Tallowmere
- May 11, 2015
- Chris McFarland
- 8h median play time
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Get on Apple Store"Tallowmere" is a 2D violent roguelike-inspired platformer with single-player and multiplayer/co-op options. Every play-through features new procedurally generated dungeons filled with enemies, elites, bosses, and treasure. To progress, players must raise their shield to block attacks, lower it to strike foes, and avoid traps, all while collecting weapons, outfits, and increasing base stats. The ultimate goal is to stay alive and see how far you can delve into Lady Tallowmere's dungeon.
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Reviews
- Addictive gameplay with a fun mix of weapons and abilities that keep each run fresh.
- Challenging yet rewarding, with a good balance of difficulty that encourages learning and improvement.
- Unique mechanics like sacrificing kittens for health add a humorous twist to the gameplay.
- Repetitive level design and limited enemy variety can lead to a lack of long-term engagement.
- Controls can feel clunky at times, especially with weapon selection and movement.
- Unskippable cutscenes and some frustrating enemy mechanics can detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay79 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its addictive and varied mechanics, simple yet challenging combat, and enjoyable roguelike elements that encourage replayability. However, others criticize the clunky controls, lack of polish, and repetitive nature, leading to a frustrating experience for some. Overall, while the core gameplay has its merits, it is marred by technical issues and inconsistencies that detract from the overall enjoyment.
“The gameplay loop of this 2D action-roguelike RPG is simple: mash enemies to bits, evade traps, acquire souls to raise your stats, get better gear, find some shrines with temporary buffs, find special rooms and bosses, get stunlocked and wrecked, rinse and repeat.”
“The gameplay is simple but challenging, since each of the different enemies can screw you up royally if you're not careful, but they're straightforward to deal with once you learn what they do.”
“The core gameplay is perfect; everything around it is not: can't navigate menus with mouse or with an AZERTY keyboard since up and down aren't rebindable, resolution scaling messes up your rotation wheel selection, and weapon order doesn't work.”
“The gameplay is a tedious, monotonous waste of time, with bare bones mechanics and very little to keep it fresh. Gameplay consists of mashing the left arrow key to attack and occasionally holding right to block everything directly in front of you forever.”
“It's janky and unsatisfying to play. Any experienced gamer will tell you that the handling, responsiveness, and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
“Unfortunately, this is something the developer seems to have phoned in, with little to no apparent gameplay testing.”
- graphics45 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the use of outdated pixel art and simplistic visuals that lack variety and detail. While some appreciate the retro aesthetic and find charm in the rudimentary design, others feel it detracts from the overall experience. Despite the graphical limitations, many agree that the gameplay compensates for these shortcomings, making the game enjoyable regardless of its visual presentation.
“The cute pixelated graphics, combined with gory deaths and silly dialogue gives this game a certain charm.”
“The graphics are so crisp and lovely to look at.”
“Don't let the graphics put you off - this is a real gem.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“While there are options to change the resolution for the mobile app, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the mobile app, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
“The graphics come off as someone with little artistic talent who, with time and patience, made the game aesthetically pleasing, though that's just my opinion.”
- music25 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it simple and lacking variety, while others appreciate its catchy and fitting nature for the gameplay. Many suggest that while the soundtrack serves its purpose, it could benefit from a broader selection and more atmospheric depth to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the music is generally described as decent but not exceptional, with some players feeling it falls short compared to other titles in the genre.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“Great game, great soundtrack.”
“The music is easy and catchy electronica. If you enjoy the gameplay, you could easily invest many dozens of hours in this game.”
“The music and sound design is nothing to write home about and there is not much enemy variety.”
“My only real problem with the game is that the music is terrible.”
“Having been spoiled by masterpieces like Shovel Knight, Crypt of the Necrodancer, and The Binding of Isaac, it's difficult to immerse myself in a game with subpar music.”
- replayability25 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game boasts excellent replayability, driven by its procedural generation, random weapon selection, and diverse enemy attacks, which create unique experiences in each run. Players appreciate the game's ability to offer endless challenges and varied playstyles, making it engaging even after many hours of gameplay. However, some users noted that frustrating elements can detract from the overall experience, suggesting that while replay value is high, it may not be universally enjoyable for everyone.
“Every room you encounter is different in every run, creating high replayability, as well as the weapons being random.”
