The Iron Oath

Without a load of graphical bells and whistles in the way, there’s a clarity and streamlined nature to the game that lets the dynamic world and combat system leap to the fore. Give this one a try, you won’t regret it.

81%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, replayability

77% User Score Based on 1,100 reviews

Critic Score 91%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

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About

The Iron Oath is a single player open world role playing game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by Curious Panda Games and was released on November 2, 2023. It received very positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

The Iron Oath is a turn-based tactical RPG that is set in a dark fantasy world. Recruit, manage, and embark on missions with a roster of adventurers, testing the limits of their mortality.

+17

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77%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,100 reviews

story118 positive mentions

grinding46 negative mentions

Engaging story and well-written dialogue that immerses players in the world.
Beautiful pixel art and animations that enhance the overall experience.
Satisfying tactical combat with a variety of classes and abilities, allowing for strategic gameplay.

Repetitive gameplay loop with limited quest variety leading to a grindy experience.
Combat can feel unbalanced, with enemies often overwhelming players and limited healing options.
Lack of character customization and depth in progression systems, making it hard to feel attached to mercenaries.

story
588 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
73%
7%
The story in "The Iron Oath" is generally well-written and engaging, featuring a mix of main quests and side missions that provide a decent narrative backdrop. However, many players find the overall plot to be somewhat generic and repetitive, with a lack of variety in mission types and a feeling of limited player agency in shaping the story. While the game shows potential for deeper storytelling and character development, it currently suffers from pacing issues and an unfinished main questline, leaving some players wanting more depth and variety in the narrative experience.
- “The game's extensive storytelling is another strong point, drawing players into a deep and engaging narrative.”
- “The writing is very good and the two main storylines are quite detailed and interesting, leading to multi-map, multi-party, larger fights.”
- “Iron Oath is a dark fantasy turn-based tactical RPG, where you guide a mercenary company on a quest for revenge, all while navigating the troubles of the peasantry, the battles of great houses, and a demonic, otherworldly threat called the blight.”
- “The story is okay, but there just isn't much of it, and the appearance of various antagonists felt more like whack-a-mole than usual.”
- “The game's story pacing is unbearably slow.”
- “The story is generic and every twist is predictable, which is not a great sign.”
gameplay
302 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
59%
8%
The gameplay of "The Iron Oath" offers a compelling mix of tactical combat and mercenary management, drawing comparisons to titles like "Battle Brothers" and "Darkest Dungeon." While the core mechanics are engaging and the art and music enhance the experience, many players find the gameplay repetitive and hindered by a lack of depth, limited party size, and an over-reliance on RNG. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further refinement and content to fully realize its potential.
- “The iron oath proves that gameplay trumps graphics.”
- “The art is great, the gameplay is great, the dungeon crawling is great.”
- “It's got a very similar 'feel' to Battle Brothers for the tactical combat, but incorporates other mechanics which do give it a unique flavor.”
- “The lack of any sort of 'sort' or find feature here is extremely painful and makes utilizing the entire mechanic needlessly painful.”
- “The gameplay is ultimately a mix between Darkest Dungeon and Battle Brothers, but unlike both of those games, it lacks any/all bite.”
- “Gameplay is repetitive and uninteresting, enemy variety feels low in that every encounter plays out in basically the same way.”
graphics
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
56%
4%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style that evokes nostalgia, with many praising the quality of the animations and overall aesthetic. While some players appreciate the retro vibe and find the visuals engaging, others criticize them for being simplistic and lacking in sharpness compared to modern standards. Overall, the art style contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, though opinions vary on its execution and impact on gameplay.
- “The artwork and animations in the game are a visual feast.”
- “First of all, the pixel graphics are a joy to look at, and simply ooze atmosphere - everything from the overworld map, to the city screens, to the building interiors and combat... units are lovingly animated - they move, they fight, they die, and they do it all with style!”
- “The entire visual aesthetic is an homage to stylized brutality, and its pixelated world straddles the fine line between retro and contemporary, managing to nail that perfect mix without straying into tryhard territory or overstaying its welcome.”
- “Worse graphics, worse gameplay, worse tutorials, and worse combat.”
- “The graphics are from the stone age; if updated, this would be a great game instead of just a good one.”
- “Music is repetitive and annoying; graphics are very much SNES-level 16-bit garbage and hurt your eyes.”
music
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
20%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its immersive and atmospheric qualities that enhance gameplay, while others find it repetitive or lacking. Notably, the soundtrack is described as exceptional and well-composed, contributing significantly to the overall experience. However, some players expressed disappointment, feeling that the music did not meet their expectations or fit the game's tone.
- “One of its standout features is the exceptional music, which sets an immersive tone for the gameplay.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing.”
- “Stand out for me though is the sound/music, the score is awesome and full of atmosphere, really sets the mood if you're trawling through a dungeon or bumbling around town.”
- “Music is repetitive and annoying, graphics are very much SNES level 16-bit garbage and hurts your eyes.”
- “I really am not pleased with the music choices in The Iron Oath.”
