Sorbetta: Gravely in Debt

About

Sorbetta: Gravely in Debt is a single player role playing game with fantasy and comedy themes. It was developed by HawkZombie and was released on February 20, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

When Sorbetta owes her cousin Sherberta a sizable debt, she has only one option: to follow the advice of her mimic friend Key-Anu and find four rare and valuable treasures. Follow along with her exploits in this comedy RPG!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 20 reviews

humor18 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The writing is a standout feature, filled with humor and engaging dialogue that brings the quirky characters to life.
The game offers a lighthearted and enjoyable experience, making it suitable for casual play without requiring extensive grinding.
Visually, the game has a charming cartoonish style that complements its humorous tone, despite relying on default RPG Maker assets.

The game suffers from a lack of depth in gameplay mechanics, with combat being overly simplistic and battles often requiring little strategy.
Many of the assets and visuals are low quality, leading to a generic appearance that detracts from the overall experience.
The reliance on community in-jokes and references may alienate players who are not familiar with the developer's Twitch streams, making some humor inaccessible.

humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
90%
10%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it quirky and endearing, featuring clever puns and well-paced dialogue that elicits genuine laughs. However, others criticize it for relying too heavily on sexual innuendos and juvenile jokes, leading to a perception of unoriginality and poor execution. Overall, while some appreciate the comedic elements, the humor may not resonate with everyone, making it a subjective experience.
- “The writing is its strong point, with some cute and funny moments.”
- “Very funny RPG Maker game with creative and endearing characters and a cool story.”
- “Between all the irreverent humor and the well-paced dialogue, along with each character having its own unique voice, the game is a pleasure to read.”
- “There's a comedy theme to this, adding on to the usual high school anime club fanfiction writing, but it's completely unfunny.”
- “I found the vast majority of the jokes (and references) to be poorly executed and not funny.”
story
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The story of the game is characterized by its quirky humor and engaging narrative, developed during Twitch streams, which adds a unique backstory. While it offers a refreshing linear plot with creative characters and avoids unnecessary filler, some players felt it lacked depth in character development and scope, leading to moments that could disrupt immersion. Overall, it successfully prioritizes storytelling over traditional RPG mechanics, providing an entertaining experience.
- “Very funny RPG Maker game with creative and endearing characters and a cool story.”
- “The story is linear without being dull.”
- “There are enough surprises and variations of the general RPG theme to keep the story refreshing and always full of surprises.”
- “Where 'sorbetta: gravely in debt' does not do well, however, is the scope of the story.”
- “Third, the scene of sorbetta snapping at key-anu comes too far out of left field, and while the dialogue that comes after explains everything, the jarring moment pulls you right out of the story.”
- “There was little character development, so I wasn't invested into anyone in the story.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The gameplay is criticized for its low quality, simplistic mechanics, and reliance on retro pixel art, making it feel unfulfilling for players seeking depth. However, some players appreciate the overpowered feeling it provides, suggesting that the game prioritizes storytelling over complex gameplay. Overall, the experience may appeal to those looking for a casual narrative-driven adventure rather than a challenging RPG.
- “Gameplay was perfect if you want to feel overpowered and just enjoy a story.”
- “hours of gameplay”
- “Like most RPG Maker shovelware and asset flips, the game features extremely low-quality, copy-pasted 2D retro pixel art, looks awful, and has even worse gameplay.”
- “It's too simple to have really fulfilling gameplay if you're looking for something with more depth.”
- “Does it want to focus more on the player enjoying the story than worrying about the gameplay?”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The graphics in this RPG Maker game are criticized for their poor quality, lacking full HD support and any options for resolution or graphical adjustments. The use of outdated retro pixel art fails to meet the expectations of modern PC gamers, leaving many reviewers unimpressed with the overall visual presentation.
- “As with all RPG Maker games, the poor quality engine displays badly in fullscreen and doesn't have full HD support or any graphics tweaking options, making this unacceptable for any dedicated modern PC gamer.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Character development in the game is criticized for being inconsistent and rushed, leading to a lack of investment in the characters. While the main narrative execution is surprisingly well done, the overall character design and development leave much to be desired, resulting in a disconnect between players and the story.
- “There was little character development, so I wasn't invested in anyone in the story.”
- “Although wrought with many 'first game' narrative mistakes (expedited character development, character inconsistency, too little then too much, etc.), the execution of the game's main narrative is done surprisingly well.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate that the game minimizes grinding and farming, allowing for a more streamlined experience. However, some find the combat tedious, and while the story is strong, the absence of traditional leveling and grinding elements may leave some RPG fans wanting more depth.
- “Cons: combat is tedious.”
- “The story was strong but lacked the leveling and grinding aspect of most RPGs, which also meant it avoided a lot of useless filler.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate Sorbetta's emotional journey, highlighting her transformation from a victim of bullying to a strong, self-assertive character. This growth resonates with audiences, making her story both relatable and inspiring.
- “Sorbetta herself has a positive emotional journey, going from someone her cousin kicked around to standing up for herself.”