Stolen Realm Review by Ellery Woods Parker III

At completexbox we are very much community driven, and welcome guest articles, opinion pieces and reviews. This Review is written by the very talented Ellery Woods Parker III

Bottom Line Up Front:

The pros and cons of this turn-based combat experience balance themselves out giving us some highs and some lows. Although I only played solo, I can imagine a multiplayer experience to be quite fun. For those not typically drawn to the genre, I would pass on this one.  For the rest of us, I’d wait for a sale if anything about the game piques your interest.

BLUF: Recommended on Sale

So, what’s it all about?

There is a curse that has plagued the realm.  It has turned its protectors into monsters…and it is your mission to defeat them and bring the curse to an end.  You have a choice to embark on this journey via a campaign or roguelike (I chose campaign).  In the campaign you have main and side missions infused with narration to complete which are chosen via a map.  The roguelike is a more streamlined experience.

You traverse through the realm fighting the plagued royals of the kingdom via turned based combat.  Once a boss has been defeated you are returned to town where you can level up your gear, your character, and procure any needed materials (like healing or mana potions).

Gameplay Mechanics

Combat:

The game features arena turned based combat.  The arena includes shrines that provide additional buffs as well as damage and healing barrels to assist during the battle.  I enjoyed the combat although it did feel repetitive after a time.

Traversing:

Each section of the map takes place on floating hex islands which was the perfect pairing for the game’s art style.  A few times while walking around I did get stuck on hex blocks–one of those times I was not able to move at all and had to quit quest.

Objectives:

The objectives are straight forward: journey through the realm, defeating the corrupted kingdom folk.  Each hex island gets added onto as you progress through the specific quest.  The next hex segment is chosen by the player who gets a random choice of things like battle, hard battle, shop, rest, or event.    

Gameplay Loop

The gameplay loop is somewhat player dependent as you can choose many sections of a specific quest.  Ultimately, you will be making your way through a hex island (via battles, probability-based events, mini-games (like fishing and mining), and resting) to make it to the boss at the end.  Defeating the boss will open up more locations on the map which will follow the same formula.

Leveling Up/Skills/Abilities

After each quest, you are provided a summary of your stats as well as your rewards (Exp, gold, items).  Back in town you use these rewards to level up your character and gear, readying yourself for your next quest.

Accessibility

There are too few games that have stellar showings in this category, but I wanted to highlight one in this game that I appreciated.  They game starts off with six difficulty levels: casual, adventurer, classic, veteran, torturous, and heart of the realm.  No matter your skills or preferences, you are sure to find something that matches your needs in this category.

Replayability

Although the game has high replayability (especially once you complete the campaign and jump into the roguelike mode), it gets repetitive, something I felt playing through the campaign.

Art Style

The art style and gameplay “board” shine.  Subtly geometric and vibrant, the style is easy on the eyes.  The board is made up of hex blocks that form a floating island.  Depending on where you are on the map, there are different biomes which freshens things up throughout the game.

Story

The ability to chose anywhere open on the map (either side or main quests) does the player a disservice as there is a golden path that will tell the story in order.  Since I choice to knock out as many side quests as possible to level up, I was given the story out of order which made it quite confusing.

Defeating bosses provides flashbacks of their younger selves as protectors of the realm. This was a nice touch and reminded you why you were on this journey.

Audio

• Score/OST: I thought the music matched the biomes/adventures very well and positively influences the overall experience.
• Sound Design: The sound design was average and didn’t take anything away from the experience of the game.
• Voice Acting: The narrator does not have much inflection in their voice and overall voice acting is flat. I opted to read ahead and skip hearing them talk.

Achievements

There are 10 achievements, none of them miss-able if you complete the game, as they are based on beating the bosses.  For all those achievement hunters, consider throwing this game on your radar.

Summary:

For fans of the genre or those that found something interesting about the game, I would suggest waiting for a sale. The games bright spots warrant a playthrough, but the lows can be a bit of a bummer.

(At the time of this writing it is currently on a 50% off sale, which I would absolutely recommend at this price).