The Deep Paths: Labyrinth Of Andokost
- October 26, 2016
- Steve Jarman
"The Deep Paths: Labyrinth Of Andokost" is a first-person, dungeon crawling RPG with grid-based movement and active turn-based combat. Players explore a vast labyrinth filled with dangers and treasures, leveling up characters and engaging in tough combat. The game features rich, 3D environments and pays homage to classic 80's and 90's dungeon crawlers, with a light-hearted adventure and plenty of secrets to discover.
Reviews
- The game features beautiful graphics and a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of classic dungeon crawlers like Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder.
- Puzzles and secrets are well-designed, providing a satisfying challenge for players who enjoy exploration and problem-solving.
- The game has potential for fans of the genre, especially those who appreciate a tough combat system that requires strategy and careful planning.
- Combat is slow and clunky, with frustrating mechanics that prevent movement until all party members have completed their attacks, leading to tedious battles.
- The inventory management system is poorly designed and unresponsive, making it difficult to manage items effectively during gameplay.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, making it unstable and unplayable for many users, detracting from the overall experience.
- graphics15 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising their beauty and brightness, while others find them merely adequate for an old-school style game. Overall, the visuals are described as pleasant and atmospheric, effectively complementing the gameplay, though they may not stand out compared to more modern titles.
“The graphics are beautiful, and being able to see what you're doing is certainly not a problem; this might be the brightest gridder/blobber game I've played since gamma became an option in games.”
“The game features good graphics, excellent title music, and okay sound effects.”
“This game, 'The Deep Paths...', combines good graphics, solid controls, worthy story, and standard team building to give you the best way to spend $7.00 you have had in a long time.”
“I came to this game because I loved Legend of Grimrock 1 and 2, but it's just not as good. Very poor combat, visuals, inventory, and environmental interaction in comparison.”
“Pretty good game; reminds me of the dungeon crawlers of a long time ago when we had CGA graphics for our screen resolution.”
“They relied on atmosphere and storytelling to make up for the lack of visuals.”
- story9 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 11 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, noted for its interesting narrative and engaging character art, which adds a lighthearted charm to the experience. While some players appreciate the storytelling elements that are often lacking in dungeon crawlers, others feel that the overall execution is hindered by a subpar battle system. Despite mixed feelings about gameplay mechanics, the story and atmosphere are highlighted as strong points that enhance the overall experience.
“The story is interesting and I love the character art, and the game definitely has its own lighthearted style and charm.”
“Overall, the story and setup is great.”
“This game, 'The Deep Paths...' combines good graphics, solid controls, worthy story and standard team building to give you the best way to spend $7.00 you have had in a long time.”
“This is my first Steam review, and it's to say that while this game is interesting in many regards, most notably the story and dialogue aspect absent in most dungeon crawling games, it has the most atrocious battle system in any dungeon crawler I've ever played, and I've been playing these since the early 90s.”
“Everything else is basic: secret switches (although there are more types here than in Log), puzzles (fairly easy) and story.”
“They relied on atmosphere and storytelling to make up for the lack of visuals.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is a nostalgic nod to 1990s dungeon hack and slash RPGs, featuring standout title and character selection screen tracks that many players praise. However, some users find the intentionally retro style grating, and the main menu music is criticized for being excessively loud with limited volume control options. Overall, while the music has its highlights, it may not appeal to everyone due to its old-school execution and sound management issues.
“Great intro music harking back to the early days of dungeon hack and slash RPGs of the 1990s.”
“The game features good graphics, excellent title music, and okay sound effects.”
“All you need to know is that this game has the best character selection screen music I have ever heard in any video game.”
“The music is intentionally old school and quite annoying.”
“The main menu music is quite loud, and you can only mute the volume of music, not adjust it down. You can't change that until you're playing the game after creating a party, at which point the minimal settings screen can be opened in the bottom left corner.”
“The main menu music is quite loud, and you can only mute the volume of music, not adjust it down. You can't change that until you're playing the game after creating a party, at which point the minimal settings screen can be opened in the bottom left corner.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is praised for its mysterious and immersive dungeon-like environment, effectively capturing the essence of classic dungeon crawlers despite some repetitive visuals. Reviewers appreciate how the atmosphere and storytelling compensate for the lack of advanced graphics, creating a compelling experience reminiscent of retro gaming.
“The environment is dungeon-like; while the walls are fairly nondescript and repetitive, they are still crafted well enough to keep the atmosphere intact.”
“This game comes close in terms of atmosphere.”
“They relied on atmosphere and storytelling to make up for the lack of visuals.”
“The environment is dungeon-like; while the walls are fairly nondescript and repetitive, they are still crafted well enough to maintain the atmosphere.”
“They relied on atmosphere and storytelling to compensate for the lack of visuals.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is enjoyable but suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs and glitches that hinder the overall experience. Many users report that it is not well-optimized, leading to frustration during gameplay.
“Fun game for the three hours I played, but way too buggy and unstable to recommend.”
“Not optimized and buggy.”
“I had issues with some glitches.”
- gameplay4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally solid, but players feel it suffers from a lack of clear communication regarding certain mechanics, particularly in relation to puzzles, which can lead to confusion and frustration. Some users have reported getting stuck due to insufficient explanations of how to interact with the game.
“The gameplay is engaging and keeps you on your toes.”
“The mechanics are well-designed and add depth to the puzzles.”
“The gameplay experience is enjoyable and offers a good challenge.”
“It also lacks explanation of some game mechanics, like 'why can't I press this button?'”
“Could use more communication regarding the mechanics of the game, especially as they are used in puzzles.”
“That mechanic got me locked until I looked it up.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is well-received, with players finding amusement in both the dialogue and the comedic situations, such as the struggles of others with basic monsters. The writing is noted for its cleverness, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the plot.
“I've read other people's reviews about having trouble killing the early basic monsters in the game, and that made me laugh.”
“I enjoyed the humor that was shown in the videos.”
“The dialogue is funny and well-written for the plot.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game is criticized for being poorly optimized and plagued by bugs, leading to a frustrating experience for players.
“The game is not optimized and is filled with bugs.”
“Performance issues make the game unplayable at times.”
“The lack of optimization leads to frequent crashes and long loading times.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding mechanics cumbersome, as the process of using keys, picks, and pickaxes involves multiple steps—opening the inventory, double-clicking the item, closing the inventory, and then interacting with the object—making it feel tedious and inefficient.
“Using keys, picks, and pickaxes is tedious as you have to open the inventory, double-click the item, close the inventory, then click on the object in the world to use it.”