Regions Of Ruin

About

Regions of Ruin is a 2D side-scrolling RPG with city-building elements. After a devastating dragon attack, you must rebuild and defend your kingdom from various threats. Explore diverse regions, battle enemies, and level up your character and settlement for survival.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,190 reviews

gameplay83 positive mentions

grinding64 negative mentions

Fun and addictive gameplay with a mix of exploration, combat, and town building.
Charming pixel art style and engaging soundtrack that enhances the experience.
Satisfying progression system with a variety of weapons, armor, and skills to unlock.

Combat can become repetitive and unbalanced, especially with overpowered companions.
Some platforming and puzzle mechanics are frustrating and poorly executed.
Lack of clear guidance on quests and mechanics can lead to confusion and aimlessness.

gameplay
257 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
60%
8%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive nature and lack of depth in core mechanics, such as combat and exploration. While some appreciate the straightforward controls and the combination of various mechanics like stealth and town building, others find the gameplay grindy and unbalanced, leading to a loss of engagement over time. Overall, the game offers a simple yet addictive experience, particularly for fans of retro-style RPGs, but it may not satisfy those seeking more complex or varied gameplay.
- “The actual controls were pretty straightforward, the story was fun, and there's enough hidden puzzles to break up the gameplay and stop it from feeling too repetitive.”
- “This is a platformer with a very clever combination of game mechanics to give it depth and keep the relatively simple gameplay loop entertaining.”
- “The game has many functions for the player to discover and figure out, making for very fast-paced, fun gameplay.”
- “Repetitive and boring gameplay - basically, all you can do is move and hit your weapon, block with your shield, and throw an axe.”
- “The main gameplay loop (entering level, killing all the stuff, loot) gets boring really fast and the controls feel stiff.”
- “Gameplay becomes repetitive as hell.”
story
238 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
71%
5%
The game's story is often described as simplistic and lacking depth, with many quests feeling repetitive and unengaging. Players frequently encounter issues with quest markers and tracking, leading to frustration in completing objectives. While some appreciate the lore and the charm of the setting, the overall narrative is seen as secondary to gameplay mechanics, with many quests revolving around combat rather than meaningful storytelling.
- “The story is interesting, the gameplay is smooth and fun, and I also enjoy the settlement building.”
- “The story and quests feel meaningful, as you are trying to rebuild a dwarven community.”
- “A fun and charming game with atmospheric music and style coupled with a vague, but nonetheless understandable, story.”
- “There's no story to speak of.”
- “The plot is given to you immediately upon the start of your game through a massive text-dump giving setting, backstory, and purpose, telling you everything about what you're going to be doing and exploring before you even start and thus killing any chance of interesting new discovery on the spot.”
- “The main quest could have used some spicing up, maybe tying it to the orc warlords quest line.”
graphics
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
6%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the nostalgic pixel art style reminiscent of 8/16-bit consoles, while others criticize the simplistic and repetitive visuals that feel more akin to a flash game. Some players find the graphics charming and fitting for the gameplay, enhancing the overall experience, while others feel they lack depth and sophistication, detracting from the combat and exploration elements. Overall, the reception varies widely, appealing to fans of retro aesthetics but leaving others wanting more in terms of visual quality.
- “If you like pixelated art styles, dwarves & deep lore, and D&D... definitely check this one out!”
- “This is an extremely fun, easy to play exploring platformer with beautiful pixel graphics and a fun story!”
- “The art style is really pleasant on the eyes and the soundtrack is wonderful.”
- “It feels like the developers wanted there to be some sophistication to the fighting (quick strike, power strike, block) but the hideous graphics and dogpiling of rabble around the player make it impossible to see what's going on, so the player is better off just charging at the horde while mashing the mouse buttons and hoping for the best.”
- “The graphics are indeed very similar to Kingdom, and you side-scroll your character much the same, but not much else is the same.”
- “I'm all for pixel graphics but these are just too simple and muddy for my taste.”
grinding
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed bag, with many describing it as tedious and repetitive, particularly in the late game where resource gathering and combat become monotonous. While some appreciate the need for grinding as part of the progression, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a sense of boredom and frustration. Despite these criticisms, a few players still find value in the game, suggesting that the grinding can be manageable if approached with the right mindset.
- “Over time, I ended up remembering all the good the game had in my head and decided to give it another try, but I ultimately ended up hating it because at some point the game turned into some brainless, grindy button mashing with little reward for your actions.”
- “The world map serves only as a confusing level selection screen, gathering resources is needlessly tedious, quests are difficult to track, and combat is absurdly unbalanced.”
- “This is a boring indie RPG/action game with repetitive, grindy, and dull gameplay, an uninteresting story, terrible and confusing controls, bad graphics, and primitive combat mechanics.”
music
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
24%
17%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the gaming experience. However, several reviews note that the soundtrack can become repetitive over time, leading some to turn it off or seek alternative music to accompany their gameplay. Overall, while the music is described as pleasant and fitting, there is a desire for more variety and depth in the soundtrack.
- “The music is very good, but I recommend splicing in some classic medieval art rock (Marillion, or maybe some Emerson Lake & Palmer) to keep things fresh and complete the vibe.”
- “The game plays wonderfully, with a gorgeous soundtrack and a way to play for everyone, doesn't take too long nor too short in story, and a ton of lore within the game itself and reasons to keep exploring once you've beaten the storyline anyway, for the dwarves live forever!”
