UnEpic

In the end, Unepic would probably be a better adventure game. This twenty hour or so unabashedly old school RPG is frequently broken up by conversations between characters and these interactions are amusing enough to make the often finicky platforming and combat sections worth persevering with. As a whole, the game has enough charm to recommend to fans of the genre, and those that stick around will likely be impressed by the surprisingly deep RPG mechanics and the Metroidvania approach to level design. However, it's hard not to wonder if the quality of the writing on display here would be better served in a game with a stronger focus on storytelling.

85%Game Brain Score

humor, story

grinding, stability

85% User Score Based on 2,606 reviews

Critic Score 60%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $6.75

Buy NowGet on Steam$12.99

About

Unepic is a fantasy arcade game that offers multiple gameplay options, including single-player, local co-op for up to 2 players, and multi-player. The protagonist, Daniel, is a modern-day guy who finds himself transported to a medieval fantasy world. The game keeps the player intrigued by leaving the reason for Daniel's appearance in this world a mystery that can only be uncovered through gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,606 reviews

humor719 positive mentions

grinding73 negative mentions

The game features a humorous and engaging story with plenty of pop culture references.
Gameplay is enjoyable with a mix of RPG elements, allowing for diverse character builds and strategies.
The game offers a large castle to explore, filled with secrets, quests, and challenging bosses.

Controls can be clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
Some bosses and enemies have unfair mechanics that can lead to cheap deaths.
The humor can be juvenile and off-putting, potentially alienating some players.

