The Slormancer
- April 6, 2021
- Slormite Studios
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"The Slormancer" is an action-packed, hack-and-slash game with a rich storyline and unique art style. Players must collect and upgrade loot, learn new skills, and defeat hordes of enemies in this engaging and challenging experience. With procedurally generated levels and a variety of game modes, "The Slormancer" offers endless replayability and excitement.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a charming art style and humorous writing that adds to the overall experience.
- There is a deep character customization system with a wide variety of builds and skills to explore.
- The combat feels satisfying and engaging, with a good balance of challenge and fun.
- Currently, there is a lack of content, with only a few enemy types and limited areas to explore.
- The early game can feel slow and repetitive, making it difficult to stay engaged for long periods.
- Some mechanics, such as skill leveling and resource management, can feel tedious and grindy.
- gameplay630 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Slormancer" is generally praised for its engaging mechanics, build diversity, and smooth combat, reminiscent of classic ARPGs like Diablo and Path of Exile. However, many players note that the game can become repetitive and grindy, particularly in its endgame content, with some mechanics feeling unclear or poorly designed. Overall, while the core gameplay loop is enjoyable and offers a solid foundation, it requires further content and refinement to fully realize its potential.
“Overall, Slormancer is a must-play for fans of action RPGs and indie games, offering captivating gameplay and a delightful visual and auditory experience.”
“It scratches all the itches as far as an ARPG, with plenty of mechanics and ways to play.”
“Great gameplay with enough customization between the gear and character skill tree to feel like you can create numerous builds for every class.”
“The gameplay is what I can complain the most about.”
“Be it during the campaign or the endgame, the gameplay loop is really quite dull.”
“Gameplay feels insanely repetitive.”
- story536 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally perceived as light-hearted and humorous, featuring quirky characters and a simplistic plot that often revolves around fetch quests. While some players appreciate the comedic elements, many criticize the story for being short, repetitive, and lacking depth, with current content only lasting a few hours. As the game is in early access, there are expectations for future updates to expand the narrative and improve overall engagement.
“The storyline is light-hearted, filled with humor that draws you into its whimsical world.”
“I enjoyed the story and quite liked the stupid jokes.”
“The game delivers a nice and fun story combined with a straightforward play style that is easy to pick up even for a novice of the genre.”
“The story elements consist of mountains of annoying and useless dialogue that ends up serving as a workout for the finger pressing the skip button.”
“The 'story' that leads you through this is just a fetch quest with a moving target, you need to get some 'important' item from the graveyard, so naturally the first thing you need is a shovel.”
“The story is pretty sparse and generic so far.”
- grinding276 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game's grinding mechanics are a significant focus, with many players noting it as both a core feature and a potential drawback. While some enjoy the extensive grinding for gear and character customization, others find it excessively tedious, especially given the current lack of content and variety in enemies. Overall, the game appeals to fans of grind-heavy ARPGs, but those averse to repetitive gameplay may find it frustrating.
“Grindy, but not too grindy.”
“Grindy, but not too grindy.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Lets say you want to switch up your skills, well, first of all you need to respec (because farming skill-point-upgrade-currency is a nightmare that feels like a 9-5 office job) which nets you a 10% loss of your upgrade currency (which is a big deal when it takes so long to farm).”
“It feels like grinding for the sake of grinding.”
“With the amount of grinding this game will require, it will need an equal amount of content to keep it interesting or I am afraid it will quickly feel more like work and less like fun.”
- music190 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its quality and fitting atmosphere, while others find it repetitive and overwhelming over time. Some players appreciate the soundtrack's production value and its ability to enhance the gameplay experience, likening it to high-caliber music found in other popular titles. However, a notable number of users suggest that a greater variety in the music would improve the overall experience, as it can become monotonous during extended play sessions.
“Amazing soundtrack really adds to the game.”
“The soundtrack hits the theme, creates the perfect mood and never gets boring.”
“Also the soundtrack is absolutely amazing, probably one of the most captivating, immersive & epic sounding indie game soundtracks I have heard in a long time.”
“The only thing that knocks it down is the music - very repetitive, so I mostly muted it.”
“The music is going to be love it or despise it after a while.”
“The only problem is the music, needs more of a variety.”
- graphics186 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming pixel art style that many players find beautifully crafted and engaging, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience. While some critiques mention a lack of polish and performance issues, the visuals are generally praised for their crisp animations and whimsical design, making them appealing to fans of retro-style games. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some players expressing a desire for more detailed character designs and additional content.
“The pixel art visuals are really well crafted.”
“The graphics are beautiful, if pixely.”
“Overall, the animations and art style are crisp, and look very good.”
“Don't be deceived by the visuals.”
“The feels worse than almost every other title of a similar graphic quality.”
“4 hours in, and my opinion so far is that I wish the graphics weren't retro.”
- humor160 mentions
- 98 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in "Slormancer" is widely praised for its cheeky, light-hearted nature, with many players enjoying the whimsical dialogue and quirky characters. While some find the humor to be hit-or-miss, with certain jokes falling flat, the overall tone is described as fun and engaging, contributing positively to the game's immersive experience. The blend of humor with gameplay mechanics and art style creates a unique charm that resonates well with fans of the genre.
“Slormancer quickly draws you into its world with cheeky, silly humor and the complexity and intensity ramp up quickly.”
