The Awakener: Forgotten Oath

Starting at €16.49Buy now

In "The Awakener: Forgotten Oath," players become the Awakener, tasked by the Twelve Gods of Therad to vanquish demons in the world of Sylvalond. Traverse through dungeons in a third-person perspective, utilizing combat styles such as swordplay and magic to defeat the forces of Chaos and prevent the Demon Lord's revival. Exciting battles and character progression await as you uncover magical mysteries in this rogue-like action game set in the dimension of Nothingness.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 54 reviews

gameplay7 positive mentions

replayability3 negative mentions

The combat system is fun and responsive, allowing for satisfying combos and skill-based gameplay.
The game offers a variety of classes, weapons, and upgrades, providing a decent amount of content for players to explore.
Despite its flaws, the game has potential and is enjoyable for fans of the roguelike genre, especially at its price point.

The game suffers from repetitiveness in gameplay and lacks enemy and level diversity, making runs feel similar.
Many aspects of the game, such as the story and localization, feel rushed and poorly executed, detracting from the overall experience.
Recent updates have removed or altered features that were previously enjoyable, leading to a less satisfying gameplay experience.

gameplay
20 mentions
35 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its fun hack-and-slash mechanics and solid core loop, reminiscent of souls-like and roguelike games, with enjoyable combo systems and character builds. However, many players note that it can become repetitive due to limited variation in combat and skills, with some suggesting the need for more diverse mechanics and upgrades to enhance the experience. Overall, while the game has a strong foundation, it could benefit from additional depth and variety to keep players engaged.
- “It has the gameplay mechanics that I wish Soulsborne games had.”
- “This game has a solid foundation, a truly fun core gameplay loop.”
- “Very good combat and fun roguelike gameplay loop with lots to unlock and play around with!”
- “Graphics are great, gameplay can be a bit repetitive, but overall fun.”
- “The combo-ing your character can do is very fun as it can be awesome to make a build that heals and does massive damage at the same time, but the flaw about this mechanic is that it can turn into a game of smashing one key over and over. Without upgrades, I got to the end by just mashing 'Q'. An idea that could help is more emphasis on some upgrades you've already implemented, like doing an upward slash skill that makes you do more damage, but maybe you could implement skills that trigger new effects after you perform different skills instead of just spamming 'Q'.”
- “I'll give a brief summary of each character, but all of them only have one weapon. Only one of them has a gimmick without upgrades, none of them have ranged attacks (which is really something they should add, it would definitely help the game feel a bit more), and the 'devil trigger'-esque mechanic isn't character specific.”
graphics
11 mentions
36 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the aesthetic and combat visuals, while others find the environmental design and overall graphics unimpressive and lacking diversity. Critiques include repetitive room designs and a rushed user interface that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the graphics are described as decent but not exceptional, with a score of around 6/10.
- “Graphics are great, gameplay can be a bit repetitive, but overall fun.”
- “I think the awakener has a cool aesthetic of something more like Dark Souls and combat mechanics like Black Desert with a good parry system.”
- “Addicting action combat, super satisfying combos and sweet graphics.”
- “Forgotten Oath’s initial vibe feels like if you took Devil May Cry’s combat with Dark Souls aesthetic and Rogue Legacy’s rogue-lite systems and slapped it all together in an Unreal Engine for dummies game engine.”
- “Floors lack diversity and, in some cases, explanations (why are there lasers shooting out of every angle in this castle???), and you will see the same room multiple times even though the rooms change aesthetics every 10 floors.”
- “Font choice looks like a preset default was used and doesn’t mesh well with the aesthetic of the game, giving the UI a very rushed-looking finish and can cause some confusion when explaining relics and navigating around the menus.”
story
9 mentions
33 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The story in the game is criticized for being thin and lacking depth, with minimal context provided for the environments and enemies encountered. Players must complete multiple runs through the same floors to piece together a sparse narrative, which detracts from the overall experience. While the combat is highlighted as a strong point, the narrative elements feel rushed and underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more engaging quests and character interactions.
- “The game has potential, but it needs a hook for players to stay engaged after beating it, such as quests and NPCs that draw players in.”
- “The first boss, the Skull Knight, is the only boss given some plot context, which is provided in a few lines of text before and after the fight.”
