Once Glorious Artahk

About

Once Glorious Artahk is a single player action game. It was developed by Bismuth Tales and was released on November 18, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

In Once Glorious Artahk, you’ll explore the ruins of the ancient city of Artahk in search of a way to save the world from an endless night. Solve a variety of different puzzles to unlock new paths, abilities, and forgotten lore, then read the lost stories you uncover to gain insight into a tangled web of mysteries. Using only your wits and your trusty torch to guide you, you must find a way to ret…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 28 reviews

story7 positive mentions

grinding2 negative mentions

The game features engaging puzzles that provide a satisfying sense of accomplishment when solved, complemented by a well-written and intriguing story.
The atmosphere and lore are captivating, creating a rich world that motivates exploration and puzzle-solving.
The game encourages note-taking and exploration, enhancing immersion and making the experience feel rewarding and unique.

Navigation can be frustrating due to the lack of a map and the maze-like design of the initial areas, leading to feelings of aimlessness.
The font used for lore entries can be hard to read, especially at certain resolutions, which detracts from the overall experience.
The presence of a monster that interrupts gameplay can break immersion and create frustration, as it forces players to either run away or respawn.

story
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
The game's story is highly praised for its engaging writing and depth, effectively complementing the puzzle-solving experience. Players appreciate the intriguing world-building and character development, although some found the initial journal entries less captivating. Overall, the narrative is seen as a significant strength, enhancing the exploration and satisfaction derived from the gameplay.
- “An enjoyable story complements the puzzles, which can leave you with your head scratching for a bit, and great satisfaction when you get it.”
- “The game does a great job of setting up a world and story that leaves you curious to keep learning more, motivating the puzzle solving and exploration.”
- “The storytelling alone makes this game well worth the purchase, let alone the fact that it's all coming from a solo dev.”
- “Long story of once glorious Artahk is unfolded as we persist on looking and reading for hints and details.”
- “- this is subjective, but I found early journal entries to be boring as they focused too much on world-building before introducing the characters and storylines needed to care enough to read dozens of pages learning about the world.”
- “Most of the puzzles are instead based around observing your environment and using the cues there to figure out a word to put into your book, which in turn fills in the game's backstory.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
53%
20%
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of unique puzzle mechanics and classic elements, such as laser reflection, which keeps the experience engaging and varied. Players appreciate the innovative word discovery mechanic that unlocks lore entries, although some find certain aspects, like the monster mechanic and lack of respawn options, frustrating. Overall, the game encourages exploration and progression, with mechanics evolving as players delve deeper into the experience.
- “The puzzles themselves are quite varied, with a few staple mechanics (such as the classic laser reflection with twists, of course), but the majority of puzzle mechanics are unique.”
- “Discovering words that unlock lore entries is a unique gameplay mechanic; I've never seen it before, and I like that.”
- “The gameplay mechanics grow the further into the game you get.”
- “In my opinion, it is the only annoying and not well-thought-out mechanic of the game, but you will see.”
- “Nothing in the limited lore I found suggests an immortality or respawn mechanic, so it seems to just be there to be an obstacle and some 'spooky' lore while fully realizing that that sort of mechanic in an exploration/puzzle game is a frustrating experience.”
- “Gameplay-wise, it feels lacking in depth and variety, making it less engaging over time.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to create an immersive atmosphere, with many tracks being memorable and reminiscent of iconic soundtracks like Skyrim. Reviewers appreciate how the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, making exploration and puzzle-solving more enjoyable. Overall, the music is considered a strong and fitting complement to the game's world and story.
- “Some of the music tracks might be stuck in my head for the foreseeable future.”
- “Oh yeah, also the soundtrack and the art are both solid, very fitting to the atmosphere!”
- “The OST is nice and creates the perfect atmosphere for this adventure.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its captivating dark fantasy elements, complemented by a fitting soundtrack and solid art design. Reviewers highlight the well-written lore as a key factor that enhances the immersive experience, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The game's greatest strength is its fantastic atmosphere that is only deepened by the unbelievably well-written lore entries that motivate you to keep going.”
- “The OST is nice and creates the perfect atmosphere for this adventure.”
- “Also, the lore and the atmosphere are very captivating in a dark fantasy setting.”
- “Oh yeah, the soundtrack and the art are both solid, very fitting to the atmosphere!”
graphics
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics are highly praised for their impressive detail, beautiful artwork, and distinct level design, creating an engaging visual experience. The comfortable and dim art style effectively captures attention without overwhelming the player, while the cinematic art pieces enhance the overall aesthetic.
- “The writing, art style, and level design are all really detailed and impressive so far.”
- “The art style is comfortable, dim, and keeps my attention without burning my retinas.”
- “The lore is well-written and engaging (and there's a lot of it!), the artwork is beautiful (especially the big cinematic art pieces), and each zone of the map that I've found so far has been pretty distinct (and the darkness, of which there is a lot, has never felt too dark).”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be engaging, with well-written passages that make reading enjoyable. While some mention that backtracking can become tedious, it is not frustrating enough to detract significantly from the overall experience.