Project Pastorate
- May 31, 2018
- PsyRob
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Project Pastorate" is a narrative-driven game with an atmospheric visual style and animated cutscenes. As a Devoter, you must investigate crimes and make moral choices that affect the country's fate. With a unique card battle system, immersive soundtrack, and multiple endings, the game is set in a world where Pope Sylvester II's misdeeds led to the end of humanity in 999 AD. Only a fortunate few survived.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The hand-drawn art style and atmospheric backgrounds are beautifully crafted, adding depth to the game's setting.
- The story has strong potential with compelling world-building and interesting characters, despite some shallow dialogue.
- The audio design, including background sounds and music, enhances the immersive experience of the game.
- The gameplay mechanics, particularly the card battle system, are poorly executed and often feel random and unintuitive.
- The episodic nature of the game leaves many plot points unresolved, making the experience feel incomplete.
- There is a lack of meaningful choices and consequences, which diminishes player engagement and replayability.
- story20 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The story of the game has garnered mixed reviews, with many praising its potential and solid world-building, while others criticize its pacing and lack of depth in exploring plot twists. Although the initial setup is engaging and atmospheric, some players feel that the episodic format leaves the narrative feeling unfinished and underdeveloped. Overall, those who appreciate strong plots and character development find the story compelling, while others express frustration with its execution.
“The story is absolutely fantastic, I really loved it!”
“This is one serious, grown-up, well-tailored, heavyweight story that needs to be heard.”
“The story has a lot of potential, and has lots of parallels to the real world; the problem is the presentation could've been a lot better.”
“I was even hoping I'd get to the end of this dragging story, but I just lost all patience on it.”
“The story starts off well enough and shows us that there's something much bigger going on in the background, but it doesn't take the time to go deeper, to explore the plot twists and show us more of the world.”
“Chances are that if this was a full-fledged game with a deeper, finished story, I'd be writing a positive review right now.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the ability to adjust music and sound effects separately and find the background music engaging during battles, others describe the soundtrack as generic and suggest turning it off to better experience the game's atmosphere. Overall, the music is considered decent but not exceptional.
“Thankfully, the background music during the card battle is sufficiently stirring enough to encourage players to continue through all card battles until the brawler achievement is unlocked.”
“Really enjoyed being able to change the music (which is great, by the way) to fit the scene.”
“+ good music and sounds”
“The soundtrack is very generic in my opinion, and if you really want to feel the atmosphere, I would recommend turning the music off.”
“The soundtrack is very generic in my opinion, and if you really want to feel the atmosphere, I would recommend turning the music off.”
“Music and art are okay too.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the turn-based card combat and mechanics lacking depth and clarity, leading to disappointment despite the game's intriguing narrative and artistic presentation. While the card battle system shows potential, its randomness and technical issues detract from the overall experience, though some players still see promise in the game's foundation for future development.
“It is still quite an interesting and unique experience, and I recommend giving it a chance - even with the questionable gameplay, they've created quite a promising foundation here, one that is definitely worth expanding upon.”
“The card battle gameplay had the potential to be interesting, but I didn't really understand how to counter certain cards.”
“First is fighting mechanics - the card game is a good choice, but it feels just a little too random.”
“A pity that the game mechanics, the story, and the reliability of the game were not.”
“The game is essentially a visual novel with turn-based card game combat, yet it's both below par; a compelling narrative still needs an exciting style, if not gameplay, for it to work.”
“Actually playing it was a bit disappointing, but not because the art or the fictional world presented in it were below my expectations, but rather because of the gameplay mechanics and the technical side of things.”
- graphics7 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are praised for their appealing art style and effective portrayal of a "religious dystopia" setting, featuring early-modern Eastern European aesthetics. However, some players note that the limited variety of enemy designs and repetitive artwork detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the visuals are generally considered good and complement the engaging story and dialogue.
“I like the art style, and the 'religious dystopia' setting the developers are aiming for is something I find appealing.”
“I actually still dig the general setup (a corrupt, totalitarian state governed by a theocratic leader being the last enclave of humanity after a global disaster) and the early-modern, Eastern European aesthetics.”
“The game has quite good graphics (I mean the art used in the game); the story is also good, with good dialogues.”
“Then it becomes repetitive with the same artwork portrait of the same enemies as there are only two types of enemies and they use almost similar cards throughout.”
“Even if the graphics and the sound were lousy (which thankfully they aren't), still the story would've made my day.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with well-crafted backgrounds and immersive sound design that enhance the experience. While the soundtrack is considered generic, the atmospheric sounds significantly contribute to the overall ambiance, making it a standout feature of the game.
“The backgrounds are particularly well done and memorable, full of atmosphere and character.”
“I personally also liked the sound design, especially the atmospheric sounds for the backgrounds that you hear while playing.”
“In my opinion, the atmosphere is truly a highlight of the game!”
“The soundtrack is very generic in my opinion, and if you really want to feel the atmosphere, I would recommend turning the music off.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, detracting from the overall enjoyment and engagement.
“The grinding feels endless and monotonous.”
“It's just a repetitive slog with no real reward.”
“I find myself doing the same tasks over and over again, and it's exhausting.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by an over-the-top use of vulgarity, which some players found unintentionally amusing, contributing to a distinct tone.
