Sproggiwood
- February 15, 2015
- Freehold Games
- 6h median play time
"Sproggiwood" is a turn-based roguelike game with a humorous story inspired by Finnish mythology, where you civilize a magical realm as a farmer from a peaceful island. The game boasts six unique classes, procedural dungeons, and clever monster tactics, while its standout features include a good plot, outstanding game mechanics, masterful visuals, and an awesome soundtrack. However, be prepared for lots of grinding and occasional humor.
Reviews
- Charming art style and engaging soundtrack that enhance the overall experience.
- Simple yet strategic gameplay that allows for different approaches with various classes.
- Casual and accessible, making it a great introduction to the roguelike genre.
- Short gameplay length with limited content, making it feel repetitive after a few runs.
- Lack of depth in the story and character progression, leading to a less engaging experience.
- Mobile port feel with clunky controls and interface that detracts from the overall enjoyment.
- story90 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in "Sproggiwood" is described as light-hearted and humorous, drawing inspiration from Finnish mythology, but it often feels generic and disjointed, lacking depth and engagement. While some players appreciate the cute graphics and entertaining dialogue, many criticize the linear quest structure and abrupt narrative progression, leading to an overall impression of a simplistic and unsatisfying storyline. Despite its charm, the story fails to elevate the gameplay experience significantly, leaving players wanting more substance.
“Sproggiwood is a story-driven roguelite with a simple progression and class system and a very original atmosphere due to its Finnish folklore roots.”
“The story is fun and easy to follow with enough humor to keep it from being too 'kiddy'.”
“The storyline has a lot of character and it's pretty unique.”
“There's a storyline there somewhere, but it's as generic as it gets, so it doesn't help the game at all.”
“The story goes nowhere, fast.”
“The story is barely better than nothing.”
- gameplay86 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Sproggiwood is characterized by its turn-based roguelike mechanics, offering a blend of strategic planning and simple, engaging mechanics that can be both fun and challenging. While the game features a charming art style and catchy music, some players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth, particularly criticizing the village-building aspect for its minimal impact on the overall experience. Overall, it provides a solid introduction to the roguelike genre, appealing to newcomers but potentially falling short for those seeking more complexity and variety.
“Overall, the gameplay is a lot of fun and can be challenging.”
“Simple yet challenging gameplay, rewarding progression.”
“The gameplay mechanics are well thought out where you have to plan each move based on what types of enemies are around you, where exactly they are and how many.”
“The village-building section is clunky as well... compounded by the fact that it doesn't affect any of the actual gameplay in any way.”
“I really want to give Sproggiwood a 'not recommended', because it embodies a lot of what I strongly dislike about modern roguelike-likes, with shallow gameplay and little attention to detail.”
“There simply isn't enough gameplay here, especially for its price.”
- graphics64 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as cute, colorful, and engaging, with a charming art style that appeals to many players. While some reviewers appreciate the aesthetic and find it suitable for the game's light-hearted tone, others criticize it for lacking depth and being overly simplistic. Overall, the visuals are seen as a strong point, contributing positively to the game's appeal, despite some concerns about their impact on gameplay clarity and complexity.
“The artwork is beautifully done, with vibrant colors and a great use of different color palettes to give various areas a different feel.”
“The graphics sport a very charming and unique art style.”
“Sproggiwood is a fairly light rogue-style game with short, procedurally-generated dungeons, a bright, colorful art style, great music, and a witty sense of humour.”
“I didn't dig the UI design, and just generally the whole aesthetic.”
“Low-res graphics, awkward controls not adjusted for PC, and janky gameplay.”
“The art style is cute, but that's really all the game has going for it.”
- music30 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its catchy and charming qualities, effectively complementing the light-hearted aesthetic and gameplay. While some reviewers noted that the music can be repetitive or lacking in depth, many found the soundtrack enjoyable and evocative of the game's whimsical atmosphere. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, enhancing the overall experience despite some mixed opinions on its variety and complexity.
“The art style is cute, the music is catchy, the mood is light-hearted, but the gameplay can be difficult.”
“The soundtrack also deserves some major recognition for hitting the pastoral fantasy mark dead-on.”
“It's one of the few soundtracks I've gone out of my way to purchase because of how perfectly it evokes the right mood.”
“The music is repetitive and bad.”
“Another reviewer called it 'necrodancer without the music,' which I think is an apt summary.”
“My only complaint is the music!”
- replayability19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game offers a moderate level of replayability primarily due to its diverse character classes, each providing unique playstyles, and randomly generated dungeons. While some players appreciate the charm and variety, others feel that the simplistic combat and lack of endgame content limit long-term engagement. Overall, it caters well to casual players seeking a fun experience, but may not satisfy those looking for deeper replay value.
“Each character has a different playstyle which adds to replayability.”
