Osteoblasts

About

"Osteoblasts" is a single-player fantasy RPG featuring an interesting plot about a skeleton on a quest for purpose. The game boasts a stellar soundtrack and intense grinding, as you choose a class, battle foes like dogs who unburied you, complete class-specific quests, and discover randomized loot and affixes that alter your skills. Navigate dungeons, meet other skeletons, and face adversity as an undead skeleton before Halloween.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 94 reviews

story9 positive mentions

grinding13 negative mentions

The game features a unique and engaging combat system with a variety of skills and character builds, allowing for strategic gameplay.
The writing is filled with humor and clever wordplay, creating a whimsical atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
The art style and music are well-executed, contributing to the game's charm and making exploration enjoyable.

The combat can be frustrating due to a high miss rate on physical attacks, leading to a feeling of randomness and inconsistency.
The story can be confusing and lacks coherence, making it difficult for players to stay engaged with the narrative.
Quality of life issues, such as a lack of a quest log and a confusing map system, can hinder the overall gameplay experience.

story
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
75%
6%
The story of the game is described as confusing and abstract, often lacking coherence and depth, with many players feeling lost in its narrative. While it features quirky and humorous elements, the plot tends to meander without clear direction, leading to a mix of intriguing ideas and frustrating vagueness. Despite its shortcomings, some players appreciate the unique atmosphere and the potential for deeper themes, though character development is notably minimal.
- “The story's gravitas is countered by the goofiness of the premise and how the different classes will react to the world around them, but it still leads to a lot of depth in the search for utopia, and release, with commentary on cyclical narratives and determinism.”
- “Osteoblasts is a story-centric RPG which reminds me of the best of Undertale and Pokémon.”
- “The storytelling is absurd, silly, fun, and great.”
- “The story is a little hard to fully comprehend until right around the end of the game, and even then it is a bit confusing.”
- “Lots of the dialogue makes absolutely no sense and is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors, to the point where I can't even follow what crumbs of story there are in this game.”
- “The plot falls off the cart pretty early on, and the protagonist randomly exclaims about wanting to visit Citadel City with no context.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by dense, tabletop-like mechanics that balance complexity with accessibility, allowing players to engage without needing a manual. While the combat system is primarily turn-based and offers some unique twists, it can feel repetitive and grind-heavy, with some mechanics deemed unnecessary. Overall, the game features solid world-building and character development, but some players may find the lack of variety in spells and abilities limiting as they progress.
- “The mechanics are dense and extremely tabletop-feeling, but the difficulty isn't so high that you're punished for not having a game manual in hand.”
- “The combat system appears complex, but it's in reality based on mechanics of strong vs. weak, just a bit more elaborate than the classic tri-elements type.”
- “Overall: really fun little game, with great music, great art, great progression, great battle mechanics (I personally loved unlocking skills via stats, although soul dominates) and last but not least, great atmosphere.”
- “Similarly, there's a mechanic that drains your gold for a respawn rather than a game over, but this mechanic is completely unnecessary since you can just reload a save and lose nothing, and doing it the way the game wants would spawn you far away from where you were anyway.”
- “There clearly is some thought put into it, and there are some minor mysteries, but they're badly foreshadowed and the gameplay doesn't justify going on for its own sake.”
- “I don't hate the gameplay, it's just exactly what you would expect from a traditional JRPG, so be prepared for some occasionally tedious grinding.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
35%
13%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers highlighting the work of composer Elektrobear as a standout feature. While some players noted inconsistencies, such as music cutting out during certain events, the soundtrack is generally described as groovy, thematically appropriate, and a significant contributor to the game's enjoyment. Overall, the music complements the art and humor, making for a fun and engaging experience.
- “The game soundtrack is phenomenal though!”
- “The art is good, the music is great, the humour is there, and it all comes together to be greater than the sum of its parts, and it's a fun romp through for a few evenings, spanning about 14-15 hours of playtime.”
- “The music by Elektrobear is fantastic once again for the skeleton theme the game is going for, and the sound design is impactful without overbearing anything else.”
- “The music eventually cut back in, but like, not all of it.”
- “The music is also not at all what I expected; it's not 8-bit like the graphics, so it doesn't make a ton of sense.”