“A developer that cares, random generation for endless replayability, modifiers to make it easier or harder when you want to mix up the difficulty, and a lot of character to match.”
“This game is very replayable - every weapon calls for a different playstyle, so there are usually several ways to overcome the room you're in.”
“If you couple that with the fact that it's so easy to die from random BS (like enemies that shoot at you from the other side of the screen), it makes playing this game a frustrating experience with little replay value.”
“There should be more events and enemies for replay value, but I'm still eager to reach level 70 at least.”
“This game has so much of what I look for in a roguelike; number one being replay value.”
- humor17 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players highlighting its hilarious moments, witty dialogue, and quirky mechanics that often involve dark or absurd themes, such as sacrificing kittens for health. Many reviews note that the game successfully blends fun gameplay with a lighthearted, self-aware tone, making it an enjoyable experience that elicits genuine laughter. Overall, the humor is a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and appeal.
“One of the few games that has made me laugh heartily, ever.”
“I find it to have many very funny moments like sacrificing the kittens for more health, the way the katana sword works, and the various enemies' attacks and death animations.”
“The game never takes itself too seriously and the dialogue is generally pretty funny because of it.”
- story10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and often overshadowed by repetitive procedural generation, leading to a lack of coherent plot or level design. While some players appreciate the light-hearted nature and occasional wacky quests, many express a desire for a more structured narrative and progression. Overall, the focus remains on gameplay mechanics rather than a compelling storyline.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“Randomized dungeons and an excellent storyline will keep the player coming back for more, time and time again.”
“There are some wacky quests that will abruptly interrupt your game, sometimes with mini in-game cinematics.”
“The mobile app features no proper level design or game/story flow/plot, as they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation algorithms as a substitute for adding such content to the mobile app, to avoid doing the important job of level/map design.”
“The plot is essentially 'go fight'.”
“That's all the story you're getting.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, with many reporting that after a few hours, the gameplay becomes repetitive and lacks depth. Usability issues and basic design flaws further contribute to the grind, making inventory management cumbersome and combat feel unengaging. Overall, while the game offers some initial enjoyment, it quickly devolves into a tiresome experience that can drain its value within a short playtime.
“9 hours of gameplay were AFK card farming.”
“Eventually it gets tiresome and tedious; you can drain the game of all its worth within 2-5 hours.”
“This game is a tedious, monotonous waste of time, with bare bones gameplay and very little to keep it fresh. Gameplay consists of mashing the left arrow key to attack and occasionally holding right to block everything directly in front of you forever.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its engaging blend of cartoonish violence and pixel-gritty style, enhanced by effective graphical and sound effects. However, some players feel that the repetitive block textures detract from the overall experience, and opinions on the music are mixed, with a desire for a darker tone to better align with the dungeon crawler theme, while still appreciating its fit with the retro aesthetic.
“One of the things I like most about this game is the atmosphere.”
“Requires some intelligent planning as well as quick reactions to get through many of the tougher levels, and the graphical and sound effects build up the atmosphere of cartoonish violence perfectly.”
“I'm on the fence with the music - in some ways I want it to be more atmospheric and dark to match the dungeon crawler theme, but at the same time it definitely fits the slightly retro art style, hectic combat, and humor.”
“I'm down with the pixel-gritty style of the whole game, but I feel the large, repeating block textures used to make the walls let the atmosphere down a bit - particularly as the game progresses and there's no variation.”
“The overall atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion that I was hoping for.”
“While the game has some interesting concepts, the atmosphere is hindered by a lack of environmental detail and variety, making it feel monotonous.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a desire for a stronger emotional connection in the game, suggesting that enhanced music could evoke deeper feelings and create memorable moments. While some enjoy the gameplay, frustrations with mechanics can detract from the overall emotional experience.
“I'll stick around this game for more weeks without touching any other.”
“Maybe some music that creates a stronger emotional response from the player... get that 'awww ♥♥♥♥' feeling going on.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Tallowmere is criticized as a poorly executed mobile port masquerading as a PC game, with reviewers labeling it a cash grab by greedy developers. The game's monetization strategy is seen as exploitative, contributing to its negative reception.
“Tallowmere is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game. It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is a poorly made 'roguelike' platformer with lightweight RPG elements, and it's so bad it's comical.”
