Stoneshard
- February 6, 2020
- Ink Stains Games
- 12h median play time
Get on Steam"Stoneshard is a challenging turn-based RPG set in a war-torn medieval kingdom. Explore an open world filled with ruins, monsters, and opportunities, while awaiting no hand-holding and bracing for unforgiving consequences. Plan carefully, weigh risks, and adapt to survive, as saving is limited and mistakes can be lethal."
Mac OS
PC
Phone
Windows
Cloud
Linux
Tablet
Reviews
- The game features beautiful pixel art and a captivating atmosphere.
- The combat system is engaging and offers a variety of builds and strategies.
- The game provides a challenging experience that rewards careful planning and preparation.
- The save system is frustrating, as players can only save at inns or with one-time use bedrolls, leading to significant time loss upon death.
- The early game is excessively difficult, with many players feeling overwhelmed by the challenge and RNG elements.
- Development updates are slow, leading to concerns about the game's completion and content availability.
- gameplay1,818 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Stoneshard" is characterized by its deep mechanics and challenging survival elements, requiring players to manage hunger, thirst, and injuries while navigating a punishing combat system. While many players appreciate the strategic depth and engaging turn-based combat, the game is often criticized for its frustrating save mechanics, which can lead to significant loss of progress after deaths. Overall, the game offers a unique blend of roguelike and RPG elements, but its current state may deter those who prefer a more forgiving gameplay experience.
“The gameplay is deep with lots to learn and try out.”
“From the graphics to gameplay, this is one of those games that's really satisfying to play - from going in blind and stumbling around, to having a good idea of the world and mechanics... and still able to find something new.”
“I recently spent the last two weeks diving in and out of Stoneshard, and I have to say, it’s a very innovative game that kept me engaged with its unique mechanics and atmosphere.”
“The gameplay loop is tedious, awfully streamlined and unexciting.”
“The save mechanic really ruins this game for me.”
“The gameplay is gruelingly slow, repetitively shallow, and not very rewarding.”
- story1,532 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while the prologue and initial quests are engaging and well-crafted, the overall narrative is currently limited and feels incomplete. Players express frustration over the short main story, repetitive quest structures, and a lack of meaningful content beyond the initial missions, leading to a sense of emptiness in the game's world. Despite these criticisms, there is optimism for future updates, as many reviewers appreciate the potential for deeper storytelling and character development as the game continues to evolve.
“The story is captivating, combat may seem like point and click but there is so much more under the surface of it, music is soothing and also unsettling when you're in the dungeons, and the pixel art, ohhhhhhhhh i love it.”
“The story unfolds in a medieval/renaissance, low-fantasy universe that allows for a charming degree of realism, presenting historically inspired locations, equipment, and lore.”
“The story is interesting and the aesthetic is that nice gloomy European fantasy we all love from the Witcher.”
“After investing over 20 hours and completing only a handful of quests, it’s hard not to feel let down, especially when the main story leaves you on a cliffhanger.”
“The main story is practically nonexistent, basically just an excuse to guide you from one area to another without significant content.”
“The main story is way too short; basically finish the first two quests and have 1k gold, and that will be enough to reach endgame.”
- graphics576 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of Stoneshard have received widespread acclaim for their stunning pixel art style, which is described as both beautiful and detailed, effectively creating an immersive atmosphere. Many reviewers appreciate the attention to detail in animations and environmental design, noting that the visuals enhance the overall gameplay experience. While some critiques mention a lack of modern graphical polish, the nostalgic charm and artistic quality of the graphics resonate strongly with fans of the genre.
“Beautiful art style with a detailed world.”
“The game actually looks very good, characterized by a stunning art style where you can perceive the love and attention to detail in every single draw, and intriguing and dark medieval atmospheres.”
“The graphics showcase the commitment and effort put in by the art team, as nothing feels out of place, and everything is polished to the smallest detail.”
“The graphics are pretty bare bones, but do not in any way detract from the game, but rather gives it a simple charm.”
“The 1992 game mechanics and graphics really ruin this game for me.”
“My only other complaint, and it's not a game stopper, is that I find the graphics to be quite poor for a game in this day and age.”
