The Tale of a Common Man
- September 2, 2016
- Aldorlea Games
- 27h median play time
Get on SteamIn "The Tale of a Common Man," players navigate a medieval-fantasy world as an ordinary man seeking adventure and fortune. Through turn-based battles, players recruit allies, level up skills, and uncover secrets to build a party and defeat enemies. The game features hand-drawn pixel art and a focus on character development, offering a classic RPG experience with a modern twist. Character limit: 265 characters.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a compelling storyline with well-developed characters and engaging dialogue, making it enjoyable and immersive.
- It offers a good balance of challenge and strategy in combat, allowing players to customize their experience and avoid excessive grinding.
- The character development and emotional depth throughout the game provide a refreshing and meaningful experience for players.
- The game suffers from some technical issues, including bugs and control problems, which can detract from the overall experience.
- Certain gameplay mechanics, such as the respawning enemies and locked routes, can become frustrating and limit exploration.
- The pacing of the story can feel rushed towards the end, leaving some players unsatisfied with the conclusion.
- story37 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely praised for its engaging narrative, character development, and humor, with many players finding it compelling and well-constructed. While some critiques mention pacing issues and a somewhat rushed conclusion, the overall sentiment highlights a beautiful tale that resonates with players, emphasizing themes of personal growth and resilience. Additionally, the integration of side quests and character interactions adds depth, although some players express a desire for more freedom to explore and revisit areas.
“The story was well told with complications and humor.”
“The story is beautiful, and the character development for all party members is constructed really well.”
“The tale of a common man... a story about protecting each other, about realization, and everyone's effort to get over their dark pasts.”
“While I really liked the first two-thirds of the story, the last third just seemed like a rush to the end.”
“The game wants to go with the whole 'will the revenge destroy him or not', but the result of that is that his ending falls a bit flat with him finding new purpose in life by adopting some orphan they met right beforehand. From a storytelling perspective, it just feels kind of meh.”
“Remarkably poor writing on a technical level combined with absolutely no sense of subtlety, as Jerrat tells the player that he loves his family and will be sad now that they're dead and swears revenge because he is angry. The story poorly meshes with the gameplay as Jerrat proceeds to have trouble beating up rats despite regularly going to the forest to pick mushrooms.”
- humor6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is praised for its cleverness and originality, with well-developed characters and engaging party banter that enhances the storytelling. Players appreciate the balance of challenge and humor, finding the legendary difficulty amusing as it leads to unexpected moments during gameplay. Overall, the humor is described as refreshing and entertaining, avoiding the cheesiness often found in other RPGs.
“The story was well told with complications and humor.”
“Brilliant game with irreplaceable humor and interesting characters whose story you want to learn.”
“The party banter was quite funny in spots (you can listen in on their thoughts sometimes).”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed sentiment towards grinding in the game; while some appreciate that it isn't excessive and is balanced with engaging story and character development, others find the grinding tedious and feel it detracts from the overall experience. The battle system, particularly in RPG Maker, is noted as a point of boredom for some players.
“Personally, I hate grinding and find the RPG Maker battle system quite boring (but it's not 'RPG' if you skip it anyway).”
“Generic grinding combat paired with a story that keeps telling you to go grind.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is praised for its relaxing quality, contributing positively to the overall experience alongside strong character development and storytelling. Players appreciate how it enhances the gameplay without overwhelming it, making for a balanced and enjoyable atmosphere.
“Good music, excellent character development, good story, good art, good battle choices/balance, not too much grinding, mazes are not too darn big.”
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight that while the graphics may vary between RPG Maker and original designs, the storytelling significantly enhances the visual experience, making the artwork feel vibrant and engaging. Overall, the combination of compelling narratives and quality artwork contributes to an immersive gaming experience.
“The artwork is excellent, and the involvement is total.”
“Whether the game is RPG Maker or original, for me, it is the story that brings the graphics to life and where I have my fun.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The character development in the game is highly praised, with reviewers noting that each party member is well-constructed and contributes to a beautiful story. This aspect, along with good music and balanced gameplay, enhances the overall experience.
“The story is beautiful, and the character development for all party members is constructed really well.”
“Good music, excellent character development, good story, good art, good battle choices/balance, not too much grinding, mazes are not too darn big.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The gameplay is criticized for its poor writing and lack of subtlety, leading to a disjointed experience where character motivations feel unconvincing and gameplay mechanics are undermined by narrative inconsistencies. Conversely, some players appreciate the way character thoughts are integrated into the gameplay, enhancing overall enjoyment.
“The character's thoughts are conveyed throughout the game, which makes the content and gameplay enjoyable.”
“Remarkably poor writing on a technical level combined with absolutely no sense of subtlety, as Jerrat tells the player that he loves his family and will be sad now that they're dead and swears revenge because he is angry and is bad at fighting because he is a common man. The story poorly meshes with the gameplay as Jerrat proceeds to have trouble beating up rats despite regularly going to the forest to pick mushrooms.”
“The gameplay feels clunky and unresponsive, making it frustrating to execute even the simplest of actions. It's hard to enjoy the experience when the controls don't seem to work as intended.”
“There are too many mechanics that are introduced without proper explanation, leaving players confused and overwhelmed. This lack of clarity detracts from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized, with users reporting significant bugs and issues that detract from the overall experience, marking it as one of Aldorlea's less successful titles.
“Normally Aldorlea makes good games, but this is an awful, buggy mess.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
“I encountered numerous glitches that completely broke my experience.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is praised for effectively enhancing the emotional performance, allowing players to experience a range of feelings, from sadness to happiness.