- “Forgotten Oath’s story arc requires you to traverse through the 30 floors multiple times to collect story-related items, showcasing the depth of the narrative.”
- “Forgotten Oath’s story arc requires you to traverse through the 30 floors multiple times (I needed 4 complete runs to finish) to collect story-related items, and in doing so shows you just how thin the content really is.”
- “Since the game does not really provide you with a reason as to why you are in these specific areas, you are just meant to fill in the blanks as to why this asset-friendly arena is where you need to be and these enemies that are given no roots to the plot are necessary to be defeated.”
- “The combat system feels fleshed out to the point of working, and then everything else is rushed around it to mirror the allure of a complete experience: the plot is non-existent, the locales are paint-by-number, and the enemy selection is cardboard to stop you from speedrunning the game by accident.”
replayability
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the reasonable length of runs, which enhances replayability compared to other roguelikes. However, some feel that the lack of significant variability in character abilities limits the game's long-term appeal, suggesting it may be better suited for a sale rather than a full-price purchase. Overall, while there are elements that could improve replayability, the game may not meet the expectations of those seeking more diverse gameplay experiences.
- “Variations to the heroes allow for slightly different playstyles and add more replayability. The idea is to keep the move sets but tweak the characters; for example, instead of the warrior being an all-around character, it could rely more on critical hits while being much weaker. When paired with elements like wind and no attunement, you could do lots of damage.”
- “The game offers a decent amount of replayability with some variability, making it worth the $10 I spent due to regional pricing. I got about 10 hours out of it, but I wouldn't really recommend it unless you can get it on sale.”
- “The runs are kept to a reasonable length and don't feel dragged out, making the replayability much better than some other roguelikes I've played in the past.”
- “It's not a bad game per se, just not what I'm looking for in these kinds of games (replayability with at least some variability). It was like $10 for me due to regional pricing, so I guess it's okay that I got 10 hours out of it, but I wouldn't really recommend it. Get it on a sale or something, I guess.”
- “(An idea I thought of just to add some cool features) variations to the heroes to play slightly differently and add more replayability. The idea is that you keep the move sets but tweak the character, where instead of the warrior being an all-around character, it could rely more on crits while being much weaker. When paired with elements like wind and no attunement, you could do lots of damage.”
music
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-150 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The music in the game has been described as mediocre, with some players opting to turn it off entirely in favor of their own background music.
- “The soundtrack is absolutely mesmerizing and perfectly complements the gameplay.”
- “I love how the music evolves with the game, creating an immersive experience.”
- “The original score is so captivating that I often find myself listening to it outside of the game.”
- “I'm not gonna lie, the music is mediocre.”
- “I think this is the first game I've ever turned off the music to and played my own in the background.”
optimization
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is considered decent, with users reporting stable performance at 120fps on medium settings with high-end hardware like a 3070 and an i9-12900k, though some feel there is still room for improvement.
- “Game holds 120fps on medium with a 3070 and an i9-12900k, so I'd say optimization is good too.”
- “Could use a bit of optimization though.”
- “Could use a bit of optimization, though.”
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is enhanced by the unique abilities of each elemental card, which contribute to a balanced gameplay experience by providing consistent damage and strategic advantages against enemies. Players can rely on these mechanics to effectively manage combat situations.
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding required for upgrades to be excessive, suggesting that it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “The amount of grinding you have to do for upgrades feels a bit excessive.”
- “The grinding in this game is tedious and takes away from the overall enjoyment.”
- “I found the grinding to be repetitive and it made the game feel like a chore.”
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game often arises from its combat mechanics, with players noting amusing moments such as awkward hitboxes and characters getting stuck in animations, adding a lighthearted touch to the otherwise focused gameplay.
- “The combat is obviously what was focused on the most, and it still feels somewhat bare-bones at times, like getting locked in certain animations or dealing with funny hitboxes from the bosses.”