- grinding493 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 99 % negative mentions
The reviews overwhelmingly characterize the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, with many players expressing dissatisfaction with the slow travel times, repetitive tasks, and a lack of meaningful rewards for their efforts. While some appreciate the challenge and potential for character development, the consensus is that the game often feels like a time-waster due to its cumbersome mechanics and punishing save system, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. Many players suggest that improvements in quality of life features, such as faster travel options and a more forgiving save system, could significantly enhance the experience.
“The game is fun, if not tedious and punishing.”
“Changes should be made to the game to make it more enjoyable, not tedious and infuriating.”
“If the goal is to simulate a mercenary existence, I'd like to be able to make most of my living (both gold and XP) off that, not grinding animals and robbers.”
“This game is extremely tedious and not worth your money, let alone your time.”
“The world map is quite big and, after the first few hours of exploration, the distances to cover between one place and the other become rapidly tedious to travel.”
“The game has a lot of potential, but the devs seem to want to make an intentionally frustrating game, while not really offering much of a reward for grinding through it all.”
- music160 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, with many reviewers noting that it complements the pixel art beautifully. While the soundtrack is often described as immersive and fitting for various game scenarios, some players expressed a desire for more variety and volume in the music. Overall, the combination of engaging sound design and evocative music significantly contributes to the game's appeal, making it a standout feature.
“The pixel art style creates a nostalgic yet captivating atmosphere, perfectly complemented by an immersive soundtrack.”
“The music is absolutely atmospheric and sets the tone and mood just right for every situation.”
“The music is brilliant and lends to the atmosphere rather well indeed.”
“The change of music breaks the immersion.”
“Soundtrack is bad.”
“The only problem with this game is the sound that is so low, but so low, that it is hard for the player to hear the music and other sounds of the game, even with the volume at 100%.”
- atmosphere133 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of "Stoneshard" is widely praised for its immersive and gritty medieval setting, characterized by stunning pixel art, atmospheric sound design, and a captivating soundtrack. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a sense of tension and realism, enhancing the overall experience with its attention to detail and engaging world-building. Many players appreciate how the atmosphere complements the challenging gameplay, making it a standout feature of the game.
“A tough, tactical RPG with a beautiful, immersive atmosphere.”
“The pixel art style creates a nostalgic yet captivating atmosphere, perfectly complemented by an immersive soundtrack.”
“The atmosphere is incredible; it doesn't feel like a game I'm playing on my computer but a medieval world where opportunity can be grasped by the boldest men.”
“The atmosphere is kind of weary but cautious optimism.”
“The dark gritty atmosphere, the constant on-the-move survival cycle, the slow progression of skills, the complexity of the injury/illness system, and the underlying brutality.”
“The art, music, and atmosphere of the game allure you into a harsh world where a single misstep often spells doom.”
- replayability91 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game exhibits high replayability primarily through its diverse character builds, skill trees, and procedurally generated maps and dungeons, allowing players to explore various strategies and playstyles. While currently in early access, many users express optimism for future content that will further enhance replay value, despite some concerns about the game's pacing and save system. Overall, players find the potential for extensive replayability appealing, even in its current state.
“But when you finally start gaining traction and realize the mistakes you made early on, you can progress and find a great game that is full of replay value.”
“With 20 entirely separate skill trees (with more to come) and the characters having unique passive traits, this game has almost infinite replayability.”
“The procedural generation makes for unlimited replayability even as is.”
“The lack of custom characters and no fleshed out skill trees definitely hurts the replayability of the game.”
“Let me say, however, that the replay value is significantly diminished because it effectively becomes a 'walking simulator'.”
“Right now, it's relatively barebones and does not provide for much variance between playthroughs, limiting replayability.”
- humor46 mentions
- 93 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as a mix of gallows humor and situational comedy, often arising from the game's challenging mechanics and the absurdity of certain situations, such as dying unexpectedly or facing tough enemies. Players find themselves laughing at their own misfortunes and the game's design choices, which can be both frustrating and amusing. While some critiques mention a lack of consistent humor, many appreciate the funny moments that emerge from gameplay, making the overall experience entertaining despite its challenges.
“The carnage and damage sustained by your avatar is gruesome and hilarious.”
“Eventually I stopped quitting when I died, and started laughing at myself.”
