KickStarter SKALD: Against the Black Priory - retro RPG inspired by Ultima

[HoboForEternity]

This is not a game created with replayability in mind, I don't think. Which is a shame considering its length. The hope here would be that the developer takes the engine and ruleset he's created, expand upon the systems to make them a bit more compelling, then create a lengthier, less linear campaign with more C&C - and hopefully all of this much faster since there's a foundation established to work on top of.

Thats why i said the game peaked in horryn. There are mutliple ways to solve the situation. You can manipulate them or straight up slaughter them. Writing wise, places like frigol is very cool, but they are all linear.

 

[Lyre Mors]

Agree about the general improvements and replayability, but honestly I think the game's length is great. I'm well over all the silly-long, 60+ hour RPGs, and I'd sooner devs knock out 20-30 hour RPGs more regular myself.

Yep, that'd be fine if replayability is prioritized. As I've said on numerous occasions, 40-50 hours is my ideal length for an RPG, as it gives the player the time to enjoy the sense of progression and adventure that is very much so a part of the satisfaction of the genre. Often times 20 hours feels too quick for me to really get that full sense of enjoyment, unless the experience offered is rather thin as is the case with SKALD, in which case I was getting kind of bored near the end - not a good sign, and an indication the RPG has done something wrong in the long run. 20 hours is just fine if there are some meaty systems to play around with and non-linearity/meaningful choices, as I can dig further in on subsequent playthrough, but even then, 30-40 hours feels better to me. Overall I agree though that 60+ hours has a bit too bloated feel to it in most cases. I think there's a sweet spot to be landed on in the genre.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Agree about the general improvements and replayability, but honestly I think the game's length is great. I'm well over all the silly-long, 60+ hour RPGs, and I'd sooner devs knock out 20-30 hour RPGs more regular myself.

Yep, that'd be fine if replayability is prioritized. As I've said on numerous occasions, 40-50 hours is my ideal length for an RPG, as it gives the player the time to enjoy the sense of progression and adventure that is very much so a part of the satisfaction of the genre. Often times 20 hours feels too quick for me to really get that full sense of enjoyment, unless the experience offered is rather thin as is the case with SKALD, in which case I was getting kind of bored near the end - not a good sign, and an indication the RPG has done something wrong in the long run. 20 hours is just fine if there are some meaty systems to play around with and non-linearity/meaningful choices, as I can dig further in on subsequent playthrough, but even then, 30-40 hours feels better to me. Overall I agree though that 60+ hours has a bit too bloated feel to it in most cases. I think there's a sweet spot to be landed on in the genre.

This. I'd rather play two 40 hour games than one 80+ hour game, everything else being equal. It has to be excellent to keep my attention at that point and there's a good chance I'm never playing it again at that size, or at least not playing it all the way through again. At least for anything with a storyline, more sandbox style games or strategy games tend to be a different beast.

 

[mindx2]

This ADHD generation Get Off my cRPG lawn!! Give me my 100+ hour Wizardy, Ultima, M&M, Gold Box games Gosh Darn it!!! This old man wants to lose himself within a good game gazing at the map of these worlds wondering what could be on the otherside of that mountain or that desert or that ocean or....

 

[Lyre Mors]

This ADHD generation Get Off my cRPG lawn!! Give me my 100+ hour Wizardy, Ultima, M&M, Gold Box games Gosh Darn it!!! This old man wants to lose himself within a good game gazing at the map of these worlds wondering what could be on the otherside of that mountain or that desert or that ocean or....

There's absolutely still a place for this. It just sadly seems beyond the abilities of most modern day developers to make that 100+ hours compelling all the way through.

 

[damager]

Man this game was made by a single person guys. I'm sure if he had 5 times the time and money he would be capable of doing a 100h game too

 

[Dark Souls II]

Started playing this yesterday. Liking everything about it so far, great music, artstyle, combat is fun even though quite simplistic (great sound effects for crits), the writing is surprisingly good, it actually feels properly Lovecraftian.

 

[Ladonna]

This is not a game created with replayability in mind, I don't think. Which is a shame considering its length. The hope here would be that the developer takes the engine and ruleset he's created, expand upon the systems to make them a bit more compelling, then create a lengthier, less linear campaign with more C&C - and hopefully all of this much faster since there's a foundation established to work on top of.