- “Music is lackluster, story extremely dull (not that this game was advertised for its story but still) and I got very bored just barely after it was too late to refund it.”
grinding
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
2%
96%
Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, particularly in combat and resource management. Many reviews highlight that the difficulty scaling primarily relies on enemy health rather than challenge, leading to a lack of engagement and meaningful progression. Additionally, the need for constant equipment repairs and the slow pace of battles contribute to an overall feeling of monotony, making the game feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Fights get really grindy and repetitive the more you get into the game; it could be more interesting if difficulty scaling wasn't mostly HP-based.”
- “All in all, the game just feels very grindy with very little advancement.”
- “Was fun for about 6 or so hours, but once you get into the core game loop, it becomes really grindy and tedious.”
replayability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players find value in continuing after completing the main storylines, many criticize the lack of a randomized map and depth, leading to limited replay potential. The absence of significant gameplay variations and the repetitive nature of side jobs further diminish replayability, although future updates and mod support may enhance this aspect. Players generally agree that while the game offers a solid initial experience, it falls short in providing lasting replay value.
- “I think it has replay value and you can continue to play even after completing both main story lines.”
- “Great game, lots of replay value and depth.”
- “There's talk of mod support as well, which adds to replayability.”
- “Basically it presents as Battle Brothers with cooler graphics and more exciting fights, but it lacks the refinement and balance of its parent that gives it the replayability.”
- “Last but not least - unfortunately, the map is not generated, which means replayability is actually not that big.”
- “I was holding off on buying The Iron Oath for a long time due to some reviews commenting on its shallowness and lack of replayability, and I wish I had listened to them.”
character development
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
Character development in the game is noted to be present but lacking depth, with many reviewers calling for more personality, diverse classes, and interesting ability upgrades. While the system is generally balanced and easy to understand, the character art is seen as limited, and players express a desire for richer story elements and more engaging gameplay mechanics to enhance the overall experience.
- “The character development system is very good, balanced, and easy to understand.”
- “Cool character designs and no real BS to be found.”
- “[b]Looking forward to:[/b] character development depth, story, more city activities, guild management, some quest diversity, synergy between class skills, late-game skills to aim for.”
- “Character development is there; however, it is pretty bare bones, and compared to the monster arms race, you seem generally a bit behind.”
- “The character art seems very limited for a game that is all about character development.”
- “Looking forward to character development depth, story, more city activities, guild management, some quest diversity, synergy between class skills, late-game skills to aim for. I liked the enemy AI, but I feel it needs some minor tweaks.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while gameplay is smooth and well-optimized with no GPU spikes, issues like fatigue negatively impacting performance and frequent stuttering due to a lack of FPS locks detract from the experience. However, players can mitigate some combat repetitiveness through careful skill optimization within their mercenary roster.
- “Now, to the positive: there is so much skill optimization that, if you carefully fill your mercenary roster and spread out the various abilities among your crew, the sameness of the combat can be greatly offset.”
- “The story is actually decent, the gameplay is smooth as hell, very well optimized; no GPU spikes.”
- “Fatigue that leaves you with -25% performance and you don't have enough gold to rest and eat to be able to get rid of that fatigue.”
- “Decent game for early access, but what annoys me the most is that it just goes full yolo on FPS and ignores FPS locks, making stuttering quite frequent.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, characterized by an impressive musical score that enhances the mood during exploration and combat. The pixel graphics contribute significantly to the immersive experience, with detailed animations that bring the world to life. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals, engaging sound design, and spirited writing creates a captivating atmosphere that resonates with players.
- “Overall this game has a lot of spirit -- decent writing, incredible atmosphere with amazing visuals and score, and a satisfying combat loop that keeps you on your toes.”
- “First of all, the pixel graphics are a joy to look at, and simply ooze atmosphere - everything from the overworld map, to the city screens, to the building interiors and combat... units are lovingly animated - they move, they fight, they die, and they do it all with style!”
- “Stand out for me though is the sound/music, the score is awesome and full of atmosphere, really sets the mood if you're trawling through a dungeon or bumbling around town.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by occasional funny and unexpected dialogue that adds an endearing quality, though it often feels amateurish and reminiscent of old-school writing styles. This blend of lightheartedness and nostalgia contributes to a whimsical atmosphere, albeit with a somewhat clumsy execution.
- “Also, the occasional funny and unexpected bit of dialogue pops up.”
- “It's kind of endearing, but amateurishly written in an old-school Lord British kind of style, with a lot of shoulder-grasping and back-clapping whilst laughing heartily, for we are in yon elden times, huzzah.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed feedback; while some players find the story engaging and it fosters a connection with the characters, others feel that the lengthy narrative detracts from the overall experience, making it tedious and overshadowing the game's more enjoyable elements.
- “Some people may not be into the story as much, but that's only a minor part. It still had me engaged, and I normally hate stories, but this one made me feel more attached to my mercs.”