Odd Realm

About

Odd Realm is a single player survival city builder game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by UnknownOriginGames and was released on August 16, 2024. It received positive reviews from players.

Odd Realm is a simulation game set in a procedurally generated, fantasy world where you foster a group of Settlers to help them build, explore, and survive... probably...

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84%

Audience ScoreBased on 806 reviews

graphics50 positive mentions

grinding28 negative mentions

Charming pixel art and engaging soundtrack create a relaxing atmosphere.
Offers a unique blend of colony management and exploration with different playable races, each with distinct mechanics.
Active developer who frequently updates the game and engages with the community for feedback.

Steep learning curve with a confusing UI that can be difficult to navigate, especially for new players.
Gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth in late-game content, leading to a sense of stagnation.
Some mechanics, such as pathfinding and resource management, can be frustrating and lead to unintentional character deaths.

graphics
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
4%
The graphics of Odd Realm are characterized by a charming pixel art style that many players find aesthetically pleasing and nostalgic. However, the low resolution can make it difficult to distinguish between objects and manage the complexity of gameplay, leading to mixed feelings about usability and accessibility. Overall, while the visuals are appreciated for their simplicity and consistency, some players feel they hinder the game's functionality.
- “Visually, Odd Realm employs a pixel art style that emphasizes clarity and functionality over graphical complexity.”
- “The aesthetically pleasing pixel-art graphics are clear and easy to understand.”
- “Odd Realm is a wonderfully unique colony builder with beautifully minimal graphics.”
- “The game is complex, and the very lo-fi graphics do not support that complexity.”
- “It's also tentative because I think I really like it, but the pixel graphics, while cute, really work against the game that has so much stuff lying around on the floor.”
- “My main problem is that the graphics are even below DF tileset level in legibility if you want some actual info.”
gameplay
125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
75%
3%
The gameplay in this title is characterized by a blend of accessible mechanics and a variety of systems, allowing for exploration and creativity, though it suffers from technical issues and a steep learning curve for newcomers. While the core mechanics can be grasped quickly, many players find the interface and certain mechanics unintuitive, leading to frustration. Overall, the game shows promise with its unique features and engaging gameplay loop, but it requires further polish and development to reach its full potential.
- “The core mechanics of this game can be learned in an afternoon, but there are plenty of different ways to play the game once the mechanics are understood.”
- “Exploration and resource gathering play a critical role in gameplay.”
- “The game also incorporates trade and diplomacy mechanics, allowing players to interact with nearby settlements to exchange goods, forge alliances, or navigate potential conflicts, adding depth to the colony simulation beyond simple survival.”
- “Technical issues, such as occasional bugs and performance slowdowns, can interrupt gameplay, and certain mechanics are not immediately intuitive, contributing to a steep learning curve for new players.”
- “There doesn't seem to be a focus on any particular gameplay or theme, just a mix of half-implemented systems that don't really come together to make something interesting.”
- “The tutorial does not explain basics like what to look for when picking a location or how to handle the mechanical differences for the species you pick.”
music
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
43%
5%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its charm and ability to enhance the immersive atmosphere, with many players noting its soothing quality and nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic SNES titles. While some users mentioned a desire for more variety in the soundtrack, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's engaging and relaxing experience. The combination of beautiful pixel art and a well-composed soundtrack makes it a standout feature, drawing players into its fantasy world.
- “Combined with an ambient soundtrack and subtle sound effects, the game successfully establishes an engaging atmosphere that draws players into its fantasy world.”
- “The lovely pixel art style is both nostalgic and inviting, while the soundtrack perfectly complements the relaxing yet engaging gameplay.”
- “Great music, lovely atmospheres, and the thrill of discovering what's around the next metaphorical corner make this game endlessly replayable.”
- “I have 5 citizens from the 'warden' start and they are quickly overwhelmed when attacked (I often have no idea I am being attacked other than the music changing).”
- “Currently the only option is no music or the standard music.”
- “Please add more songs to the game!”
grinding
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overly tedious and unintuitive, particularly in managing farming, crafting, and equipping colonists. While some systems, like mining and building, are praised for being less cumbersome, the overall experience is marred by a lack of automation and a complicated user interface that makes routine tasks feel laborious. Many reviewers express a desire for more streamlined processes to enhance gameplay and reduce micromanagement.
- “The game seems to be focusing on combat, arcane, and exploration; why do I have to micro-manage farming, cooking, and armor production when the end result is no different?”
- “Currently, the game is a bit too opaque for me, and managing the colony is unnecessarily tedious.”
- “The only thing you're doing in this game is the most tedious and boring aspect that is automated in every other game.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant bugs, glitches, and unpolished features despite its "1.0" release status. While some players note improvements with updates and commend the developers for their responsiveness, others express frustration over persistent issues like AI pathfinding and content gaps. Overall, the game is seen as still needing refinement, but many believe it has potential and is enjoyable despite its current instability.
- “The game is marked as '1.0' but is very buggy/unpolished.”
- “It's buggy, unbalanced, and unfinished.”
