Spellfarers
- July 30, 2024
- Digital Leisure Inc.
- 22h median play time
Get on SteamFarm, fish, craft, and cast spells with your friends in this idyllic, magical multiplayer farming sim. Befriend the townsfolk of Wenngrove, learn their trades and stories, tend your home with your friends and Familiar, and make magic in Spellfarers.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a charming art style and a cozy atmosphere, with potential for a lovely world to explore.
- The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game based on player feedback.
- There are interesting mechanics like farming and a magic system that could provide depth and enjoyment as the game develops.
- The game suffers from significant technical issues, including lag, crashes, and clunky controls that hinder gameplay.
- Character customization is limited and poorly designed, leading to dissatisfaction with avatar appearance and functionality.
- Many gameplay mechanics, such as gathering resources and navigating quests, are tedious and not user-friendly, making progression frustrating.
- story19 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story and world-building show promise, with an intriguing lore and a charming setting that invites exploration and community interaction. However, the quest system is criticized for its lack of auto-tracking and clarity, leading to confusion and frustration among players. While the initial narrative hooks are engaging, the overall execution feels limited, especially in early access, with many quests being fetch-oriented and mechanics needing refinement.
“This game has potential; the ideas are interesting and the story is nice.”
“There's also a great deal of story and lore of the world that you slowly uncover, which is really enjoyable, with the feeling of community and the air of a lingering mystery hanging constantly over the quaint little town of Wenngrove.”
“Day 1 of early access - beautiful world with an intriguing story.”
“Story 3/10 - you walk around with a wizard's hat and meet some guy who wears a helmet. He shows you to a house where you look for a carrot, and another NPC shows up wearing a blue shirt. There's something about casting spells... not quite sure... hmmmm.”
“After two hours of gameplay, I had only summoned a dog and found myself with no more quests and limited areas to explore.”
“I know it's early access, but there isn't much to do here besides fetch quests and gather resources (if no one else has gotten to them first). The fetch quests are limited too, and the controls are odd.”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game; while farming is described as open and free, logging and mining are seen as tedious, especially without a supportive player base. The repetitive nature of resource gathering and the lack of engaging mechanics contribute to a sense of boredom, leading some players to lose interest in continuing the game. Overall, the grinding elements are viewed as a significant hurdle that detracts from the overall experience.
“The logging and mining feel tedious without a player base to assist one another in the process.”
“With a game like this focused on crafting/professions, any small tedious element that gets repeated often will lead to people not continuing to play.”
“Resource grinding is a huge hurdle.”
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the charming cartoon art style reminiscent of early PS2 games, while others criticize the lack of polish and stability, even on high-end hardware like the 3070ti. Despite initial technical issues, recent updates have improved graphic errors and performance, showcasing the developers' responsiveness to player feedback. Overall, while the art style is loved by many, there are significant concerns regarding clarity and detail.
“Pros: I love the art style and the animation reminds me of early PS2 games, which I find charming. The premise is promising as well.”
“It's amazing how much the devs fixed and changed since their release a week ago: graphic errors are gone, several tech issues were solved or are being worked on diligently. The fast travel points on the map are more visible, the amount is increased, and time and compass are active. They are very responsive and helpful on Discord, open to suggestions, explaining their concept. This is what early access is about in my opinion: bringing in gamer ideas and testing out what works or not.”
“Loving the graphics and most aspects of the gameplay.”
“Plus the performance is not stable no matter how much I drop the graphics down on a 3070 Ti.”
“Graphics need work; there's just no polish to any of it. Even the spell effects look sort of tired, and I honestly expected something more elaborate.”
“I registered successfully and then tried logging in, and it won't log in. The graphics are so blurry right now I can't even change them at all.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 63 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is currently lacking, with users reporting frequent stuttering, low frame rates, and performance instability even on capable hardware like the 3070 Ti. While areas load seamlessly without screens, issues such as pop-in and general jankiness persist, particularly in towns. Additionally, the resolution is poorly optimized for ultra-wide screens, further detracting from the experience.
“For me personally, the game mechanics need to be fleshed out and some optimization needs to happen.”
“As stated above, early access does mean there are issues, so expect bugs, some stuttering, and general jankiness.”
“Plus the performance is not stable no matter how much I drop the graphics down on a 3070 Ti.”
“Constant stuttering and low FPS, especially in the town, which is weird given how the game looks like a PS3 game.”
- stability7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently experiences significant stability issues, including frequent lag and crashes, with users reporting delays of 5-10 seconds during gameplay. However, the developer is actively addressing these problems through consistent updates, leading to gradual improvements. Despite its early access status and ongoing glitches, many players appreciate the transparency and potential of the game.
“Lag is often 5-10 seconds; for example, the video of the spellbook opens, freezes for 5-10 seconds, then there is a brief video change, text, and it freezes again for 5-10 seconds until you can press 'A' to continue.”
“This game is so clunky and buggy.”
“No, it's buggy; it crashes at times, and the controls, in my opinion, are a little too complex; they could be simpler.”
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of charm and frustration; while the graphics and initial story introduction are well-received, players find the tutorials cumbersome and the mechanics, such as fishing and placing items, unclear. Many express a desire for better optimization and additional features, like mouse support, to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay feels underdeveloped, with limited quests and exploration after a few hours.
“Loving the graphics and most aspects of the gameplay.”
“The game has a charming cartoon art style and starts with a story introduction, teaching you the controls and mechanics.”
“There are still a few things I would like to see implemented, such as mouse use for main mechanics.”
“Tutorials on how to do things will lock the game until you close and reopen. Learning things with the help menu doesn't make up for that—fishing mechanics, for example, are still unclear.”
“The placing mechanics are not very clear, in my opinion.”
“For me personally, to come back to this game, the mechanics need to be fleshed out and some optimization needs to happen.”
- music3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been criticized for its poor looping, leading some players to mute it entirely during character creation. Additionally, the title screen features a repetitive and generic soundtrack that fails to impress.
“Music doesn't loop correctly; I ended up muting it during character creation.”
“The title screen music is a short loop of very generic game music.”
“The title screen music is a short loop of very generic game music.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game has been criticized for being heavily pay-to-win, featuring cash shop items that provide significant advantages, reminiscent of mobile game practices. Many players express disappointment, feeling that the monetization approach is predatory and detracts from the overall experience, especially given the developers' background in casino games.
“Literally the entire game is just so on-the-nose predatory monetization it almost feels like satire.”
“Less than a week of early access and it's already got a cash shop with pay-to-win items like friendship buffs, plant growing speed-ups, etc. I'm not interested anymore since they decided their monetization model was like a mobile game.”
“I've also got some red flags about how they've arranged their monetization.”
“Literally the entire game is just so overtly predatory in its monetization that it almost feels like satire. When you see that the developers' only other game is a casino game, it’s like the joke writes itself.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from its clunky animations, which users find amusing and entertaining, adding a lighthearted charm to the overall experience.
“The animations may be clunky, but they are genuinely funny and entertaining to watch.”
“The humor in the game is spot-on, with clever jokes that kept me laughing throughout.”
“I love how the game doesn't take itself too seriously, making for a lighthearted and enjoyable experience.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that character development is marked by unique and unconventional designs, which may evoke a sense of unease or strangeness among players.
“The character designs are very uncanny.”
“I felt like my character didn't evolve at all throughout the game.”
“The dialogue options were limited, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
