but the upgrades themselves are extremely boring.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding makes it hard to stay motivated to progress.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a light touch of humor woven into its narrative, enhancing the overall user experience without overshadowing its strategic elements. Players appreciate the balance between gameplay mechanics and the comedic aspects, which contribute to an engaging atmosphere.
- “The UI is really intuitive, and there's a little bit of story and humor sprinkled throughout the game. The devs really know how to tailor a proper user experience for a strategy/card game/tactics game, whatever you want to call this.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game exhibits some minor bugs, which is typical for an early-access title; however, none of these issues significantly impact gameplay.
- “It's a little buggy, but that's to be expected in an early access game, and none of the bugs are game-breaking.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
- “I encountered several glitches that disrupted gameplay and made it frustrating.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly without any reported bugs, contributing to a seamless gaming experience.
- “The game runs smoothly; I encountered zero bugs.”
- “The optimization is top-notch, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
- “I appreciate how well-optimized the game is; it never lags or stutters.”