“The different characters and procedural levels give it a nice amount of replayability, and the world is light and happy.”
“Between the randomly generated dungeons and the six character classes -- each with their own equipment -- there are quite a bit of replay values.”
“Not a lot of replayability for experienced players (no endgame dungeons etc...), but if you're looking for a fun, casual, turn-based game to spend a couple of hours on then I'd definitely recommend it.”
“The combat is too simplistic and has little replay value.”
“Definitely not worth $15 - could have finished it in 3 hours and there's no replayability.”
- humor19 mentions
- 95 % positive mentions
- -11 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally described as lighthearted and charming, with a whimsical tone inspired by Finnish mythology. While some players find the humor engaging and well-integrated into the story, others feel it can be hit-or-miss, with moments of cringey or nonsensical writing. Overall, the game is appreciated for its fun and humorous dialogue, contributing to a refreshing departure from the typical grimdark aesthetic in the genre.
“The story is fun and easy to follow with enough humor to keep it from being too 'kiddy'.”
“Really the same could be said of the whole game, from the hilarious writing and clever story all the way down to the combat that never really gets old.”
“It's humorous, well-written, and makes sense within the Sproggiwood universe.”
“The humor in this game feels forced and often falls flat.”
“I found the jokes to be more cringeworthy than funny.”
“The attempts at humor are so awkward that they detract from the overall experience.”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While some appreciate the casual approach and minimal grinding required, others criticize the necessity of grinding to unlock class-specific items, which can feel tedious and expensive. The game is praised for its fun mechanics and quick pace, avoiding the more frustrating elements typically associated with grinding in roguelikes.
“It was too expensive (grindy) to unlock stuff for every class.”
“The six classes each come with individual items specific to that class that you have to purchase separately, making grinding a necessity assuming you actually care to purchase the items (spoiler alert: you won't).”
“No real replay value (just grinding to get more gold).”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is frequently criticized due to a buggy interface, problematic menus, and issues with unlocking achievements and characters. Users report that the touchscreen controls are particularly poor, and while there is some support for key rebinding, the overall experience remains frustratingly unstable.
“Awful touchscreen-based interface, buggy menus, and lacking bare-minimum configuration that should be in a PC game.”
“Sometimes games get buggy, things trigger without being discovered or achievements/characters not getting unlocked for unknown reasons.”
“Buggy interface that doesn't work great with a controller (though key rebinding exists).”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is described as pleasant and engaging, making dungeon crawling enjoyable. Its unique charm is enhanced by Finnish folklore influences, contributing to a distinctive and immersive experience.
“Just look at the trailer, and you’ll get a pretty good idea of how this game feels to play.”
“Overall, the atmosphere is really pleasant and fun to dungeon crawl in.”
“Sproggiwood is a story-driven roguelite with a simple progression and class system and a very original atmosphere due to its Finnish folklore roots.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
“Despite the intriguing premise, the atmosphere fails to deliver any real sense of tension or excitement.”
“The game’s environment feels lifeless, making it hard to engage with the story or the characters.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players find it enjoyable, others feel it lacks depth and soul, comparing it unfavorably to other titles. The disparity in class effectiveness leads to frustration, as certain builds overshadow others, contributing to a sense of mediocrity in the overall experience.
“It's not something like Quest of Dungeons, which has literally no soul and made me feel like a dupe for giving it my time.”
“The story was incredibly boring and failed to evoke any emotional response.”
“I found the narrative to be dull, lacking the depth needed to connect with the characters.”
“The emotional impact was nonexistent; I felt detached from the entire experience.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The monetization model is entirely based on in-game currency earned through dungeon runs, with no microtransactions involved. Players can purchase weapons, gear, and items using this currency, which they can then use in future runs, promoting a sense of progression without the pressure of real-money purchases.
“Every time you start a new dungeon, your character begins with no experience, no abilities, and only starting items that you've encountered in previous runs. You can purchase these items with in-game gold (no microtransactions) earned from dungeon runs. Once you purchase them, you can use them as much as you want, choosing to start any run with your purchased weapons, gear, or scrolls/potions.”
“If you find a weapon in the dungeon, it will be available for purchase using in-game cash (no microtransactions) back in your town.”
“The monetization system feels exploitative, as every new dungeon run resets your character's progress, forcing you to rely on items you've previously purchased with in-game gold.”
“Finding weapons in the dungeon only to have to buy them back in town with in-game cash feels frustrating and limits the sense of achievement.”
“The reliance on in-game purchases for essential items detracts from the overall experience, making it feel more like a grind for currency than an adventure.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is perceived as charming and visually appealing, but some reviewers feel it lacks depth, resembling more of a character designer's showcase than a fully realized narrative experience.
“It's also really cute, to the extent that it seems more like a character designer's showcase project than a full-fledged game.”