The Adventurer - Episode 1: Beginning of the End
- July 29, 2017
- ZemunBRE
In "The Adventurer: Episode 1 - Beginning of the End," players embark on a mission to rescue missing virgin girls in the Kingdom of Bisera. With 3D maps, vibrant camera angles, and humor woven throughout, players explore diverse landscapes, battle various enemies, and interact with quirky NPCs. The game is part of an episodic series, offering an engaging and dynamic gaming experience.
Reviews
- The game is entertaining for those looking to earn the humorous 'Gaylord' badge.
- Some players found the NPC interactions and jokes amusing, providing a lighthearted experience.
- The graphics, while basic, have a certain charm that appeals to fans of indie RPGs.
- The game is unfinished, with many players getting stuck and unable to progress due to a lack of clear objectives.
- Combat mechanics are repetitive and unbalanced, leading to a tedious gameplay experience.
- The overall design feels like a low-effort asset flip, lacking originality and polish.
- graphics26 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the cute 3D art style and character portraits, while others criticize the overall quality as mediocre and inconsistent. Many users note a lack of graphical options and express disappointment in the execution, suggesting that while the visuals have potential, they ultimately fall short of expectations. Overall, the game's graphics are seen as a highlight for some, but not enough to redeem its other shortcomings.
“First of all, the game's graphics and visual design are mesmerizing.”
“The game uses cute looking square shaped 3D graphics for the world building.”
“The art style and the graphics are nice.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“At first, the graphics seemed cute, but as soon as I clicked the first NPC, things were off.”
“The sound effects are terribly annoying, the game has poor graphics, it's slow loading to be so simplistic and has no real redeeming qualities at all.”
- story25 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is criticized for its lack of direction and clarity, with many players noting that it feels incomplete and poorly written. While the episodic structure hints at an evolving adventure, the absence of a coherent narrative and meaningful character interactions detracts from the overall experience. Players often find themselves confused about their objectives and the motivations behind their quests, leading to a disjointed and unsatisfying storytelling experience.
“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.”
“The story is engaging and gripping from start to finish.”
“As you explore lands on your mission, you will encounter various types of enemies, each with their own abilities and weaknesses. You will be able to recruit old friends and new allies.”
“We dive into the game without any explanation for the story.”
“The episodic story structure promises an evolving adventure, though it's somewhat marred by poor writing and translation issues.”
“The character dialogs are fine but there doesn't seem to really be much of a story because there is no explanation why you're supposed to go through with the tasks you're given and what's the point of them.”
- music18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the visuals, while others find it repetitive and irritating, particularly during combat. Many noted that the battle music stands out positively, but the overall sound design can become grating due to its limited variety and short loops. Overall, while the music has its moments, it could benefit from more creativity and diversity.
“Furthermore, the music and sound design perfectly complement the atmosphere of the game.”
“Each scene is brought to life with music and sound effects, enriching the player's sensory experience.”
“The game has some very amusing NPC interactions that made me laugh, and the art of the game is quite nice; the music is also quite pleasant to listen to.”
“The music is really annoying.”
“The music that was used is okay, but the sound effects are so ear-piercing it becomes annoying very quickly.”
“It’s audio, however, was irritating at times – especially for the combat, as it was just an infinite loop of the same music.”
- humor14 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of amusing NPC interactions, funny dialogues reminiscent of Tarantino, and lighthearted moments that contrast with darker themes. While some players appreciate the comedic elements and the humorously named "gaylord" badge, others find the jokes hit-or-miss, with some describing the humor as dubious or "bad." Overall, the game offers a variety of humorous experiences, though its short playtime and lack of a proper ending may detract from its appeal.
“Humorous NPCs provide a lighthearted touch amidst the game's darker elements.”
“Most hilarious NPCs in gaming history; you will enjoy many jokes and funny quotes.”
“The game has some very amusing NPC interactions that made me laugh, and the art of the game is quite nice.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the complexity and freshness of the puzzle mechanics, while others found the combat and overall mechanics to be repetitive and frustrating. Many noted a lack of clear instructions and a short playtime, leading to a generally uninspired experience. Overall, the game offers a blend of satisfying mechanics and disappointing execution, resulting in a polarized reception.
“The game mechanics are also very satisfying.”
“The complexity of the puzzles makes the progression of the game immersive, and the addition of new mechanics in each new chapter keeps the game fresh.”
“I liked the simple graphics, a lot of mechanics like the skills system, enough content for the current price, and also the boss fights.”
“The combat and puzzle-solving mechanics, while unique, often felt repetitive and uninspired, not unlike the endless blizzards in my homeland.”
“Inconsistent and sometimes frustrating gameplay mechanics.”
“The gameplay is boring and the performance is atrocious.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of these games is heavily criticized as exploitative and unethical, with developers accused of recycling game templates and assets to create low-quality products that are marketed as original titles. This practice is seen as a cash grab, with evidence suggesting a coordinated effort to manipulate reviews and promote these games on platforms like Steam. Overall, the approach is characterized as a form of shovelware that undermines the integrity of the gaming industry.
“These guys do nothing but copy premade game templates and game tutorials, fill out a few things, stamp out basic levels using the construction kit templates, slap on an asset-flipped set of sprites/assets, and dump them on Steam and into cheap, nasty shovelware game bundles as cash grabs.”
“Trying to get paid for someone else's game templates and assets... at best, this is shovelware; at worst, it's a scam and cash grab.”
“The industry has shown a repeat pattern of unethically dumping other people's work onto Steam as a cheap, nasty cash grab, through this account or through closely linked or alternate accounts.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is severely lacking, resulting in significant performance issues and lag, even on lower-demand platforms like RPG Maker. Players have noted that the expansive worlds feel poorly designed, with repetitive elements contributing to the overall lack of polish and smooth gameplay.
“The worlds are a bit too big and haven't been optimized at all.”
“This game is not yet optimized and it's too laggy even for a game made using the RPG Maker series.”
“The maps are 90% copy-pasted trees on a plain color backdrop and are poorly optimized, resulting in lag in some places but smooth performance in others.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its detailed visuals and meticulous scene design, which effectively immerse players. Additionally, the music and sound design enhance this atmosphere, creating a cohesive and engaging experience.
“Each scene is detailed and meticulously designed, perfectly utilized to capture the atmosphere.”
“Furthermore, the music and sound design perfectly complement the atmosphere of the game.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find grinding in the game to be a rewarding experience, particularly for farming resources and enhancing party strength, as evidenced by the acquisition of powerful weapons like the "banhammer." However, concerns arise regarding the game's length and potential bugs, leading some to withhold full recommendations until future content is released and the overall value is reassessed.
“I am going to have to not recommend this game yet because I am still unclear if it was a game-breaking bug or the end of the episode. Considering I had been doing some grinding as well and my playtime is only 0.9 hours, if it is the end of the episode then it is way too short for its full price.”
“Found a weapon in the local shop called 'banhammer' that boosted all of my stats a lot. I found a cave by the city and did a bit of grinding to get enough gold to buy my two other party members 'banhammers'. Each party member could then one-hit anything; so I had made my party into gods.”
“Recommended for game farming.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have significant stability issues, with users frequently encountering bugs and lag that detract from the overall experience.
“It's buggy and sometimes it's so annoying!”
“It's buggy and laggy...”