Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Prologue | Game Brain

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PURCHASE THE FULL GAMEhttps://store.steampowered.com/app/909660/?utm_source=steam&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=website&utm_content=wishlist&utm_term=prologue About the GameVagrus - The Riven Realms: Prologue is an early Demo to Vagrus - The Riven Realms, an award-winning roleplaying game with a narrative focus, open-world exploration, and strong elements of strategy. The playe…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Prologue screenshot

71%

Audience ScoreBased on 320 reviews

story52 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game features a unique and immersive setting inspired by Dark Sun, with rich lore and well-written narratives.
The demo provides a solid introduction to the game's mechanics, allowing players to experience the depth of caravan management and strategic combat.
The artwork and atmosphere are praised for their quality, enhancing the overall experience of the game.

The game is heavily text-based, which may deter players who prefer more action-oriented gameplay or less reading.
Combat mechanics are criticized for being clunky and lacking impact, leading to a less engaging experience during battles.
The user interface is described as complex and unresponsive, making navigation and understanding game mechanics challenging for new players.

story
182 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
69%
2%
The game's story is rich and engaging, featuring detailed world-building and well-crafted characters, reminiscent of classic adventure novels. However, many players found the narrative overly wordy and linear, detracting from gameplay and immersion, with some expressing a desire for more interactive storytelling elements. Overall, while the writing and atmosphere are praised, the balance between story and gameplay remains a point of contention among reviewers.
- “Playing this game is like being at the table with a master storyteller dungeon master.”
- “The lore is great, the story is captivating, the world seems dark, unforgiving but intriguing.”
- “The writing & story are great; gripping like a good adventure / fantasy novel (at times it even reminded me somewhat of old classics, like 'Legend of the Sword' with a dash of 'Journey: The Quest Begins').”
- “For a game whose claim is story-driven narrative, the writing is really poor.”
- “Heavy on the storytelling; broken and lackluster gameplay.”
- “The impossible logistics are grating but the linear plot line and illusion of choice of outcome was what I found to be most problematic.”
graphics
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
40%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning 2D artwork and atmospheric visuals that enhance the storytelling and worldbuilding. However, some users criticize the reliance on textual descriptions over illustrations, cumbersome UI, and the basic nature of the graphics, which may not appeal to everyone. Overall, while the art style is often described as beautiful and immersive, there are concerns about performance and the game's graphical demands.
- “The graphics are very nice for an independent game; the majority of the places you visit have stunning illustrations that convey the rich but unforgiving nature of the world depicted in the story.”
- “The beautifully crafted graphics and deep story world of this game had me doing the tutorial and checking every little detail while playing the first mission.”
- “The art style is beautiful and bleak.”
- “Although the exposition can be eye-glazing—it basically just harks back to various already-established (dark) fantasy mythoses after all—and there aren't enough illustrations (instead the game relies on textual descriptions to go hand-in-hand with world visualization) and the graphic art of the units in combat isn't attractive, this demo promises a well-designed game that fulfills my 'just one more click' addiction—I'm buying the full game, price be damned.”
- “While the atmosphere is good, it is not good enough to keep me focused on the plethora of tiny text, the cumbersome UI, and the rather quaint graphics.”
- “The visuals are kinda cheesy and maybe I just didn't get the hang of it, but I didn't find that it added a whole lot to the story.”
gameplay
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
5%
The gameplay has received mixed feedback, with some players appreciating the fascinating setting and intricate mechanics, particularly in trading and caravan management. However, many find the combat system convoluted and overwhelming, with a steep learning curve that can detract from the experience. While the game offers a rich narrative and high production values, the overall gameplay is perceived as lacking balance and depth, leading to frustration for those unfamiliar with RTS and management sims.
- “Gives you more than a sufficient taste of the gameplay, both for the campaign and freeplay modes that it seems to have, with the freeplay potentially being the main focus of the game and the campaign almost a side story narrative that's part tutorial.”
- “It successfully hooked me into the story and got me interested in the gameplay, leading me to buy the full game.”
- “Did a great job on gameplay and mechanics, with a well-done trading system that includes smuggling, transporting passengers, and managing exotic goods.”
- “Not interested in it, and not interested in learning the combat system or tracking a hundred different stats, effects, etc. I understand that the combat mechanics are there, but please add an auto-combat option - with a summary of combatants, who got killed or wounded, and items that were looted.”
