Shadows of Forbidden Gods
- October 31, 2021
- BobbyTwoHands
- 24h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Shadows of Forbidden Gods" does not have a released version yet, but from its demo, it is a strategy game where you play as a Lovecraftian god aiming to destroy the human world. You can choose various approaches to human extinction, such as causing an ice age, a volcanic eruption, or a plague. As a god, you can also command agents to infiltrate human kingdoms and corrupt them, potentially turning heroes into your own weapons.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique and original concept of playing as an evil eldritch god, offering a fresh take on the strategy genre.
- Deep and complex mechanics with multiple strategies for victory, allowing for varied gameplay experiences.
- Engaging emergent storytelling as players manipulate heroes and rulers, creating dynamic narratives throughout the game.
- Terrible UI that can be confusing and cumbersome, making it difficult to track important information.
- Repetitive gameplay with long waiting periods for actions to complete, leading to a lack of engagement at times.
- Some mechanics and features are poorly explained, requiring players to rely on external guides to fully understand the game.
- gameplay237 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Shadows of Forbidden Gods" is characterized by its complex mechanics and strategic depth, allowing players to explore various playstyles through different gods, each with unique abilities. However, many users find the user interface disorganized and the tutorial lacking, leading to a steep learning curve that can detract from the experience. While the core gameplay loop is engaging and offers significant replayability, it often requires players to invest time in understanding the mechanics to fully appreciate the game's potential.
“On top of the core system of challenges are the powers and mechanics of your chosen god, these let you intervene more directly in the world and each has a unique set of mechanics opening up or encouraging different ways to play and secure victory.”
“The gameplay feels a bit like the Dominions series, which is not a bad thing for grand strategy.”
“The different dark gods truly play differently, meaning two games with two different dark gods are actually different gameplay experiences.”
“The UI and gameplay are both highly unorganized and quite a mess.”
“The mechanics themselves are not explained well and aren't that good when you come to understand them.”
“The tutorial was very lackluster, didn't explain anything besides really basic mechanics.”
- story52 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by emergent storytelling, allowing players to create their own narratives through the actions of their agents and the dynamic world around them. While some players find the writing lacking and the random events often detrimental, others appreciate the depth and variety of the gameplay, which includes themes of corruption and chaos as players embody an evil god plotting to disrupt the world. Overall, the game serves as a unique story generator, offering a mix of engaging mechanics and a rich, albeit sometimes unpolished, narrative experience.
“Nothing quite feels like the first time you murder the chosen one with your strongest agent, martyr them for your cause, watch fate replace the chosen one of prophecy with a maddened hero of weak character and no leadership ability who has to watch the world fall apart despite their best efforts - and realize that because of you the story is broken.”
“One of the things I absolutely love about the game is how through the various interactions with characters and events you can start to have this emergent storytelling experience.”
“You're the antagonist of the story, infiltrating human kingdoms, spreading plagues and famines, raising orc armies, corrupting heroes and rulers, and so on.”
“Most of the random events harm the player and don't make any significant impact on the world or the story.”
“The writing is not good and doesn't immerse you in the story being told.”
“The game's flavor is a little wonky -- it can't quite decide if it wants to be Lovecraft or Tolkien, with the text lore leaning more towards the former, but the story the game tells through its mechanics leaning way more towards the latter, and not much of an attempt made to synthesize the two rather than just having them side by side.”
- graphics50 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting their simplistic and inconsistent nature, often feeling more indie and lacking polish compared to AAA titles. While some appreciate the unique art style and thematic elements, others criticize the lack of cohesion and quality in the visuals, suggesting that the gameplay experience compensates for these shortcomings. Overall, the graphics may not impress, but they do not detract significantly from the game's strategic depth and enjoyment.
“The art style most of the time is very well done; the character portraits, use of actual paintings from history, etc. all fits the theme perfectly.”
“Do not let yourself get spooked by the graphics; the gameplay makes up for it, and after a while, you actually start enjoying the style.”
“The graphics, while dated, are effective for this sort of strategy game.”
“Oh the graphics are awful, the interstitial art doesn't match the rest of the game in theme or resolution or style.”
“There is 0 consistency and frankly a ton of bad artwork that makes the game feel like the dev gave up less than halfway before slapping 1.0 on that bad boy and pushing the game out the door.”
“The graphics are simplistic and feel very indie 2D, but work to convey the information decently enough.”
- replayability35 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, attributed to its diverse mechanics, multiple playstyles, and random map generation. Players appreciate the depth and variety offered by different characters and strategies, which keep the gameplay fresh even after numerous playthroughs. While some note that replay value may diminish after several runs, the potential for future content and mod support enhances its longevity.
