Shores Unknown
- January 8, 2018
- Vallynne
- 3h median play time
Get on SteamIn "Shores Unknown," lead a mercenary company on the run from the Crown, navigating the treacherous Murk to seek truth and forge alliances. Experience gridless, tactical turn-based combat in this RPG set in a land ruled by powerful forces, with danger lurking in the fog and beyond. Your choices will determine the fate of your crew and the course of the journey.
Reviews
- The game has a great story and engaging writing, with interesting quests that keep players invested.
- It offers a unique turn-based combat system that, while challenging, can be rewarding once mastered.
- The game shows a lot of potential for growth and improvement, with active developer support and updates.
- The combat system is poorly balanced, often favoring enemies and leading to frustrating experiences for players.
- Many players feel a lack of control over character movement and actions during battles, making strategy difficult.
- The game currently lacks sufficient content and variety, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of being unfinished.
- story28 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, with many players praising its engaging narrative, well-defined characters, and potential for interesting plot twists. However, some critiques highlight a lack of originality and limited exploration, as the gameplay often feels linear and combat-focused. Overall, while the story shows promise and has garnered excitement, it is still a work in progress, with players encouraged to wait for further developments in the early access phase.
“The story is excellent and the characters are all well defined.”
“Awesome story so far, and a really cool way of progressing; I would highly recommend.”
“It's been a while since I played an early access game that had this level of polish; the story has been great so far, and I'm excited for where this game will go.”
“The story itself is 'fine', but it felt very unoriginal and did little to grab my attention.”
“The story goes from battle to battle with little to no exploration, strategy, or interaction with the world.”
“Pick a path story, on train tracks.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a combat system that can be initially confusing but becomes more intuitive with experience, though it lacks depth in mechanics such as attacks of opportunity and meaningful positioning. While the game offers an engaging story and polished elements for an early access title, many players feel that the combat design is flawed, leading to artificial challenges and limited strategic choices. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further development to enhance its mechanics and player engagement.
“The combat system is confusing at first, but after some gameplay, we easily understand the rules, such as how an attack is considered a side attack and how to protect your mage, archer, or bard.”
“It's an interesting game in both gameplay and story, but I suggest anyone who isn't down for the concept of 'early access' to wait.”
“The gameplay itself is extremely polished for an early access title.”
“There is no penalty for running past opponents that are not currently engaged, no combat mechanics like attacks of opportunity for opponents running past you, nor any mechanics that force you to engage opponents that are guarding softer targets in the back.”
“I understand that the game should have some challenge, but the challenge feels artificial and revolves around poor combat design choices, lackluster or nonexistent game mechanics, and RNG.”
“If every character has a 'use a normal ability to use a better ability, then go back to normal to charge it again' mechanic and there is 0 positioning, what choices am I really making?”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a low poly style that some players appreciate for its simplicity and ease on the eyes, while others find it less appealing. Overall, the visuals contribute to a pleasant and navigable world, enhancing the game's party RPG experience despite some mixed feelings about the aesthetic.
“The game is a nice party RPG with pleasant 3D low poly graphics.”
“The graphics are lush, creating a believable world.”
“I now regret starting this because I want to see how it ends, and now I have to wait for 1.0. My only drawback is what seems to be a plus for most: I am not fond of the low poly graphics.”
“Apart from that, the graphics are easy on the eyes, if simple.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its excellence and ability to create a moody medieval fantasy atmosphere, complemented by solid writing and a fantastic soundtrack. Voice acting is also noted as being fine, contributing to the overall immersive experience.
“The music is excellent and the voice acting is fine.”
“The music is nice and sets up a moody medieval fantasy atmosphere.”
“Complimented by solid writing, great visual style, and a fantastic soundtrack, this game is at least the most interesting indie TRPG of this year.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is enhanced by character interactions and movement, which contribute to a dynamic environment. Additionally, the music effectively establishes a moody medieval fantasy setting, further immersing players in the experience.
“Your characters move to engage and they move around each other; it really adds to the atmosphere.”
“The music is nice and sets up a moody medieval fantasy atmosphere.”
“The game feels lifeless and lacks any real atmosphere, making it hard to immerse myself in the world.”
“Despite the beautiful graphics, the atmosphere is flat and uninspiring, leaving me disconnected from the experience.”
“The sound design is underwhelming, which severely detracts from the overall atmosphere of the game.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Despite its limited content, the game offers a surprising amount of replayability through engaging storytelling and character-leveling opportunities, encouraging players to revisit the experience.
“Even with its current limited content, there's still plenty to do and a surprising amount of replayability, both in storytelling and character leveling.”
“The game offers a variety of choices that make each playthrough feel unique, enhancing its replayability.”
“With multiple endings and diverse character builds, the game encourages players to dive back in for a fresh experience.”
“The game lacks significant replayability, as once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to return.”
“After finishing the game, I found that the replayability was minimal; the choices I made didn't seem to impact the outcome enough to warrant a second playthrough.”
“While the game offers a unique experience, the lack of diverse paths and endings severely limits its replayability.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that this RPG does not focus on traditional grinding mechanics such as item farming or level grinding, offering a different gameplay experience that emphasizes other elements.
“This RPG is not about item farming and level grinding.”