- “Heavy on the storytelling; broken and lackluster gameplay.”
- “I liked the atmosphere and storytelling, but the impression I got from the gameplay is that it's a bit convoluted and combat is boring.”
music
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
39%
11%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric and ominous qualities, effectively enhancing the immersive experience of the stunning world. However, players have noted that the music could be more persistent, as there are moments of extended silence that disrupt the tension. Overall, the combination of melodious tracks and high-quality visuals contributes to a captivating presentation, though some players desire more ambient sounds to maintain engagement throughout gameplay.
- “The background music supplements the whole experience very nicely, without being obtrusive.”
- “I was also very impressed by the atmospheric gloomy music that matches the world perfectly.”
- “For me, Vagrus is one of the most ambitious indie games in the industry, with magnificent artwork, melodious music, and an impressive, gripping story.”
- “Music needs to be more persistent as there are extended durations of silence.”
- “Every time I have to navigate a window, all of the tension and music efforts just go to waste, as I break away from the story and change instead to micro-managing text and layouts.”
- “I'd also welcome much more ambient sounds or music so that there should never be complete silence in the game.”
atmosphere
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
18%
19%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive world-building, unique blend of themes, and effective use of gloomy music that enhances the experience. While some players find the atmosphere compelling enough to overlook gameplay flaws, others feel that it struggles to maintain focus amidst cumbersome UI and convoluted mechanics. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as one of the game's strongest elements, drawing players into its richly crafted environment.
- “I was also very impressed by the atmospheric gloomy music that matches the world perfectly.”
- “While the atmosphere is good, it is not good enough to keep me focused on the plethora of tiny text, the cumbersome UI, and the rather quaint graphics.”
- “I enjoyed the feeling of the world and overall atmosphere of the game - it's somewhere between Tyranny and Conan the Barbarian with a weird post-apocalyptic spice.”
- “Don't be discouraged by this as it is one of the game's absolute strengths - it allows you to sink into an atmosphere that is quite unmatched.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and unenjoyable, often feeling that it detracts from the overall experience despite the effort put into the game's world and design. Recommendations are limited to those who specifically enjoy grinding for in-game currency.
- “It's also, from my perspective, somewhat horribly tedious.”
- “Good but can’t recommend unless you enjoy grinding for coin.”
- “While I very much appreciate the effort and amount of work that has gone into the world and the genre, the game itself is tedious due to the interface.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional responses to the game are mixed; while some players found the demo engaging and compelling enough to consider purchasing the full version, others felt insulted and emotionally distressed by the content, describing it as abusive.
- “The demo was highly recommendable and made me feel like I want to buy the full game.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has received criticism, particularly regarding hero combat, which is described as needing rework for smoother performance and improved animations. Players have reported that it runs poorly on certain systems, indicating a need for better optimization overall.
- “I want to like it, but as of right now, on my laptop it seems poorly optimized.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy has faced criticism, particularly regarding the effectiveness of the free demo, which some users feel fails to function properly as a promotional tool for the game.
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game shows potential with interesting leveling and build mechanics, but the demo limits exploration of these features. Players feel restricted by an inventory system akin to trinkets rather than traditional equipment, which detracts from the ability to customize and optimize characters in a pen-and-paper RPG style.
- “The bones of some interesting character development in terms of leveling and builds are there, but in the demo, there's not a whole lot of opportunity to explore this. I also felt constrained by the inventory system, which is similar to Darkest's trinkets, rather than actual equipment. It would have felt more pen-and-paper RPG-like if I had some options to min-max my equipment.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game particularly amusing, highlighting a comedic moment in the intro cinematic where the narrator mistakenly refers to the game as "river realms" instead of the correct title, "riven realms." This error adds a lighthearted touch to the overall experience.
- “I found it hilarious that whoever read out the intro cinematic didn't even know what the game is called and keeps saying 'River Realms' instead of 'Riven Realms.'”

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Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Prologue
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60h Median play time

60h Average play time

60-60h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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This game contains adult content

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