Wildermyth

79%
Game Brain Score Based on 10,362 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Wildermyth Game Cover
Narrative design as genetic engineering, it will live in your head like an imaginary friend.
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Wildermyth is a fantasy turn-based strategy RPG that offers both single-player and multiplayer/co-op modes for 2 players. Create and grow a unique band of heroes, guiding them from reluctant farmers to legendary fighters as they battle threats in procedurally-generated landscapes filled with secrets and lore. Experience character-driven stories with tactical, strategic combat in this truly unique RPG experience.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Linux
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

79%
Audience ScoreBased on 10,362 reviews
story1,846 positive mentions
grinding60 negative mentions
  • story5,435 mentions

    The story in *Wildermyth* is a standout feature, praised for its engaging and procedurally generated narrative that allows players to shape their characters' journeys through meaningful choices and interactions. While the initial campaigns offer well-crafted storylines, some players note that the randomness can lead to repetitive elements in later playthroughs. Overall, the game successfully combines tactical combat with rich storytelling, creating a unique experience that resonates with fans of both RPGs and narrative-driven games.

    • “The difference to me about designing each character in this game versus character creation in other games is that Wildermyth then takes my creation and weaves a story with it.”
    • “The storytelling in comic form is very engaging, and it makes it very easy to follow even if you are bad at focusing like me.”
    • “The stories themselves, both the big overall campaign narratives and the many small story threads that are constantly swapped in and out of a campaign, are very well-written, and every time will give you a roster of utterly unique characters with strong personalities and crazy life histories.”
    • “The story structure is fairly simplistic and leads to repetitive stories, apparently based on which target structures were included in a given map.”
    • “The writing is awkward, and the dialogue seems to be either randomly generated or translated very poorly from some other language.”
    • “The story is well written, but the repetition of numerous side quests and events jars the player from their immersion.”
  • gameplay1,711 mentions

    The gameplay in Wildermyth is characterized by its engaging turn-based tactical combat, reminiscent of XCOM, combined with a unique storytelling mechanic that allows for character development and legacy progression. Players appreciate the balance between strategic decision-making and narrative depth, with mechanics like character aging and relationship dynamics adding emotional weight to gameplay. While some find the mechanics simple and occasionally repetitive, the overall experience is enriched by charming art, humor, and a variety of procedural events that keep each playthrough fresh and compelling.

    • “Wildermyth is a beautifully-crafted game that calls upon the bittersweet whimsy of stories like The Last Unicorn, while also presenting rewarding and engaging tactical gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay loop in Wildermyth is perfection, with an excellent balance of story and tactical combat.”
    • “Wildermyth is a rare game that combines excellent gameplay, beautiful artwork, extremely clever and unique game design, and masterful narrative threads into a beautiful, exciting, and touching gaming experience.”
    • “Sadly, gameplay quirks, shallow character growth, and an over-reliance on RNG leaves me feeling far short of having had a positive experience.”
    • “The fact that there's only 3 classes with no real way of talent-like mechanics is mind-boggling and the combat itself is clunky, too.”
    • “After the first campaign, I felt like this interesting part of the game had shown me all it had to offer and the mechanical quirks of the game grew from minor annoyances into larger frustrations.”
  • graphics1,123 mentions

    The graphics of Wildermyth are characterized by a charming, simplistic papercraft aesthetic that evokes a storybook or tabletop RPG feel. While some players initially find the 2D cutout style off-putting, many reviews highlight how it grows on them, enhancing the game's narrative and emotional depth. Overall, the visuals are praised for their unique artistic direction, which complements the engaging storytelling and gameplay, making it a delightful experience despite not being graphically intensive.

    • “It manages to invoke both a fantastical storybook aesthetic and simultaneously capture a bit of tabletop magic with the papercraft feel.”
    • “The art style is charming and unique, resembling a tabletop game where the pieces are like popups instead of being 3D.”
    • “Wildermyth combines a charming watercolor storybook art style with a large variety of random story encounters to make each character you create unique in their own right.”
    • “The only negative for me is the overland map - compared to the rest of the game it looks like an ugly afterthought, like placeholder graphics that never got polished.”
    • “It's such a shame the graphics are so ugly.”
    • “I held off on getting Wildermyth for a while because I found the art style and lack of animation really unappealing.”
  • replayability538 mentions

    The game is widely praised for its exceptional replayability, with many players noting the procedural generation of events and narratives that keep each playthrough fresh and engaging. Users highlight the variety of character builds, legacy systems, and mod support as key factors contributing to its high replay value, often describing it as nearly infinite. While some mention that certain events may become repetitive over time, the overall consensus is that the game offers a rich and dynamic experience that encourages multiple playthroughs.

    • “It has a ton of replay value, and the procedural generation is handled in a way that still feels like a concrete narrative - something quite rare for the genre.”
    • “The developers have done procedural storytelling right, making for an infinitely replayable fantasy gaming experience.”
    • “The immense variation and writing are so good, lending to serious replayability.”
    • “The events are repetitive, playing the same 3 classes is repetitive, replaying any of the campaigns is repetitive (plot-wise), meaning this game is not as replayable as you may hope.”
    • “I don't know where everyone's getting this 'replayability' stuff from; I was running into event repeats less than an hour in.”
    • “Even though you may have finished one or more campaigns, and will see some repeating events and combat maps, there are little things that allow for a sense of replayability, like unlocking new weapon forms and choosing different event story branches.”
  • music422 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its soothing and immersive qualities. However, there are frequent mentions of a lack of variety, leading to repetitiveness over extended play sessions, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players find the soundtrack enchanting and fitting, others express a desire for more diverse tracks to accompany the gameplay.

    • “The music is beautiful and creates the perfect atmosphere.”
    • “The soundtrack is one of the best.”
    • “The music is relaxing, the stories are very interesting, the graphics are novel, and in the end, you do feel as if you've played a full Saturday night's D&D.”
    • “The music gets really monotonous and isn't particularly engaging.”
    • “Not because the music is bad, but because it's consistently sad and doesn't fit the overall tone of the game.”
    • “The music is probably my biggest critique of the game; it's beautiful for about five minutes and then it becomes extremely white noise.”
  • humor276 mentions

    The humor in the game is widely praised for its cleverness and charm, often eliciting genuine laughter through witty dialogue and absurd character interactions. Players appreciate the blend of light-hearted and poignant moments, with many noting the game's ability to generate hilarious and unexpected storylines that enhance replayability. While some find the humor occasionally hit-or-miss, the overall consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's engaging and enjoyable experience.

    • “The story lines are fun, unique, and often hilarious.”
    • “The writing is both touching and hilarious, you truly grow close to your adventuring party and value them like you value every member of your XCOM squad.”
    • “The humor, storytelling, and world-building in this game is amazing.”
  • character development264 mentions

    Character development in Wildermyth is widely praised for its depth and uniqueness, with players appreciating the rich storytelling and meaningful choices that shape characters' lives and relationships throughout campaigns. The game features a variety of character paths, transformations, and legacy mechanics that enhance emotional connections, making each playthrough feel distinct and engaging. Overall, the combination of procedural storytelling and character development creates a compelling experience that resonates with players, often leading to memorable and humorous interactions among party members.

    • “The branching stories and plentiful character development paths keep the game fresh and unpredictable.”
    • “Wildermyth strikes a sufficient balance between tactical combat and storytelling/character development.”
    • “The character development in this game is phenomenal; they suffer consequences of your choices, they might lose a limb, an eye, die, fall in love with a character, an NPC, your teammate, some far-out spirit, have children, they age, and depending on how long you mess around in the campaign, he/she might or might not see you in the final battle.”
    • “Your second playthrough just won't feel as exciting because you'll realize that there is no actual character development (aside from changes in physical appearance) or changes in relationships, which I think is crucial for any story to feel engaging, and there just aren't enough events to stave off repeats for very long.”
    • “The balance in character development feels off.”
    • “The rng of character development is frustrating more often than not.”
  • emotional254 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is widely praised for its ability to forge deep connections between players and their characters, often leading to heartfelt and heartbreaking moments. Players report experiencing a range of emotions, from joy and warmth to sadness and loss, particularly due to the game's permadeath mechanic and character development over time. The storytelling, characterized by touching narratives and whimsical art, enhances the emotional engagement, making players feel genuinely invested in their characters' journeys and fates.

    • “Then what the story does throw at us can make you start crying out of nowhere because you just sacrificed a character that you have an emotional attachment to.”
    • “I have cried at this game many, many times - it is so absolutely touching and heartwrenching and heartwarming.”
    • “The emotional hook goes deep.”
    • “Losses have meaning, and reloading to try again until you succeed makes for a boring story.”
    • “In the end, you scout, you beat the enemies, you skip through the boring story events, and then you secure the newly scouted space.”
    • “Imagine this, you are clicking, clicking, clicking simply to get through all the dialogue and then you accidentally click a choice because it suddenly changed from boring story to a choice to select.”
  • grinding65 mentions

    The reviews indicate that grinding in the game can be a mixed experience, with many players finding certain aspects tedious and repetitive, particularly in terms of story progression and combat. While some appreciate the depth and customization options that mitigate grindiness, others feel that the mechanics and resource management can become monotonous, detracting from overall enjoyment. Overall, the game offers a balance of engaging elements and tedious tasks, leading to varied opinions on the grinding experience.

    • “Grinding is key and time-consuming.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “It becomes repetitive and tedious, and I feel as though I am grinding through it to get the next snippet of story.”
    • “The writing is tedious and boring.”
  • atmosphere50 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its captivating blend of music, art style, and storytelling, creating an immersive experience that resonates with players. Many reviews highlight the charming, cozy, and sometimes melancholic ambiance, enhanced by the game's unique paper cutout visuals and well-composed soundtrack. However, some players feel that the atmosphere can be inconsistent, with a few noting moments of repetitiveness or a lack of depth in certain aspects.

    • “Excellent atmosphere, writing, and world building.”
    • “The music is beautiful and creates the perfect atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere and the art and the gameplay and the writing all fit together so very well, the game as a whole surpasses its components by leaps and bounds.”
    • “But in this game, there is literally no atmosphere.”
    • “Repetitive music, lack of atmosphere, boring stories.”
    • “[u]atmosphere:[/u] even though the paper art style is evident in the trailers and screenshots, the atmosphere is not quite what I had expected, and I think is largely responsible for my slow burn for this game.”
  • stability41 mentions

    Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag, with many users reporting occasional freezes and glitches, particularly in multiplayer modes. While some players have experienced significant issues, others find the game mostly stable, especially in single-player. Frequent updates are noted, but persistent bugs and performance hiccups remain a concern for many, suggesting that further polish is needed.

    • “I am playing on Linux Mint 20.2 on a low spec machine, and it runs great.”
    • “The game is mostly bug-free, except for a few known multiplayer minor issues I expect to be fixed soon.”
    • “Bug-free and runs smooth.”
    • “It's a great game, just freezes from time to time. I thought it would stabilize as it got updated, but it still hasn't.”
    • “So far, I love this game - but every 20 minutes or so, it freezes, and will sometimes do so right after I've finished a battle.”
    • “Multiplayer has a ton of terrible bugs (my friend experienced multiple freezes and crashes while playing with me, and I experience a ton of repeating text, stories, and glitch issues during the same time) that are frustrating to work with.”
  • optimization34 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly on Mac systems and during late-game scenarios with many enemies on screen. While the game allows for character customization without overwhelming players with options, it struggles with lag spikes and low frame rates, especially on lower-end hardware. Overall, while some players find the experience enjoyable despite these issues, others feel that the performance detracts from the gameplay, indicating a need for further optimization.

    • “Let's say you make 10 hunters, after letting them grow through some playthroughs, chances are all 10 of those hunters will end up being different in some ways even after having their build optimized.”
    • “Performance lets you keep and promote heroes for other campaigns with a solid amount of difficulty options that allow you to just weave a narrative or really challenge yourself.”
    • “The game is lightweight and runs smoothly on potatoes after a quick download.”
    • “The performance is absolutely terrible - I bought this to play on an M1 Pro MacBook and struggle to get above 30 FPS even on the lowest resolution and all graphic options off/min.”
    • “However, after binging an entire 5-chapter campaign, I ran into some performance issues.”
    • “The performance on my computer is actually shocking and unacceptable.”
  • monetization8 mentions

    The monetization of the game is perceived as a refreshing change in a market often filled with cash grabs, with accurate advertising that intrigues players. However, some users express concerns that the game may have been rushed to market, leading to bugs and a lack of content, which could undermine its value. Overall, while the game offers a unique experience, its monetization strategy raises questions about its long-term sustainability and depth.

    • “Usually if I see some game that seems a little too conceptual, I would write it off as a weird experiment or, at the very worst, a cash grab.”
    • “They would be rushed out to market for a cash grab, full of bugs and empty of content.”
    • “That said, it's not a role-playing game as the advertisement says.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

89% average critic score

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Play time

16hMedian play time
60hAverage play time
7-55hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 103 analyzed playthroughs

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