humor
735 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in "Unepic" is a mix of crude, juvenile, and nerdy references, often drawing from pop culture and gaming lore, which can be both entertaining and off-putting depending on the player's taste. Many players appreciate the witty dialogue and comedic scenarios, finding them genuinely funny, while others criticize the humor as forced or immature. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted experience filled with quirky moments, though its reliance on references may not resonate with everyone.
- “The story is ridiculously funny; my character, Leon, accidentally gets transported to a medieval fantasy world and just rolls with it, making hilarious comments along the way.”
- “The writing is top-notch and had me laughing out loud more than once.”
- “Unepic is a colorful mix of humor, RPG, and video game references.”
- “The writing is stereotypical, immature, unfunny, and annoying.”
- “A lot of people have praised the writing and humor, but to me it felt cringey and forced.”
- “Most of the geek references are actually forced unfunny jokes that are used to cover up the lack of creativity from the dev.”
story
532 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The story of the game is a humorous and quirky adventure that follows a tabletop gamer, Daniel, who finds himself transported to a medieval fantasy world, filled with pop culture references and comedic elements. Players appreciate the engaging dialogue, character interactions, and the blend of humor with RPG elements, although some find the humor juvenile or repetitive. Overall, the narrative is entertaining and offers a mix of main quests and side missions that keep players invested, despite some criticisms regarding its depth and originality.
- “The story is ridiculously funny; my character, Leon, accidentally gets transported to a medieval fantasy world and just rolls with it, making hilarious comments along the way.”
- “The story is unique, the social commentary hilarious, and the map is beautiful!”
- “The story is entertaining, too.”
- “The plot is your run-of-the-mill 'a nerd is somehow transported to an actual fantasy and demonstrates his knowledge of fantasy tropes to become a true hero', but it portrays the protagonist (and, by extension, all geek culture) in an extremely ugly, cringy, unfunny, unlikeable, and pitiful light.”
- “The story is shoddy, filled with unlikable characters and completely unfunny references to the stereotypical nerdy works.”
- “The story is also pretty forgettable as the humor takes away from any plot that you might care about.”
gameplay
514 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
53%
9%
The gameplay of *Unepic* is a mixed bag, with many players praising its engaging mechanics, exploration, and RPG elements reminiscent of classic metroidvania titles. While some enjoy the humor and variety in gameplay, others criticize the clunky controls, punishing mechanics, and repetitive nature of certain sections, particularly in the latter stages of the game. Overall, it offers a fun experience for fans of the genre, but may frustrate those seeking a more polished and balanced gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is super engaging, with tons of secrets to uncover, tough bosses to defeat, and plenty of upgrades to keep things interesting.”
- “Unepic allows you to specialize in several weapon types, armor or robes, health and several schools of magic, all of which have obvious gameplay benefits.”
- “The gameplay is fun and simple, the graphics are nice and retro looking, and the controls feel very nice.”
- “This is a garbage game mechanic that is just a pure punishment to the player for no real reason.”
- “Starts out strong and challenging, and continues to be decent fun for a good while... until you reach the latter half of the game where it takes a steep nosedive: the gameplay becomes nothing but a chore, seemingly for the sake of wasting time, and the game turns utterly unenjoyable.”
- “The actual gameplay, however, is where the game seriously starts falling apart; the controls are a bit stiff and take some getting used to, making platforming sections either painfully boring or painfully difficult.”
graphics
187 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
50%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the retro, pixelated style that evokes nostalgia, while others criticize the visuals as unpolished, inconsistent, and outdated. Many agree that while the graphics may not be cutting-edge, they complement the gameplay and overall experience, with some finding charm in their simplicity. Overall, the consensus suggests that the graphics serve their purpose but are not the main draw of the game, which is more focused on gameplay and humor.
- “The castle, its inhabitants, its environs, and all related graphical representations, effects, and outcomes, produce a magnificent and chimerical two-dimensional environment to search and to conquer.”
- “The graphics are outstanding for a 2D game.”
- “The art style, music, and gameplay itself are all very much enjoyable.”
- “Visuals feel unpolished and inconsistent.”
- “The downside is the ugly retro pixel graphics.”
- “The graphics are maybe 20+ years out of date, though not unappealing.”
music
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
54%
4%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its charm and atmospheric qualities, particularly in specific areas, while others find it repetitive and unremarkable. Some highlight standout tracks that enhance the gameplay experience, but there are complaints about short loops, especially during boss battles, leading to frustration. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally considered enjoyable, it lacks memorability and variety in certain regions.
- “The music is enjoyable and complements the feeling of the game and the situation at hand and never felt out of place.”
- “This is a great casual sidescroller, with a stunning atmospheric soundtrack, great controls, solid platforming and enough gameplay to keep you playing for many, many hours.”
- “The art style, music, and gameplay itself are all very much enjoyable.”
- “Alas, the soundtrack is limited to certain regions.”
- “Boss music is a 5-second loop that made me mute the music.”
- “Music is okay, but definitely nothing special.”
grinding
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
97%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often frustrating, with many describing combat and leveling as monotonous and lacking in satisfaction. While some appreciate the natural respawn of enemies that can facilitate grinding, others criticize the excessive need for resource farming and the repetitive nature of boss battles. The game's mechanics and skill systems are frequently noted as cumbersome, leading to a gameplay experience that can feel overly grindy and detracts from enjoyment.
- “It has a decent level of feeling both grindy and not grindy at times; I had trouble approaching some of the mobs in the game when they were just large groups (especially when they learned how to use ladders), but I felt that the bosses were fair.”
- “Too 'grindy' and bad ending.”
- “The entire skill system feels like a superfluous, tedious piece of vestigial RPG wonkery.”
