Svarog's Dream

About

"Svarog's Dream" is an open-world exploration game where your decisions shape the world. As a lost soul, you possess free will and can inhabit human hosts, while avoiding the power struggle of the warring gods above. Your choices have consequences, and you may become a valuable piece in the game of the gods. The game is based on the old prophecy of Svarog, the first god who created six worlds and fell asleep, only to continue creating in his dreams.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+10

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 338 reviews

story46 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

Svarog's Dream combines elements of classic RPGs with a unique death mechanic that allows players to inhabit different characters, adding depth to the gameplay.
The game features a rich world inspired by Slavic mythology, with engaging quests and a compelling story that encourages exploration and decision-making.
Despite some rough edges, the game is praised for its charming atmosphere, enjoyable soundtrack, and the developers' commitment to ongoing updates and improvements.

The game suffers from a lack of polish, with issues such as clunky UI, translation errors, and occasional performance drops that can detract from the overall experience.
Some players find the combat mechanics to be unbalanced, with certain classes or skills overshadowing others, leading to a less diverse gameplay experience.
The narrative can feel scattered at times, with some dialogue and quest interactions lacking depth, making it difficult for players to fully immerse themselves in the story.

story
169 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
69%
4%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its depth and philosophical themes rooted in Slavic mythology, while others criticize it for being clichéd and poorly executed. Many appreciate the immersive world and the impact of player choices on the narrative, though some quests feel generic or poorly written. Overall, the storytelling is seen as compelling by some, but marred by bugs and inconsistent quality in quest design.
- “The story and its emergent possibilities craft an experience like none other.”
- “The story is full of philosophy and good teachings, but the freedom to do evil is there, causing possible big and small changes to the world by your actions.”
- “The game does a great job with its story and setting, we are placed in a struggle between the Christian god and the Slavic gods who are doing their best to become the main divine power in the world.”
- “The story is a terrible cliche, such as 'oh, you are a hero, I saw you in my dreams, bow - go do this, go do that'.”
- “The actual story feels scattered, and dialogue sometimes felt like scripts, characters just spouting off text without actual interaction.”
- “Unfortunately, the writing is about 9th grade level which I suspect is further hindered by a poor English translation, so it's difficult to try and justify playing for the story elements.”
gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
70%
4%
The gameplay combines traditional isometric ARPG mechanics with innovative features like a unique death and reincarnation system, crafting, and character progression, creating an engaging experience. While many players appreciate the humor and immersive world-building, some find the death mechanic frustrating and the overall gameplay loop repetitive. Despite its rough edges and occasional bugs, the game is praised for its originality and enjoyable mechanics, making it a refreshing addition to the genre.
- “The game mechanics include many typical isometric ARPG combat elements, but combined with the leveling, exploring, and crafting of Skyrim, the metaprogression of Hades, beasts and gods from Slavic mythology, and a unique sense of humor that permeates the whole experience.”
- “The gameplay is fresh and exciting.”
- “The death mechanic is very cool and does not feel like you lost your progress.”
- “The death mechanic is highly annoying and detracts from the game's enjoyability.”
- “From a gameplay standpoint, it's way too much running back and forth across mostly empty maps to fight some lame boss fights.”
- “Wouldn't recommend it in its current state... the game mechanic is based on one save, and it crashes a lot, and there is no autosave. I lost several hours of progress several times just because the game crashes all the time without it saving.”
music
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
38%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a serene and fitting soundtrack that complements exploration and storytelling. Reviewers highlight the intentional use of music during key moments, such as boss fights, and appreciate its ability to evoke emotions reminiscent of classic RPGs. While some desire a broader range of dramatic scores, the general consensus is that the soundtrack significantly elevates the gameplay, making it a standout feature.
- “The open world is exceptionally atmospheric, and the game's soundtrack is a perfect complement to the atmospheric and environmental storytelling.”
- “The soundtrack is a work of art; sometimes it gives me TES: Oblivion vibes but with superior quality, and the battle music is also great.”
- “The world matches up really well with the music, creating an amazing and immersive atmosphere that brings me back to how I felt playing Gothic 1 for the first time.”
- “Without the music, which is alright... the game has no atmospheric or dynamic sound effects and is tremendously boring to play.”
- “Like the RPG loot games of old, I find myself desiring more dramatic music, or music and sound effect range.”
- “Some of the music (I recognized) is not unique to this game but it is awesome and matches the atmosphere and epicness of some battles.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
40%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are decent and occasionally impressive, they do not reach the standards of major studio titles. Some appreciate the nostalgic, old-school art style, while others point out minor graphical errors and performance issues, such as frame rate drops. Overall, the graphics are considered good enough to complement the engaging gameplay and storytelling, though they may not be the standout feature of the experience.
- “The simplistic and creepy art style is a 10/10.”
- “Awesome writing, incredible story, good dialogues, beautiful graphics/effects.”
- “The graphics are outstanding considering it was made by two people, a husband and wife team.”
- “The graphics are decent but nothing to write home about.”
- “There is no voice acting, graphics and sound are (of course) not at the level of games from major development studios.”
- “I see everyone giving this good reviews, but I found the gameplay incredibly slow and the graphics mediocre.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
6%
17%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and organic open world, complemented by a fitting soundtrack that enhances environmental storytelling. While some players noted a lack of dynamic sound effects, the overall ambiance is described as captivating, eerie, and dreamlike, drawing comparisons to beloved titles like The Witcher 3. The combination of beautiful visuals and engaging music creates a unique and memorable experience that keeps players invested in the game world.