Agree about the general improvements and replayability, but honestly I think the game's length is great. I'm well over all the silly-long, 60+ hour RPGs, and I'd sooner devs knock out 20-30 hour RPGs more regular myself.

I wouldn't care if it was 60 hours, so long as the pacing and interest level could be maintained. A lot of these games rely heavily on trash mob spawning to pad out the game, which tends to become boring.

Has anyone played this game with the respawning enemies? I turned it off as soon as I saw the option. Just wondering how much "filler" it adds on to the game time.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

Has anyone played this game with the respawning enemies? I turned it off as soon as I saw the option. Just wondering how much "filler" it adds on to the game time.

I never turned off random encounters. It only began to annoy me after the second island approaching endgame. There was an encounter for...troglodytes? Something appearing to be a horde of apeman creatures with lots of HP but otherwise no threat at all. When I felt disinclined to fight, there were very few random encounters I couldn't avoid with skill checks. Otherwise I felt like the random encounters had their place. The islands are supposed to be hostile, and while the designer oversupplied food, attrition is appears to be one of the intended challenges of the game.

 

[Falksi]

Yeah, I turned off random encounters after around half way. Much better experience for it, both in terms of respecting the players time and in stopping you from getting over-levelled. The game was easy regardless, but at least it still gave you the odd kick finishing it around level 16-17

 

[Maxie]

just beaten the game in 14h ending at lvl19
it's OK but i dont like the lolcraft aesthetic

 

[rojay]

I turned off random encounters when they became tedious, which I think was about 1/3 of the way through the game. I still ended up with at least one character at max level, I think, and the combat wasn't particularly challenging, but I played on the default setting.

 

[Maxie]

i mean i just rolled to escape shit. troglodyte random encounters i savescummed fuck those retards

 

[Inec0rn]

This has better quests and world building than most of Obsidians catalogue.. why can't companies with money make half decent games.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Is this getting any dlc or expansion?

 

[Gandalf]

Is this getting any dlc or expansion?

I don't know, man, but something new is comming. The developer is working.

 

[None]

Got around to playing this. Great game, would (and will) buy whatever else is released.

My only criticism is regarding how the more fantastical elements were handled. I would have preferred an Underrail style approach, where the true nature of events transpiring remain hidden unless you, the player, put in the time to figure out what is going on. Instead it's just thrown into your face and suddenly you wake up on the HR Giger Express on your way to revive God. I'm the type that prefers peeking around the curtain, rather than have it be pulled away in front of me. I still had fun though, I generally don't binge games the way I did with this one. Hopefully the dev gives us something a little more mundane next time around, at least compared to this.

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

You know how good (and bad) games get hundres of pages on here?
Yeah, SKALD is neither. It's just okay, and that's the worst thing a game can be. You can't love it, you can't hate it. It's just okay.
From this point of view one could make the argument that SKALD is, in a way, a bigger failure than Veilguard.

Agreed

One of the most "meh" games I played all year. Decided to drop it. The only other game I dropped out of the 17 I've downloaded and started this year is Mass Effect Andromeda.

I'm surprised there's 60+ pages on this

 

[Tyranicon]

What RPGs even came out this year? This is the only one I remember playing.

Man, GOTY is looking like slim pickings.

 

[damager]

Game was great fuck yourself you popamole sleeperagents

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

What RPGs even came out this year? This is the only one I remember playing.

Man, GOTY is looking like slim pickings.

Not many - other than this mediocrity there was Passageway of the Ancients which was also very mediocre.

Drova really might be the GOTY which is crazy to think

Game was great fuck yourself you poapemole sleeperagents

Wow, I'm surprised this extremely mediocre game can cause any sort of emotion in people.

Also you literally just played Arcanum for the first time this past month who are you calling popamole sleepagent faggot. Don't know how that's possible unless you really are just way too new to the whole genre. Go post some more in Veilguard thread.

 

[damager]

Someody got issues I think you felt found out bro!

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

Imagine being so irrelevant that getting 4 reactions means something to you, keep shilling your 3/5 game

 

[damager]

Vatnik. Vatnik never changes.

 

[Castozor]

I think it's a bit better than mediocre, I actually want to see more from this guy unlike most shit I've seen released this year.