“The game is challenging, but in a fun and sometimes humorous way.”
“Wasting a huge amount of time without any real progress is not funny; it does not entertain at all.”
“So many times I ran out of supplies in the first or second dungeon... it's not funny.”
“Please, stop this nonsense. I don't want to waste so much time retrying the same thing; it's not funny and offers no real replay value at all.”
- stability37 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of severe bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many players express frustration over the lack of updates and optimization, leading to a frustrating experience that detracts from the game's potential. While some users note that the game shows promise, the overwhelming sentiment is that it remains a buggy and unfinished product, particularly in its early access state.
“The roadmap looks good and gameplay isn't buggy or filled with issues like most early access titles.”
“What is in the game already is solidly designed and bug free.”
“Basically bug free.”
“Extraordinarily buggy and grindy, and every update makes this problem worse.”
“Game shows tremendous promise, but is currently in very early access, is very buggy, and is nowhere near complete.”
“3 times in a row after I exited from a dungeon, my character got stuck in new side maps in this latest patch. You can only save at an inn or camp, and if it freezes after you win a dungeon, all your progress is gone. It happened three times in a row at the same spot. Change your save menu, otherwise don't bother with this game.”
- character development30 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its depth and variety, allowing players to create diverse builds and explore numerous skill combinations. However, some players find the initial learning curve steep and criticize the lack of customization options for character appearance. Overall, while the character development system is praised for its potential and engaging mechanics, it is marred by issues such as a restrictive save system and vague marketing claims about freedom in character design.
“The character development is deep and the world is interesting.”
“Planning character development is a must since most abilities seem to gain benefits from others.”
“Character development is a mix between Diablo 2 and Divinity: Original Sin 2; you can mix your skills and there are tons of possibilities.”
“The heavily advertised in-trailer procedural generation actually seems very sparse, and the 'complete freedom of character development,' while already very vague marketing-speak, does not feel accurate either.”
“You can't really customize class looks, etc. It's a big pitfall for this game, and there's a lot more wrong with this game, but honestly, just like the devs of this game, I'm too lazy to do the work on this review just like they didn't put in the work for the character design in their game.”
“After beating the tutorial, you run into instant restrictions on character development.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting severe performance issues, including lag, long loading times, and bugs that hinder gameplay. While some players noted that the game runs smoothly at times, the consensus is that it requires substantial improvements to be considered playable, especially given its early access status. The lack of character creation further detracts from build optimization, which is a key aspect of enjoyment in RPGs.
“There's difficult and then there's just not balanced/optimized.”
“Neglecting to eat or drink regularly will give you debuffs that negatively affect your combat performance.”
“But there are a lot of optimizations needed to make this thing playable.”
“The lack of character creation really sucks for build optimization, which overcoming odds with a fun build is the main reason to play games like this.”
“Poorly optimized, pixel graphics start to slow down in certain areas and when coming close to the edge of the map.”
“Their engine would make a fantastic foundation for other RPGs, but it is unoptimized and buggy.”
- monetization14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized as a cash grab, with many users feeling misled by its advertising and claiming the game is incomplete. Players express frustration over slow progression and clunky mechanics, suggesting that the early access experience feels more like an advertisement for future content rather than a genuine beta release. Overall, there is a strong sentiment that the developers are prioritizing profit over delivering a polished product.
“Honestly calling it for what it was, a cash grab.”
“The early access is very brief, more like an interactive advertisement than an alpha release.”
“This developer released a half-ass game to cash grab with promises of implementing stuff in the future if you pay for it all now.”
- emotional13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a mix of intense emotions while engaging with the game, ranging from frustration and claustrophobia to moments of heartbreak and fear. The game's unforgiving nature and harsh mechanics evoke strong reactions, including tears and a sense of loss, particularly after character deaths. Despite its beautiful design and potential, many feel a lack of emotional depth in the narrative, leading to a complex relationship with the gameplay experience.
“You will die deep in dungeons or (heartbreakingly) after clearing dungeons on your way to town.”
“I cried myself to sleep after dying from bleeding out because I forgot a bandage.”
“This game made me feel afraid of traveling far, made me suspicious of walking on a road and taught me the true value of supplies over loot.”