- “Dialogue tries too hard to be quirky, too much dissonance between art style in overworld and combat; combat system is a mess, combat music doesn't even play sometimes.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
42%
16%
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their unique and surreal art style, featuring well-designed sprites and engaging visuals that complement the offbeat humor. However, there are criticisms regarding inconsistency in the artwork, glitches during gameplay, and a lack of animation detail in certain areas. Overall, while the visuals are appealing and contribute to the game's atmosphere, they are marred by technical issues and a disjointed aesthetic experience.
- “The artwork is great.”
- “Artwork is nice and surreal.”
- “Great visuals and audio.”
- “The green/orange charging light means partial support, and while charging this way, it glitches osteoblasts with freezing graphics.”
- “While I love the art style, there's no consistency.”
- “I guess I'll briefly touch on the aesthetic... being made by the Virgo's animator, it's a decent looking game with many boss fights and weird creatures - granted, it's not very animated.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that the game features significant grinding, often described as tedious and frustrating, particularly in the early stages. While some players appreciate the depth and unique setting that can make grinding enjoyable, others find the repetitive combat and necessity to farm items a major drawback. Overall, the game caters to those who enjoy traditional JRPG mechanics, but may deter players who dislike grind-heavy experiences.
- “If you don't spend hours farming money and stat boost items, you will find a fairly extreme challenge to keep you fighting for your life... or unlife.”
- “The game's grindy as all hell and extremely frustrating to play.”
- “I don't hate the gameplay; it's just exactly what you would expect from a traditional JRPG, so be prepared for some occasionally tedious grinding.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its clever humor, featuring witty dialogue and puns that enhance the experience without overstaying their welcome. Players appreciate the quirky characters and the sarcastic tone, which contribute to a rich atmosphere filled with amusing interactions and unexpected comedic moments. Overall, the humor is well-integrated into the gameplay, making it a standout aspect of the game.
- “Pretty good game with funny conversations full of puns that don't go on forever!”
- “Along the way you meet humorous characters, enemies, and a fantastic sarcastic tone that speaks to me on a spiritual level.”
- “The dialogue is strange and the characters are even stranger, but the humor and atmosphere of this game is wonderful.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
38%
The atmosphere of the game is described as unique and immersive, with detailed maps and a captivating blend of music and art that enhances the overall experience. While some players may find the story and character dialogue unconventional, many appreciate the clever design and deeper narrative elements that contribute to a rich gaming atmosphere. Overall, the game's atmosphere is praised for its ability to engage players, despite some tedious gameplay aspects.
- “The maps are detailed and atmospheric.”
- “The dialogue is strange and the characters are even stranger, but the humor and atmosphere of this game is wonderful.”
- “Overall: really fun little game, with great music, great art, great progression, great battle mechanics, and last but not least, great atmosphere.”
- “Of course, the atmosphere might not be the typical choice for everyone, as I myself was quite surprised by the change in story and environment. However, the cleverness and deep knowledge of the elements used to create a game experience that retains the standard quality of Moonana games quickly alleviated most of my doubts.”
- “The atmosphere feels disjointed and fails to immerse you in the game world.”
- “While the music and art are commendable, the overall atmosphere lacks cohesion and fails to engage the player.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report significant stability issues when charging with the green/orange light, experiencing frequent graphical glitches and freezing. In contrast, charging with a white light or not charging at all results in a stable performance without these problems.
- “The green/orange charging light indicates partial support, and while charging this way, it causes glitches with freezing graphics.”
- “I experienced no glitches while not charging and while charging with the white light, but encountered numerous issues with the partial charging light on.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in this project is largely criticized for being minimal and overshadowed by a convoluted plot, despite the praise for its impressive character design and pixel art style.
- “The character design is incredible, and I love the pixel style.”
- “There are brief glimpses of genius in this project that are hampered by a scatterbrained and pretentious, almost schizophrenically ontological plot with virtually no character development, coupled with an overdependence on RNG loot.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game offers significant replayability, featuring numerous secrets and engaging content that encourages players to revisit it multiple times.
- “The rest of the game is fantastic, with a lot of replay value and secrets.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and surprises, making it hard to put down.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more.”