“The storyline is light-hearted, filled with humor that draws you into its whimsical world.”
“Killer gameplay, tons of loot, and a great sense of humor.”
“That is a punishment for players, not funny at all.”
“Go back to town, more unfunny joke NPC banter.”
“Go back to town, more unfunny joke NPC banter.”
- optimization52 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, particularly at higher levels where performance drops significantly, leading to frustrating stuttering and crashes during intense gameplay. Many players report severe frame rate issues, especially when numerous enemies and effects are on screen, which detracts from the overall experience. While some users appreciate the game's depth and art style, the persistent technical problems and lack of developer attention to performance improvements hinder its playability.
“Fans of optimization will also appreciate the fine-tuned performance this game offers.”
“Any ARPG, but especially one that intends to have its players fill the screen with projectiles or chaining effects, must have an incredibly well-optimized architecture.”
“Haven't played much, but I can truly appreciate the depth this game has for its low performance cost.”
“The game itself is fine, but once you get to higher levels, the performance is horrible and you will go down to sub-5fps with the threads doing your calculations going random, resulting in just dying because your HP/MP isn't being updated due to the whole game stuttering so hard and seemingly ignoring those HP leech threads on account of doing calculations on 150 enemies.”
“Third is the actual performance; some endgame builds basically make the game a slideshow or even crash it. Can you imagine the irritation felt after the game crashes after 90 or 95 waves in the game's colosseum 'Great Forge' mode?”
“Game is poorly optimized and unplayable at times due to lag and 'rewinds' in gameplay because the lag is so bad.”
- replayability24 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while recent updates have introduced extensive endgame content and various progression options that promise significant replay value, many players feel that the current content is still limited, especially in early access. Some users appreciate the potential for replayability through different builds and repeatable activities, but others note a lack of motivation to start new characters, which diminishes the overall replay experience. Overall, the game shows promise for future replayability as more content is released.
“Incredible ARPG with a lot of replay value!”
“There is quite a bit of replay value in all the different things you can level up and progress through, many different builds and pieces of gear.”
“Limited replay value right now since it is early access, but will still keep you busy for a long time.”
“Since there is no motivation to start a new character to spend time building/playing these different options, the replayability is extremely lacking, which is generally the point of such build variety.”
“The primary campaign portion seems to be about 5-10 hours of gameplay, and looks like there is repeatable mapping/rifting-like content that seems like it might hold some replayability after the campaign is complete.”
- stability16 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with players reporting frequent stuttering, screen freezes, and low frame rates, particularly during intense action sequences. While some users note that the game is relatively bug-free aside from minor issues, the overall technical performance is marred by memory leaks and other glitches, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience. As it is still in early access, players are advised to manage their expectations regarding stability and anticipate future improvements.
“Bug free and polished - check”
“Fairly bug free too, some very minor ones.”
“Any time I hit some enemies with something, there is a bigger microstutter, and when I hit many enemies, the game literally freezes for a quarter of a second or even longer.”
“Currently, the game is plagued by several technical problems: memory leaks leading to stuttering, black screens during loading, low frame rate, and screen freezes on level up.”
“There's some bugs and glitches/crashes, but it's early access still.”
- atmosphere10 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its engaging and entertaining qualities, featuring impressive pixel art and a spooky gothic aesthetic. Reviewers highlight the smooth gameplay and an outstanding soundtrack that enhance the overall experience, making it one of the best atmospheres in pixel art to date.
“Greatest atmosphere I've experienced in pixel art so far.”
“The art style and the atmosphere are well made (spooky gothic).”
“Really smooth gameplay with an amazing soundtrack, great atmosphere.”
- character development10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its complexity, featuring intricate development trees and a variety of mechanics that enhance gameplay. However, some players find the character designs and animations to be unappealing or generic, which detracts from their overall connection to the characters. Despite this, the game is praised for its rich RPG elements and offers a blend of humor and seriousness in its character development approach.
“However, after an hour you realize it’s a real ARPG with complex character development trees and a ton of mechanics.”
“All the aspects of an amazing RPG in one :) very comical yet serious structure to character development.”
“Looks like we have a game with plenty of character development; if you like this type of game, this is a real gem.”
“Personally, I think Chronicon is much better if you just want to slay thousands of monsters with lots of different builds, sets, and in my opinion, better overall character design. I just can't connect with the characters' goofy-looking animations and designs.”
“The graphics would be good, but most of the character designs are just kind of bad, generic, and annoying.”
“However, after an hour, you realize it’s a real ARPG with complex character development trees and a ton of mechanics.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game's story, appreciating the depth and content available, which enhances their engagement. The heartfelt recommendations suggest that the narrative resonates well, even if some players may not continue with the game long-term due to other options.
“I think I may have gotten somewhat lucky in that by the time I picked up the game, there were already a couple of acts of the story good to go, which made me feel like I had plenty to be working through.”
“A heartfelt recommendation from me.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Monetization in the game is viewed as a double-edged sword; while some developers utilize it to gather feedback and build a loyal fanbase, others exploit it for quick financial gain, leading to concerns about integrity in the gaming experience.
“Honest developers tend to use this system as a tool to gain feedback and attract a good core fanbase, while dishonest actors use it as a quick cash grab.”