- “Designating storage containers inside rooms is at best obfuscated and at worst downright buggy and inconsistent.”
humor
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the funny NPC dialogue and absurd events that add charm and enjoyment, others find the repetitive jokes grating and detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game is noted for its quirky humor and engaging content, though opinions vary on its effectiveness and impact on gameplay.
- “The humans have very funny faces.”
- “It is also funny and occasionally absurd.”
- “The art style is charming, the NPC dialogue is funny, and I often find myself caring about my settlers.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's story aspect is a mixed bag, with players noting a lack of clear overarching objectives or quests beyond mere survival. While there are moments that create distinct experiences, the narrative feels underdeveloped, and the characters lack depth compared to similar games. Overall, the game encourages player imagination to fill in the gaps, but many feel it could benefit from more structured storytelling and world-building elements.
- “Odd Realm is a fun and calm spin on the base builder and story generator genre.”
- “Each time you play, a new story unfolds.”
- “There's story moments - events that define your playthrough and ultimately end up giving you distinct and memorable experiences.”
- “I've seen people say you can 'fight gods' in the review - cool, but there is not a hint of this or anything resembling a larger objective or quest other than survive.”
- “It is still in early access so it currently doesn't have much in the way of balancing, late game content or general polish, and the characters are not as developed or differentiated as Dwarf Fortress dwarfs and RimWorld colonists, so you won't see the kind of Sims-like emergent soap-opera story generation you might be expecting - it can feel more like running an ant farm than a society of sentient beings.”
- “So the game steals my controls to drive some sort of storyline but when I actually need to know where something is happening... I'm on my own.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
17%
8%
The atmosphere in Oddrealm is widely praised for its engaging fantasy elements, enhanced by a tranquil soundtrack and polished visuals, creating a cozy and immersive experience for players. The game's charming pixel art, attention to detail, and ambient sound effects contribute to a delightful ambiance that draws players into its world, although some find the repetitive humor detracts from the overall atmosphere. Overall, it is considered a beautifully atmospheric colony survival game with significant replayability.
- “Combined with an ambient soundtrack and subtle sound effects, the game successfully establishes an engaging atmosphere that draws players into its fantasy world.”
- “Great music, lovely atmospheres, and the thrill of discovering what's around the next metaphorical corner make this game endlessly replayable.”
- “Beautifully atmospheric and a whole lot of potential.”
- “This is just me, but the humor is kind of grating - it’s pretty funny the first time, but hearing traders say 'feast your face-orbs on this' or whatever every single time really takes me out of it, especially when they could be telling me about the world or creating an atmosphere instead, given that (to me at least) these kinds of games are about participating in a story as much as they’re about making one.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The game offers promising replayability primarily due to its distinct playable races, each providing a unique play style that enhances the overall experience. While currently limited to two races, the potential for future updates and additional content suggests that replayability will improve as the game develops. Overall, players appreciate the engaging atmosphere and the thrill of exploration, making it a title worth revisiting.
- “A fairly standard colony sim, though the different playable races make for good replayability due to their widely different play styles.”
- “Great music, lovely atmospheres, and the thrill of discovering what's around the next metaphorical corner make this game endlessly replayable.”
- “There are currently two races in the game that play quite differently which adds to replayability.”
- “2 of 4 races are playable right now.”
- “I bought it with my eyes wide open knowing this is early development with limited replayability, but I'm actually quite surprised.”
- “While only two races are playable so far, multiple player races are going to make this game really stand out.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it is generally polished with only a few bugs and decent performance on lower-end systems, players report occasional slowdowns and issues with specific mechanics, such as trading and unit management. Some users note that further optimization could enhance processing and memory efficiency, particularly for new players facing a steep learning curve.
- “It's fairly polished, only a few bugs, decently optimized (even for a 2013 prebuilt PC) and has a lot of neat content in the base game already.”
- “- manual speed control and fairly well optimized instead of Dwarf Fortress' legendary jank that goes hyperspeed at the start but dies after a few hours.”
- “Technical issues, such as occasional bugs and performance slowdowns, can interrupt gameplay, and certain mechanics are not immediately intuitive, contributing to a steep learning curve for new players.”
- “I believe optimization could help both processing and memory concerns.”
- “The trading system is pretty bad because item pricing is very much non-optimized.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization model of the game is praised for being straightforward, as it is an indie title that avoids in-game stores and cash grab tactics, focusing instead on delivering a genuine gaming experience without additional financial pressures.
- “It's an indie game, which means no in-game store and no cash grab.”
- “The monetization model is fair and doesn't pressure players to spend money.”
- “I appreciate that the game offers a complete experience without requiring additional purchases.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game's characters, often feeling sadness when they die, which enhances the overall experience. The game's mechanics foster a sense of attachment, making the loss of characters feel significant and impactful.
- “My longest-lived colony was the most heartfelt and loneliest.”
- “All this really helps build an emotional connection with the game's characters - it makes me really sad when one dies (and as of right now, they die fairly easily, but that's being worked on to allow them to make life-saving decisions and take action)!”