I just started playing Wildermyth on the PC yesterday. This game is very fun and very challenging. I warn you, don’t get too attached to any of your characters, because it won’t be long before they die. Permadeath is real in this game. You get two chances. First time, your character will be maimed, second time, dead. I’m thinking I have to start all over because my characters just aren’t strong enough for the battle that they’re facing. I’ve tried twice now. Some had already died before that too.
Despite being super challenging, Wildermyth is also super fun. It’s sorta a randomly procedurely generated type of game. You start off with a band of 3 characters of your choosing. I generally just hit random several times til I got someone I liked the looks of.
The story starts out innocently and funnily enough, but quickly deepens. The story is never the same twice. Your choices and your actions effect the outcome of the game. You choose where to go, what to do, how to play. Your characters grow old, have kids, die, fall in love, have friendships and rivalries. Your characters reveal their hopes and dreams and you do grow attached to these seemingly random individuals.
The story is told through bits and parts and ever changing and evolving. That’s what I enjoy most about the game. Although it has no strong central story, the little side stories and character interactions are all very interesting. Characters have unique personalities and even the same story if it appears twice can play out differently based on who is in your party.
Some stories may even change how your characters look. And I love that when you equip an item, you can see your characters wearing the new items too.
The music is also very good in this game.
I would rate it as follows:
Overall Score: 55/70 79% C+ “Good Game For Girls”
Geeky: 3/5 – I think hardcore gamers will appreciate the difficulty and permadeath in the game, but they may feel the game is too slow paced and lacking in the graphics department
Sweetie: 4/5 – It’s a story-rich game driven by your decisions at every turn. It is more challenging than the games I typically review here. The story at times does feel disjointed because each side story is written by different people and there is a clear difference in tone or writing styles at times.
Gameplay: 8/10 – I like the challenge, but it’s also possible to paint yourself in a corner and have no choice but to restart the game from the beginning. Combat is simple to learn, hard to master. With different classes and different ways to grow your skill trees, how you play and how you fight is up to you. I also like that decisions matter a great deal and that there’s a lot of freedom in where to go and what to do or see.
Story: 7/10 – There is a loose overarching story and several different campaigns in place which is impressive for version 1.0 of this new indie title. But as mentioned, since the story is largely told by small random events, it can feel disjointed at times. I do like, however, that you control the fate of everyone and everything in the story.
Characters: 6/10 – My characters die too soon to live a full life. I have yet to see one have kids. I did have one tell another character she wanted to be a mother and we cut down havenwood to build a home. That’s about the closest I’ve gotten. She died shortly after. But from a gameplay standpoint, being able to control every aspect of my character’s personality and combat skills and everything else is a huge plus.
Graphics: 7/10 – I thought they were a bit simple, especially in combat. I do enjoy seeing my characters change physically, either by being maimed, or falling into sparkling magic ponds, or stealing a gem that embeds itself in a character’s eye, for example. And I assume they will change as they grow old, but mine all die after 3 or 4 years lol. There is a lot of detail in this game. You can see your characters change equipment and the hand drawn artstyle is a unique touch.
Music: 10/10 – I love the soundtrack in this game. It’s beautiful.
Replay Value: 10/10 – Every game is different. No two are ever alike. Definitely high replay value. Unlike visual novels, that have 20-30 different endings, the endings in Wildermyth, are well ENDLESS. No two playthroughs will ever be the same. That’s the game’s true charm right there.
Overall Score: 55/70 79% C+ “Good Game For Girls”
You can get Wildermyth on Steam
Or visit the official Wildermyth website for more information:
