Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest

80%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,042 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • music
Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest Game Cover
Despite some flaws, Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest is an engrossing visual novel with heavy RPG elements.
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"Werewolf: The Apocalypse — Heart of the Forest" is a narrative-driven role-playing game set in the World of Darkness universe. Players step into the shoes of a young woman exploring an ancient forest, uncovering secrets and battling supernatural foes as a shapeshifter. With multiple branching storylines and character customization options, each playthrough offers a unique experience.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

80%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,042 reviews
story280 positive mentions
grinding2 negative mentions
  • Engaging story with meaningful choices that impact the narrative and character development.
  • Beautiful art style and atmospheric sound design that enhance the immersive experience.
  • Good introduction to the Werewolf: The Apocalypse lore, appealing to both newcomers and veterans.
  • The game is very short, typically taking only 2-4 hours to complete, leaving players wanting more.
  • Lack of a save system and fast-forward options makes replaying for different outcomes tedious.
  • Some character portrayals and political themes may feel forced or overly simplistic, detracting from the overall experience.
  • story929 mentions

    The story of "Heart of the Forest" is a mixed bag, praised for its engaging narrative and meaningful choices that impact the outcome, but criticized for its brevity and pacing issues. Many players felt the game serves as an intriguing introduction to the world of "Werewolf: The Apocalypse," yet it often feels like a prologue rather than a complete story, leaving them wanting more. While the art and sound design enhance the experience, some reviewers noted that the plot can become erratic and heavy-handed with political themes, detracting from character development and immersion.

    • “It is very obvious that the devs knew what they were writing; you need to think before committing to a choice because each of them opens a whole new storyline with very different consequences.”
    • “The story dialog, sounds, music, and illustrations blew my expectations away.”
    • “The story is the core of course; it is pretty much a graphic novel, with sort of a choose-your-own-adventure feel, though I am not certain how much we can choose yet.”
    • “The story feels erratic, the characters rushed and a bit flat, and there's no real story arc to speak of.”
    • “The entire story felt like the prologue, or maybe first chapter, of a much longer game.”
    • “The story ends kinda abruptly though, I was expecting this game to be twice as long.”
  • graphics158 mentions

    The graphics in "Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Heart of the Forest" are described as stunning and artistically unique, effectively complementing the game's narrative and atmosphere. Many reviewers appreciate the vibrant and striking visuals, which range from colorful to creepy, enhancing the storytelling experience. However, some critiques mention that the art quality can be inconsistent, with a few expressing disappointment in the collage-style artwork, suggesting it detracts from immersion. Overall, the visuals are generally praised for their ability to evoke emotion and set the tone of the game.

    • “The art direction is on point with vibrant and striking visuals.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful and the music and ambient sounds are amazing and well done.”
    • “The artwork is a beautiful series of modern art collage, and can even be genuinely terrifying during the more violent areas.”
    • “It's a visual novel in which the visuals are of a very low art quality.”
    • “Wasn't a fan of the artwork which consists mainly of photos (and some other images) with blocky filters on them and then cut and pasted roughly into a frame to make it clear that's been done, but that's a personal choice.”
    • “This works to establish an aesthetic, but the visuals and the way the writing is handled makes keeping track of things very difficult.”
  • music139 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere and storytelling, with many reviewers praising its immersive quality and emotional resonance. The soundtrack is described as stunning and well-composed, effectively complementing the visuals and narrative, although some noted instances of minimal music or awkward sound effects. Overall, the combination of music, sound design, and art creates a captivating experience that draws players into the game's world.

    • “The music and ambient sound is top-notch, pulling my attention in fully.”
    • “A deep and interesting story, laced with lore from WTA and environmental issues, accompanied by beautiful artwork and a soundtrack that perfectly meshes with the story events.”
    • “The music is beautiful, the sound effects really add to the created and described environment.”
    • “Music is almost nonexistent and there are no voices, so you're better off playing some spooky music in the background to help the mood.”
    • “Rip to headphone users if they are wearing them when the end credits play though, the loudest end credits song I've ever heard.”
    • “Music was okay but I'm not a connoisseur in this aspect of video games.”
  • gameplay118 mentions

    The gameplay of this visual novel is a blend of engaging narrative and tactical mechanics, effectively capturing the essence of the tabletop RPG it is based on. While many players appreciate the depth of choices and the integration of stats like willpower and rage, some criticize the mechanics as feeling underutilized or rushed, particularly towards the end of the game. Overall, the experience is enjoyable, though the brevity and occasional lack of meaningful choices may leave players wanting more.

    • “Excellent narrative, good gameplay, an overall very fun and solid experience of the werewolf tabletop RPG system.”
    • “The mechanics to this visual-novel-styled game are perfect and they carry the game farther than you'd think.”
    • “Great narrative, choices actually had an impact on gameplay, engaging writing.”
    • “The gameplay is well written and has some interesting choices as a choose-your-own-adventure should; however, it is painfully short to the point where many of the mechanics introduced later in the game are pointless and are only used maybe once.”
    • “Just wish the story itself was longer due to how many new stats and mechanics they throw in that don't really get used near the end.”
    • “The mechanics also seem largely neglected.”
  • replayability90 mentions

    The game offers significant replayability due to its branching storylines and meaningful choices, allowing players to explore different outcomes despite its relatively short playtime of 2-3 hours. Many reviewers highlight the engaging plot, well-developed characters, and stylish artwork as factors that enhance the desire to replay. While some note the brevity of the experience, the variety of paths and achievements available contribute to a strong replay value, making it appealing for those who enjoy visual novels and narrative-driven gameplay.

    • “Great setting, well-written plot, cool characters, gorgeous and stylish artwork, and it seems to be very replayable.”
    • “The story was really gripping with interesting choices and a lot of replayability if that's your thing.”
    • “Visual novels' main draw is in the replayability, to be able to go back and see how the story would be different had you made other choices.”
    • “It looks like it would have a fair bit of replay value, but the scope of the game is just so incredibly small.”
    • “I'm sure replayability is the objective here, but, like, seriously, I was hoping one playthrough of 3 hours would be at least majority a part of the Garou world, not pre-first-change human.”
    • “It may be far too brief, but its replay value goes a long way towards making up for that shortcoming.”
  • atmosphere84 mentions

    The game excels in creating a rich and immersive atmosphere, effectively capturing the essence of its troubled Polish village and ancient forest setting through stunning artwork, sound design, and writing. Players appreciate the emotional depth and personal horror elements, although some express frustration with the lack of quick save options that hinder exploration. Overall, the atmosphere is consistently praised as one of the game's strongest features, enhancing the narrative and player engagement.

    • “I really loved the atmosphere the game creates with its sound design and amazing artwork.”
    • “The atmosphere of this game is amazing and creates an astounding emotional synchronicity to the narrative.”
    • “The atmosphere is wonderful, the illustrations are marvelous, dreamlike and surreal, the sound design is superb, both help capture the mood of the setting well and help you immerse into the spiritual and rage-filled world of Garou.”
    • “This feels like a first draft where so much effort was put into creating atmosphere that the authors forgot that they had a word count.”
    • “The excessive postmodernism broke the initial immersion and atmosphere, which had been the strong points of the series.”
    • “I did like its setting and the atmosphere of being in a different country than where most games are set, but that was about the only thing I liked about it.”
  • emotional28 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game elicits a wide range of responses, from deep emotional involvement and touching moments to feelings of disconnection in certain narrative areas. While some players found the story gripping and evocative, leading to tears and a sense of reward even in "bad" endings, others felt that key emotional elements were underdeveloped. Overall, the game successfully creates an engaging atmosphere that resonates emotionally, particularly through its well-written characters and impactful choices.

    • “Despite this, the game was still emotionally involving (mostly when a certain person suffered for Maia's actions).”
    • “The atmosphere of this game is amazing and creates an astounding emotional synchronicity to the narrative.”
    • “I cried when I finished this game.”
  • character development15 mentions

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising the depth and impact of choices on character progression, while others criticize the limited options and slow pacing, particularly for a visual novel based on a tabletop game. The presence of a character sheet reminiscent of pen-and-paper gaming allows for some long-term development, but many feel that the overall execution lacks the necessary thought to fully realize its potential. Ultimately, while multiple playthroughs can reveal different outcomes, the conclusion often feels rushed and anticlimactic.

    • “One of my favorite games of this style, I've played it over and over again because the text, music, sound effects, and character development are so good!”
    • “There is a character sheet that resembles pen and paper gaming, which is good because long-term character development can be observed.”
    • “So, I've done a number of playthroughs and each decision does have a direct impact on character development.”
    • “Not many choices for character development.”
    • “Pretty slow for a visual novel based on a tabletop game; not enough skills, options, or character development.”
    • “Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Heart of the Forest offers adventure and visual novel fans a slow buildup of character development, interpersonal relations, and plot, then a really quick finish with an anticlimactic ending that left me wondering, 'Was that it?' Its saving grace is that you play through more than once to see where you can take the decisions and how your character will end up.”
  • humor10 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as both random and absurd, with moments that evoke laughter through unexpected comparisons and bizarre scenarios, such as the "werewolf supremacists" label. However, some players feel that the game's shift towards a more progressive tone has diluted its original dark humor and satire, leading to mixed reactions about its comedic effectiveness. Overall, while there are humorous elements, the change in tone has sparked debate among players regarding the game's direction.

    • “The Get of Fenris being described as 'werewolf supremacists' had me laughing really hard due to how straight-up random and out of the blue it felt.”
    • “I'm going to gloss over most (but not all details) and just describe that the session with my brother devolved from sincere enthusiasm, to mild disbelief, to tacit recognition that a scene or so was a little... strange (probably due to translation), into some Captain Planet analogies which I found humorous despite myself, to the moment this game jumped the friggin' shark.”
    • “Fringe weirdos think this game is propaganda; I think that's hilarious.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and time-consuming, hindering their ability to explore different choices and tailor their playthroughs effectively. This repetitive nature detracts from the overall enjoyment and engagement with the game.

    • “It just makes it tedious to explore different choices, tailor your subsequent playthroughs to how you want, and it just wastes time.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game is criticized for feeling more like a promotional tool for an upcoming title rather than fully capitalizing on its potential, leaving players wanting more content and value.

    • “Honestly, it feels like this is more of an advertisement for the upcoming werewolf RPG. The game is sitting on a goldmine but only brings up a single nugget instead of squeezing it for everything it has.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

75% average critic score

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Play time

5hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
4-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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