Scarmonde
- October 7, 2024
- Ephiam
- 20h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreThe God of Dragons beckons you to Scarmonde. Gather your most trusted and skilled companions, then brave the The Depths to locate each of the Dragon God's Sacred Treasures. Legends say paradise awaits the one who gathers all three, but will you and your band of adventurers be the first to have their wildest dreams become their new reality? Before departing into The Depths below Scarmonde, you're t…
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Reviews
- Scarmonde offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic NES RPGs, with excellent audiovisual presentation and a varied, engaging soundtrack.
- The game features a robust class system with 12 distinct classes, allowing for deep customization and strategic party composition, enhancing replayability.
- Exploration is rewarding, with well-designed areas filled with secrets and a combat system that requires thoughtful use of skills and resources.
- Dialogue can be overly verbose, leading to information dumps that disrupt the pacing of the game.
- The difficulty level may not be challenging enough for seasoned players, with some late-game encounters feeling underwhelming.
- Certain dungeons can be confusing and lack a map, making navigation difficult and potentially frustrating for players.
- story25 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story in "Scarmonde" is minimal yet intriguing, allowing players to focus on combat and exploration rather than lengthy cutscenes or dialogue. While the narrative is not the central focus, it is effectively conveyed through interactions with NPCs and the environment, reminiscent of classic RPGs like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Players appreciate the hands-off storytelling approach, which encourages exploration and discovery, making the overall experience engaging despite the sparse plot.
“The story is minimal and not in your face, which makes the game engaging from the minute you set out on your journey.”
“There is an interesting and mysterious story waiting for you to unravel it through further descending into the depths, talking with the various characters you meet during your travels who have their own reasons for being in these perilous lands, and finding new places and bosses which sometimes tell their little personal stories that tie into the main narrative.”
“True to its description, the story is minimally told (but the plot is present!), letting you focus on equipping and specializing your chosen characters as you battle through Scarmonde.”
“Having praised what little story is there, when dialogue does crop up, it's actually a little too verbose.”
“While there is a bit of a story that ties things together, the focus and fun are really all on the combat, progression, and exploration, with lots of secret treasures to find and rare drops from enemies to make your trips to dungeons easier.”
“Story-wise, it's so far been pretty light, ala old school FF1 era JRPGs, but what is there is interesting and helps motivate you to continue to play along with the interesting progression mechanics.”
- music16 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its varied and nostalgic soundtrack, capturing the essence of old-school JRPGs with catchy melodies that enhance the overall experience. While some players feel that the main battle theme can become repetitive, the overall quality and fittingness of the music are consistently highlighted as a strong point, complementing the game's art and gameplay effectively.
“The music is both nostalgic feeling and great.”
“I love the music, it has a perfect old-school sound to it.”
“The music is actually incredible and fits the mood at every occasion.”
“It isn't that Scarmonde lacks for combat music (by my reckoning, there are easily 5-6+ tracks of it) but that it's a little late in introducing the alternatives.”
“Having designated battle music by area type (say, overworld, cave, castle, dungeon, etc.) would have done wonders.”
“The soundtrack, while varied, feels inconsistent and doesn't always match the game's tone.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Scarmonde is highly praised for its engaging old-school RPG mechanics, combining nostalgic graphics and music with modern features. Players appreciate the deep gameplay loop involving dungeon crawling, party building, and strategic class choices, which enhance replayability and exploration. While the narrative is light, it effectively motivates players to delve into the game, making it a standout experience for fans of classic JRPGs.
“This is handily one of the best old-school-style RPGs I have ever played, much less since the original, and I cannot overstate how engrossing both the narrative and the gameplay are.”
“The game loses no time throwing you into its gameplay loop: dungeon crawling, party building, gearing up, and discovering what is going on in this weird world.”
“The game shines in its mechanics and exploration; buffs, debuffs, and ailments are strong and often effective against bosses, and while classes don't seem perfectly balanced, they all have their unique factors, so there's some great replayability here if you like this kind of JRPG.”
“The game is definitely a gameplay-focused experience, but that's not to say that there are no stakes nor that experiencing what this world has to offer is pointless.”
“The game shines in its mechanics and exploration; buffs, debuffs, and ailments are strong and often effective against bosses. While classes don't seem perfectly balanced, they all have their unique factors, so there's some great replayability here if you like this kind of JRPG.”
“I will update if I encounter anything worth adding, but so far after my time with the demo, this is very promising for fans of classic JRPGs with meatier gameplay.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability due to its diverse class system, allowing players to choose from 12 classes and customize their playstyle with subclass shrines. This variety, combined with unique mechanics and exploration elements, ensures that fans of JRPGs will find plenty of reasons to revisit the game. Overall, players can expect a rewarding experience with significant replay value.
“If you love Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, or even if you love Crystal Project or Etrian Odyssey, I think you'll have a good to great time, with excellent bang for your buck and strong replay value.”
“With the amount of different classes, there is lots of replayability.”
“The game shines in its mechanics and exploration; buffs, debuffs, and ailments are strong and often effective against bosses. While classes don't seem perfectly balanced, they all have their unique factors, so there's some great replayability here if you enjoy this kind of JRPG.”
“With the ability to choose 12 classes and have 4 subclass shrines, you can alter your playstyle significantly, providing a lot of replayability.”
“It's also fairly replayable, with so many classes to choose from at the start of the game!”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their authentic 8-bit pixel art style, effectively capturing the nostalgic aesthetic of classic NES RPGs. Reviewers highlight the vibrant colors and impressive monster designs, noting that the visuals enhance the overall retro experience while complementing modern gameplay mechanics.
“As far as feeling like an NES RPG, this is one of the most authentic experiences, from the sound to the visuals and colors. I haven't played a 'retro' RPG that feels this close to an actual RPG from that era in a long time.”
“Nostalgic graphics and music, along with modern gameplay mechanics, make Scarmonde shine.”
“The graphics are great 8-bit pixel art, with some truly amazing looking monsters.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players note that grinding in the game is primarily focused on accumulating a separate currency to enhance characters rather than traditional level grinding. Additionally, there are elements of grinding through random battles, which some may find repetitive.
“Instead of grinding levels, you use currency (separate from gold) to improve your characters.”
“The game relies heavily on grinding and random battles, which can become tedious.”
“Grinding feels like a chore rather than an engaging part of the gameplay.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's fun elements but note that it requires optimization for improved quality of life features, such as better saving options and a full-screen mode.
“Fun game, just needs optimization for some quality of life improvements, such as saving and always dash features, as well as full screen support.”