- “The open world is exceptionally atmospheric, and the lack of voice acting in this case does not impede the game at all; instead, the game's soundtrack is a perfect complement to the atmospheric and environmental storytelling.”
- “A very beautiful and mysterious open world to explore, with outstanding sounds and atmospheres to get you immersed.”
- “The world matches up really well with the music and creates an amazing and immersive atmosphere, bringing me back to how I felt playing Gothic 1 for the first time.”
- “The entire in-game atmosphere really made me feel like I was in a dream.”
- “The game atmosphere will immerse you in that world.”
- “In terms of atmosphere, I would go as far as to say it manages to capture the feeling I had while exploring White Orchard in The Witcher 3 - being blown away by the stunningly beautiful soundtrack while watching the trees bending in the wind... that kind of atmosphere.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its unique and pervasive sense of humor, with many players finding the dialogue genuinely funny and engaging, despite some critiques of its polish. Players appreciate the humorous quests and character interactions, which often lead to moments of laughter, enhancing the overall experience. While some translations may feel awkward, the directness and wit of the writing resonate well with those who enjoy a clever and comedic approach to storytelling in games.
- “The reincarnation mechanic is fun, and Veles’ dialogue is funny (you’re dead again?!).”
- “Oh, and asking [spoiler] Perun, the lightning god, 'who are you' for the third time literally made me laugh out loud.”
- “The devs have a fantastic sense of humor and I found myself laughing a lot while playing.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
38%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players experience smooth performance without issues, others report frame rate drops and stuttering, particularly when entering new areas. Adjustments to settings may be necessary for optimal performance, indicating that the game could benefit from further optimization. Despite these concerns, many find the gameplay experience engaging enough to overlook the technical shortcomings.
- “In terms of performance, it’s been very smooth for me, with no bugs or glitches, and zero crashes on an i7/RTX 4060 laptop at 1080p.”
- “The graphics are nice and the game runs smoothly; I never had a single hiccup or bug related to display in 4 hours of play.”
- “Performance is okay for the most part, but there are still frame rate drops when entering new areas no matter what you select in the graphic options.”
- “The game could use a bit more of a tune-up with game stuttering.”
- “The game itself is not tremendously well-optimized or pretty, but if you can look past those bugs, it's an incredibly engrossing experience.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the engaging mechanics of skill improvement and the unique resurrection system that adds significance to each death, others feel that the overall experience is undermined by a lack of world-building and balance, leading to a sense of wasted effort in character progression.
- “The character development is interesting, and the idea to resurrect as a different person each time you die makes it quite fun; every death feels significant.”
- “Character development is well done, with you improving skills by using them, gaining traits from activities you do, and leveling up from experience points while choosing abilities.”
- “There needs to be more world-building and character development; with some balancing, this would be a 10/10.”
- “All my stats that I gained and time spent on character development were wasted.”
- “Character development is well done with you improving skills by using them, getting traits from activities you do, and then you have leveling from XP and choosing abilities.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and disruptive to immersion, as it often involves repetitive tasks like gear and level grinding between significant story moments. While there are effective loot mechanics, the inability to skip dialogues exacerbates the grind, making it feel more laborious. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a necessary but frustrating part of gameplay.
- “Grinding in this game feels rewarding and keeps me engaged for hours.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “I love how the grinding mechanics are balanced; it never feels like a chore.”
- “There are things like 'pick the wrong choice and lose this character!' and 'if you want to go down this story path you must give everything away / die to resurrect!' like the game wants to force its rebirth mechanic on you, but in between these story beats, you're not immersing yourself into the world - you're just doing ARPG stuff like grinding for gear/levels and theory crafting builds.”
- “It's rough, and I found it's made even more tedious as you can't skip through dialogues.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews on monetization highlight a divide in the gaming industry, with some players appreciating small developers who rely on word-of-mouth and passion projects, while others criticize certain games as mere cash grabs, suggesting a lack of genuine effort behind their development.
- “Just another cash grab.”
- “Just another cash grab that they probably spent a few months of the 4 years they talk about actually working on the game.”
- “In a time where 'AAA' games are just cash grabs, it's these kinds of games, made with passion, that give me hope that the industry is not completely dead.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
Players appreciate the game's rogue-like elements and open world, which contribute to its replayability through diverse enemies and quests. While some express uncertainty about the overall replay value, many feel the current content justifies the price, suggesting potential for future enhancements.
- “Love the setup and the roguelike replayability of it, openness of the world with a variety of enemies and questing overall.”
- “The judgment at the end is epic, and there are more elements that make it replayable.”
- “I don't know how much replayability the game has, but I think the price point is fair for what you currently get.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report smooth performance with no crashes or bugs, others experience issues like sticky movement, an unintuitive UI, and occasional visual glitches that detract from the experience.
- “Movement and combat feel kind of sticky, the UI is a bit ugly and unintuitive, and the game is not the prettiest to look at (especially when some weird visual glitches show up).”
- “The game frequently crashes during gameplay, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I've encountered numerous bugs that disrupt the experience, including freezing and graphical issues.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players report having profound emotional experiences, with some describing encounters that evoke deep feelings of spirituality and connection, highlighting the game's ability to touch players on a personal level.
- “I unexpectedly experienced one of the most touching encounters with God in my life.”
- “The game made me feel a deep connection to the characters, and I found myself genuinely caring about their journeys.”
- “I was moved to tears by the story's emotional depth and the way it tackled complex themes of love and loss.”