Oakenfold
- November 17, 2022
- Rutger van Dijk
"Oakenfold is a turn-based roguelike game where you must outsmart the Biocides to protect your cargo and escape a dying planet. The TimeScrubber™ feature allows you to undo and redo actions, enabling you to try different solutions to puzzles. With procedurally generated paths, missions, upgrades, and items, each playthrough offers a unique challenge."
Reviews
- Oakenfold offers a unique time-rewind mechanic that allows players to experiment with strategies and learn from mistakes, making it accessible for newcomers and enjoyable for veterans.
- The game features solid mechanics and a good variety of enemies, providing a fun and engaging experience for fans of turn-based tactics.
- Visually appealing with good audio design, Oakenfold creates an immersive atmosphere that enhances the overall gameplay experience.
- The game suffers from a lack of depth and variability compared to its inspiration, Into the Breach, making it feel less strategic and more reliant on luck.
- Having only one controllable character limits strategic options, and the randomness in enemy placement can lead to frustrating and unavoidable damage.
- Many players find the game to be overly punishing and unforgiving, with a steep price point that doesn't match the amount of content available.
- gameplay18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by solid mechanics and a well-balanced variety of enemies, making it accessible and enjoyable for players, even after multiple attempts. The unique time-rewinding feature allows for experimentation and recovery from mistakes, enhancing the overall experience, though the reliance on a single character can limit strategic options. While the game draws inspiration from similar titles, it successfully carves out its own niche, though some players may find the randomness in mechanics challenging.
“Mechanics are very solid, enemy variety hits the sweet spot between too little and too many, and it's very easy to pick up even after a couple of runs.”
“All in all, a solid game that makes us all wannabe XCOM players not feel bad about save scumming because rolling back time to fix your mistakes is literally a game mechanic.”
“The puzzles can be quite overwhelming, especially when you're unlucky enough to have bad placement of enemies, but the time-bending mechanic makes it really fun to try out different solutions to deal with challenging scenarios.”
“The main mechanic introduced is the ability to rewind time without any major penalty.”
“All in all, a solid game that makes us wannabe XCOM players not feel bad about save scumming because rolling back time to fix your mistakes is literally a game mechanic.”
“It takes a couple of mechanics from similar games and expands on them enough to have its own space in the gaming sphere.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are consistently praised as superlative, indicating a high level of visual quality that enhances the overall gaming experience. Additionally, the music is noted to be specially composed, suggesting a thoughtful integration of audio and visual elements.
“Superlative graphics, and I think the music has been specially composed too.”
- story4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that there is no story present in the game, suggesting a lack of narrative depth or engagement.
“No story.”
“No story.”
“No story.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players consistently express that the grinding required in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it feels like one would need a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is noted for its high quality, with many users highlighting that it appears to be specially composed to enhance the overall experience.
“The music has been specially composed to enhance the overall experience.”