- “However, it quickly devolves into a tedious and monotonous game with little substance, especially in the final act of the game.”
replayability
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
53%
6%
The game's replayability is generally praised, with many players highlighting the variety of character builds, multiplayer options, and community-created content through Steam Workshop as significant factors that enhance replay value. However, some reviews note that the lack of substantial changes in the game world or enemies can make repeated playthroughs feel less engaging. Overall, while there are elements that promote replayability, opinions vary on its depth and longevity.
- “The game offers multiple builds and a fair amount of replayability.”
- “There are also some really good fan maps in the Steam Workshop which could potentially add hundreds of hours of replayability.”
- “Great replayability, your choice for any type of character, and funny as hell.”
- “Even though this creates a fair level of replayability, nothing else about the game world or enemies therein changes, making repeated playthroughs dull and uninteresting in comparison to the first time around.”
- “The game has no replay value, yet success requires that you make all of your important decisions upfront.”
- “But the gameplay is poor and only driven by the story, so the replayability is low.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
19%
19%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a blend of moody lighting from various sources, retro pixel art, and a captivating soundtrack that together create a mysterious and immersive experience. While the humor and writing add a light-hearted touch, they coexist with a darker, more sinister ambiance, particularly in dungeon settings. Overall, the combination of artistic design, engaging storytelling, and atmospheric soundscapes contributes to a compelling and enjoyable gaming environment.
- “The luminescence emitted from items such as lighters, candles, candelabra, torches, and other sources produce moody illuminations and a mysterious ambiance, further enhancing the atmospheric effects of the darkened environs of the game world.”
- “The art style was more than cool... the atmosphere was trippy and the overarching story was just enough to keep you super interested in moving along in the world.”
- “Fun, challenging exploring and surviving in the atmospheric zones of this massive castle.”
- “Rogue-like atmosphere, but maybe not mechanics.”
- “The humour in the dialogues was sometimes just a bit too crude for me, but overall it added a light touch to the dark dungeon atmosphere.”
- “Spoiler: after the first few minutes you can find a checkpoint to save & rest without worry and continue later as you dwell deeper into the dungeons that will make you think you are in Diablo 1's catacombs. The atmosphere is sinister like that; I love it, but the jokes are okay.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
80%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting significant glitches and bugs, particularly in multiplayer mode, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. While some players find the single-player experience relatively stable, others have encountered issues that hinder progress, such as resource losses during boss battles and lag in multiplayer connections. Overall, while there are moments of enjoyment, the game's stability remains a concern for many players.
- “It's also pretty much bug-free.”
- “No glitches at all; it seems like a finished product, not your average early access garbage.”
- “It's an early access game, but the single player is complete and so far not buggy.”
- “The game starts okay enough, but the smug overly self-aware humor wears thin quickly, the difficulty isn't worth the payoff, and in the end I uninstalled after a mid-game boss battle caused glitches that resulted in the loss of too many of my resources to be worth continuing.”
- “I tried to play it on Ubuntu and Windows, and both are buggy.”
- “My biggest problem with the game are the glitches that prevent you from doing what the game wants you to do, such as lag issues starting you in danger of the next map, and the inability to toggle the targeting feature on or off which we have yet to figure out the cause.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
25%
38%
Character development in the game is highly praised for its fluidity and depth, featuring both non-linear progression and a linear storyline. Players find themselves invested in the characters, including the player character and their sidekick, thanks to well-crafted traits and interactions. Overall, the character development is considered a strong aspect that enhances replayability and engagement.
- “The character development in this story is great; the character movement is so fluid and good.”
- “The character development also offers a number of hooks to become invested in either the player character or its unlikely sidekick.”
- “The character development in both crunch and fluff is well done.”
- “While you have non-linear character development, you have a very linear storyline and the skill set required for progression.”
- “Played it through, but considering the possibilities of the character development, it is worth playing again.”
- “But enough about story and character development, let's get to raw gameplay.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express strong negative emotions regarding the game, feeling betrayed and disappointed, particularly due to server issues. The overall sentiment suggests that ignoring these problems may lead to a more positive experience, but the current state has left players feeling frustrated and disillusioned.
- “Basically made me feel betrayed by the game.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while it maintains a solid technical performance with a consistent 144 frames per second, players experience significant delays and issues with lag in multiplayer, leading to frustrating teleportation and projectile inaccuracies.
- “The technical performance is excellent, remaining at a constant 144 frames per second with little to no noticeable drops.”
- “The game's optimization allows for smooth gameplay, ensuring that performance remains consistent even during intense action sequences.”
- “I appreciate how well the game runs on lower-end hardware, making it accessible to a wider audience without sacrificing quality.”
- “You experience delays of 1-2 seconds, and you get randomly teleported across the screen. Projectiles are calculated from the host without any leniency for lag, which makes the gameplay frustrating. The game's code does not feel optimized for multiplayer at all.”
- “The optimization is severely lacking, leading to frequent stutters and frame drops that ruin the overall experience.”
- “I often encounter long loading times and performance issues that make the game feel unpolished and frustrating to play.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being intrusive, with players expressing frustration over persistent spam ads in their inventory and the promotion of future titles within the current game, which many find unappealing and tacky.
- “Advertising the 'next developed' game inside your 'first developed' game is really tacky.”
- “Having this game in my library caused me to have un-deletable spam ads in my inventory.”