Swordcery: Prologue
- October 8, 2021
- Temple Door Games
- 3h median play time
Get on SteamADD THE FULL GAME TO YOUR WISHLIST!Swordcery is currently in development and you can wishlist the full game here: About the Game Swordcery: Prologue is a free prologue for the currently-in-development rogue-like Swordcery, a melee-based action RPG. Test your mettle (but also your metal) as you discover and unleash the power behind a multitude of magical swords to defeat an otherworldly Celestia…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a unique and humorous variety of swords, each with distinct abilities and lore, making combat engaging and fun.
- The art style and animations are visually appealing, contributing to an enjoyable gaming experience.
- Despite being a demo, the gameplay is smooth and offers a solid foundation for future development, with potential for a great roguelike experience.
- The controls are clunky and unresponsive, particularly with mouse and keyboard, making combat feel frustrating at times.
- The sword sharpness mechanic is seen as an anti-fun element, as it degrades weapons over time, forcing players to constantly switch and manage their arsenal.
- The game lacks a clear tutorial and guidance, leading to confusion about mechanics and controls, which detracts from the overall experience.
- gameplay21 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its smoothness and responsiveness, with engaging combat mechanics that encourage players to learn boss patterns rather than simply overpowering them. However, there are notable concerns regarding the timing of attacks, weapon sharpness mechanics, and balance issues, particularly with sword animations and boss difficulty. Overall, while the game shows great potential and offers unique features, it requires further polish and refinement to enhance the overall experience.
“Smooth gameplay, everything felt responsive and easy to learn.”
“Makes the game feel like you need to learn the mechanics of a boss and not just power through it.”
“The gameplay is the real highlight in Swordcery in my opinion, very satisfying combat & super fun to play.”
“Gameplay is okay, but needs more polish.”
“Your weapons will lose sharpness, which makes sense; they are swords. However, it's a mechanic that has always been a negative.”
“The tips and hints system was not that thorough; there needs to be more information. Dedicate tutorial screens or something to discuss the UI and some mechanics (like sharpness or the swordcery for each sword).”
- graphics19 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant art style and unique visual cues that enhance gameplay. However, some players feel that the in-game graphics do not match the quality of the promotional artwork and suggest improvements in lighting and sprite detail. Despite these critiques, the visuals are generally considered bright and engaging, contributing positively to the overall experience.
“From the great graphics to the wide variety of weapons and abilities, this game developer knows what they are doing.”
“The art style is eye-catching and does not wear on the eyes, which extends to the enemies.”
“The procedural map generation is seamless and the visuals are fantastic!”
“Graphics are bland, but some more lighting effects and sprites could help with that without bogging it down too much, I would think.”
“Personally, the art style in the game needs to be tweaked to look more like the promotional artwork/cover.”
“Already the aesthetic is different, even if the art is on point.”
- monetization9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for primarily serving as an advertisement for a non-existent product, "swordcery," rather than offering genuine gameplay. Reviewers argue that presenting such ads as full games is misleading and detracts from legitimate developers, ultimately wasting players' time and undermining the gaming experience. This practice is seen as a harmful tactic to gain visibility without providing real value to gamers.
“We must question the value of advertisements for products that don't exist and may never exist... why is this good for you, the gamer?”
“While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and in some ways harmful.”
“Often developers may choose to incorrectly publish demo/advertisements as separate games as a cheap way to bypass paying Valve for marketing presence on the Steam front page, which may seem clever to them, but it's harmful behavior and it's not good for gamers.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its great sense of humor, featuring clever and funny item descriptions, unique abilities, and amusing references that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the comedic elements woven into gameplay, such as humorous character animations and witty lore, indicating that the developers have a strong comedic touch.
“If you enjoy comboing through enemies with many unique attacks and humorous item descriptions, you will enjoy this game.”
“Really fun game, cool swords, love the lore, shows the devs care and have a good sense of humor (looking at you, za axe).”
“I love how funny and clever many sword descriptions/backstories are.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed feedback; while some praise the great soundtrack and its suitability for a demo, others find it dull and lacking diversity, suggesting that a more varied soundtrack is needed for the full release.
“Great soundtrack, very well made for a demo.”
“Visuals and music are good.”
“Music was kind of dull after a while; there needs to be a more diverse soundtrack for a full release.”
- story3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a significant dissatisfaction with the lack of story in the game's prologue, with players expressing that a compelling narrative is essential for their engagement. While the gameplay mechanics and fighting styles received some praise, the absence of any meaningful story or introduction detracts from the overall experience, leaving players hoping for improvements in the full release.
“A lack of story or basic introduction makes it an automatic no for me. If you're going to call it a 'prologue,' there has to be an inkling of a story, which I didn't get.”
“Add some story to the game and I would 100% buy this game.”
“The prologue of the game didn't show a story, but the fighting is okay and there are many playstyles.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability, even in its demo form, making it a solid experience for players looking to revisit the content multiple times.
“This is pretty solid for a free demo, and has a lot of replayability even just as a demo.”
“Highly replayable.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect tedious due to the lack of a maximum weapon limit, which results in a cumbersome experience when switching between numerous weapons. This can lead to frustration as the process feels time-consuming and repetitive.
“As it stands now, I have not reached a maximum weapon limit, and with so many weapons available, switching between them takes a long time and becomes tedious.”
“The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“I find myself doing the same tasks over and over just to level up, which quickly becomes boring.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with users experiencing frequent bugs and crashes.
“The game is incredibly buggy and frequently crashes.”
“I experienced constant crashes that made it unplayable.”
“The stability issues are frustrating; the game crashes far too often.”