- “The dialogue is witty, some enemy names had me rolling, and the soundtrack is just perfect.”
- “The game's music is very monotonous; I turned it off for most of the time I played.”
- “The music quickly became repetitive.”
- “The music is pretty basic; it is essentially your run-of-the-mill fantasy soundtrack.”
stability
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
95%
The game is generally described as quite buggy, with numerous glitches and stability issues that can affect gameplay, such as unresponsive companions and quest-related bugs. While these problems can detract from the experience, many players still find the game enjoyable and believe it has potential for improvement over time. Overall, it is seen as unpolished but not completely unplayable.
- “The game was not buggy, allowing for a smooth experience as I approached battles differently based on the weapons and armor I had equipped.”
- “I appreciated the stability of the game; it never crashed or glitched during my playthrough.”
- “The consistent performance of the game made it easy to immerse myself in the experience without worrying about technical issues.”
- “The game is still very buggy; there's a lot of repetition, and after the first few locations, you won't discover anything really new or exciting.”
- “Buggy companion behavior (cannot move up and down stairs) makes this unplayable.”
- “Buggy and unpolished, it has some really good ideas, but it fails to deliver any of those in a meaningful way.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
45%
20%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it highly enjoyable and replayable, particularly at higher difficulties, while others feel it lacks depth and variety after the initial playthrough. Many reviewers express a desire for more customization options and randomly generated content to enhance replay value, as the current experience can become repetitive. Overall, while some aspects offer replay potential, the consensus leans towards a limited experience once the game is completed.
- “Great game, lots of replay value.”
- “This is one of those games you find on Steam that has absolutely fantastic replayability and is easy to learn, hard to master.”
- “Fun game, great replayability, a lot of stuff to do.”
- “It lacks replay value as once you've cleared the game there isn't much to do, and to be honest, the handcrafted zones don't really have enough detail to make doing a 100% run worthwhile.”
- “My only wish is that the world map was randomly generated, or that there were several worlds you could play in to increase replayability beyond a few times.”
- “Fairly nice game, my only criticism is that even on harder difficulties it doesn't take long to reach the final boss and the game lacks replayability, as there are not many different actions you could take on a second campaign.”
humor
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a mix of clever dialogue, playful references to titles like Dwarf Fortress and Skyrim, and lighthearted elements that evoke laughter, such as the occasional use of silly words. Players appreciate the charming writing and the humorous consequences of gameplay, which contribute to an enjoyable experience. Overall, the humor is seen as a strong point, enhancing the game's appeal and making it a delightful time-waster.
- “It's hilarious.”
- “There's a great sense of humor and mostly good writing that pervades the whole game, and the developer tried very hard to make most of the regions have their own vignettes that kept things from getting stale.”
- “Funny characters and tight mechanics make the game fun to play with a soundtrack and visuals that leave you relaxed the entire time.”
optimization
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while it runs smoothly on most systems, including Linux, some users report stuttering issues on specific distributions. The combat system can be easily unbalanced through optimization strategies, leading to a lack of challenge, which some players find detracts from the experience. Additionally, certain systems like crafting and enchanting feel underwhelming, as they are quickly overshadowed by loot drops.
- “Has a not too difficult combat system; base building is limited to acquiring buildings in optimized order.”
- “Critiques are fairly minor: I played on normal and found the combat system incredibly easy to unbalance with even the slightest bit of optimization. Stacking +crit damage and using throwing axes from stealth allowed me to one-shot everything, including bosses, after just a few points in skill trees. Companions handled everything else, so I didn't mind the lack of challenge in combat.”
- “Performance-wise, the game runs fine.”
- “Critiques are fairly minor: I played on normal and found the combat system incredibly easy to unbalance with even the slightest bit of optimization (stacking +crit damage and using throwing axes from stealth = one-shotting everything including bosses after just a few points in skill trees). Companions do all the work for you, so I didn't mind the lack of challenge in combat.”
- “Hard to say if that was due to me going out of order in difficulty based on the aforementioned optimization, though.”
- “What this translates to is stuttering movement on what could have been a great game.”
atmosphere
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its charming art style, engaging music, and immersive world, despite some criticisms regarding character design and gameplay mechanics. Reviewers appreciate the depth of the lore and the variety of environments, which contribute to a captivating experience. Overall, the atmosphere is described as fun and atmospheric, enhancing the enjoyment of the game.
- “A fun and charming game with atmospheric music and style coupled with a vague, but nonetheless understandable, story.”
- “Great atmosphere, nice story, there are lots of different places and puzzles to solve, the loot and challenges are very well balanced.”
- “Its optics are cute, its world can be surprisingly atmospheric, its battle systems and town building/upgrade system is very interesting and the world's lore has unexpected depth to explore.”
- “I think this game would have benefited from small things like a ladder climbing animation instead of just jumping up them, and maybe a bit more in the background to set the atmosphere.”
- “The game is reminiscent of Kingdom in both art and atmosphere; gameplay, however, is quite different (aside from siege maps).”
- “Art style looks cool, the gameplay has some rough edges, but you will forgive those for the whole atmosphere.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players generally enjoy the game but express dissatisfaction with recent updates that have introduced ads for new titles, indicating a negative impact on their overall experience.
- “I loved the game but didn't appreciate the updates that introduced ads for their new games.”
- “The constant push for in-game purchases really detracts from the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind a paywall, making it feel like a cash grab.”