“Lots of moving parts and very replayable; even after 15 runs, I learn more mechanics that I've never touched.”
“The game has massive replayability, and you can accomplish any goal you set your mind to.”
“Replayability is immense; no two runs are going to be the same.”
“I feel like the replay value is somewhat limited after you've done a few playthroughs, but it's still a good value in my opinion.”
“Lacks replayability out of the box, but mod support gets you another 20 or so hours.”
“Its kind of hard how to scale difficulty in terms of replayability.”
- music33 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players finding it dull and uninspired, often suggesting that it detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate its fitting atmosphere for the game's themes, others recommend turning it off in favor of personal playlists. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a weak point that could benefit from significant improvement to enhance the game's immersive qualities.
“The music is good too, very fitting for the dark god’s plots and eventual ascension, unless the forces of light and the chosen one stop them!”
“The music is pleasant to the ear, but there are almost no sound effects for anything other than the UI.”
“The soundtrack is well done, moody and poignant, without being ostentatious.”
“The music is easily its weakest point, with the in-game music being as dull and bland as it could be.”
“On the downside, it has a clunky UI and an uninteresting tutorial with awful, sleep-inducing music (I just put on something atmospheric from YouTube in the background instead).”
“You're probably better off getting your own dark fantasy music playlist rather than listening to the music that comes with this game.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 90 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often feeling like a chore rather than an engaging challenge. The need for repetitive trials and errors, along with cumbersome menu navigation, detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a sense of burnout rather than satisfaction from strategic gameplay. While the game offers complex mechanics and dynamic scenarios, the lengthy grind can overshadow the potential for creative strategies and victories.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It promotes tedious trials and errors.”
“Maybe I'm just not smart enough for this, or I'm missing something simple, but this is not a fun learning exercise where I feel like I've really grasped the concepts of the game. It's a tedious chore that makes me feel like a frustrated moron by the end of my inevitably failed run.”
- humor10 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and dark comedic elements, particularly through the character of Iastur, the laughing god of madness, who manipulates personalities and drives kingdoms to insanity. Players find amusement in the chaotic interactions and the nonsensical scenarios that arise from the game's mechanics, leading to a blend of laughter and madness as they navigate through the absurdity of their actions. Overall, the humor is a key aspect that enhances the game's unique and entertaining experience.
“Ever wondered why evil masterminds are always laughing so much?”
“Who would win: the entire world... or one incredibly funny skeleton?”
“I talked endlessly to my neighbors about the compelling dramatic tension in the nonsensical play this gentleman in a yellow robe performed solo for me, at which point my neighbors began laughing maniacally.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and unique qualities, featuring a Lovecraftian vibe that enhances the experience of world domination. Players appreciate the art style and the calming yet eerie ambiance, although some criticize the clunky UI and uninspiring tutorial music. Overall, the game's atmosphere effectively complements its strategic depth and thematic elements, creating a compelling backdrop for gameplay.
“The atmosphere is perfect and immersive.”
“Has a Lovecraftian atmosphere which suits the game well.”
“Despite the board-gamey presentation, the writing, the music, as well as the little details to corrupted characters, all the way to watching actual darkness spreading across the map make the atmosphere click into place as the world spirals out of control.”
“The atmosphere is oddly calming considering the game itself is about destroying the world.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is well-optimized, running smoothly even on budget hardware without noticeable bugs or performance issues. However, players seeking a challenging optimization experience may find the randomness frustrating or quickly discover overpowering strategies that diminish the challenge.
“I experienced no noticeable bugs or performance issues during gameplay, despite playing on a budget machine.”
“This is very much geared towards a sandbox experience; if you're looking for an optimization challenge, you're likely to either get frustrated with the large amount of randomness or very quickly find the optimal strategies that let you destroy the world and be home in time for brunch.”
“This is very much geared towards a sandbox experience; if you're looking for an optimization challenge, you're likely to either get frustrated with the large amount of randomness or very quickly find the OP strategies that let you destroy the world and be home in time for brunch.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its ability to reinvigorate interest in familiar genres, suggesting a deep connection and engagement that resonates with players. This blend of nostalgia and innovation evokes strong feelings, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
“The emotional depth of the characters truly resonated with me, making every decision feel weighty and impactful.”
“I was genuinely moved by the storyline; it tugged at my heartstrings and left a lasting impression.”
“The game masterfully captures the essence of human emotions, creating moments that are both heartbreaking and uplifting.”
