Dread Delusion Reviews

Throw back to old RPGs. I liked the story, characters, and world of this game. The only downside, like most reviews for this game, is that the combat is very easy and lacking. Combat is pretty much only used for gaining gold and consumables, if you're full up on both you can skip it as levels are gained through the collectable skulls and the armor/weapons themselves. I knew this going in however and just vibed with everything else and had a good time. 7/10

This was an unexpected open world game that really stood out for an indie title. While it is simple combat the world was really fun to explore and allowed for some choice in how you approached it. The story lines and NPC's were really awesome to follow through on their quests and lore. I did not play it with the "pixel filter" and I applaud the developers for allowing you to turn that off. I get the old school vibe but the game was brilliant without it! Worth every penny!

amazing like michael morcock. The game is easy to master but challenging.

Behind the veneer of a PS1 game with some extremely chunky textures lies an absolutely excellent experience from beginning to end. From the writing to the music to the level design, this game shines in all aspects. The fact that such a small team was able to put together a game of this caliber is a testament to their talent. Dread Delusion definitely will enter into a spot on my favorite games of all time. Take the trip and enjoy every second of it!!!

One of the best exploration games I've ever played, The combat is simple but it's not about that, it's about the story and the lore.

Simple gameplay paired with a deeply interesting world to explore. The world building, atmosphere, and surreal visuals are good enough to carry the game on its own. A healthy dose of reading required ahead.

[h1]It's been so long since a game has captivated me so much.[/h1] Just when I was thinking about how young I was when I first played [i]TES IV Oblivion[/i], and how so few games have touched that apex since, this comes along. And while it maybe didn't refactor my entire experience of gaming like Oblivion did nearly 20 years ago, [i]Dread Delusion[/i] is absolutely one of the best games I've played in ages. The elevator pitch? Lo-fi, drug-addled [i]Oblivion[/i], plain and simple. At least visually - the story is no copycat. Of all the indie games I've played, perhaps with the exception of [i]Hades[/i], which has the benefit of drawing on IRL mythology, [i]Dread Delusion[/i] has some of the most fleshed-out, interesting, unique lore to it in recent memory. I feel like I've played many games that played at this kind of thing, but DD is the real deal. Inside its familiar "assemble-the-Avengers-over-three-different-geopolitical-regions" structure you'll find one of the best original fictional worlds I've encountered in a videogame. Systemically, the game is profoundly interesting both in how it hews to and pulls away from the established formulae of its most prominent influences. The first thing you'll notice is that there's no save system - only three slots selectable from the main menu. In other words: no save-scumming allowed. It's definitely A Choice(TM), but considering how I've played the last few Bethesda games knowing how things work, the denial of that option here is actually a good decision, and with the game not being extremely expansive (at least compared to other things referenced here), it's not out of the question to have a meaningful second or third playthrough (though a New Game+ update would be welcome). That said, there are a few things that don't gel well: the recurring theme here is that [i]Dread Delusion[/i] is a somewhat streamlined RPG experience, and there are both good and bad consequences of that design philosophy. Lightning round to explain: there's not a ton of junk items littering the world enticing you to steal every random goblet and planter from every building and fence it. This is a welcome change. There's also no "looting" enemies save for the one random thing they drop when they die. I don't mind this, but there is a general lack of granularity that doesn't permit for, say, taking off the exact armor the enemy just fought you with. Finally, there's no actual social systems so "sneaking" around town and robbing the merchants blind literally just involves (a) sleeping til nighttime, (b) lockpicking in plain sight, and (c) stomping around and taking the one valuable item from the chest right by sleeping guy directly next to you. Not even crouched. There are, admittedly, a ton of buildings that exist just to be hosts for one single chest, and that is maybe the only part of the game that gets a bit tiring. The most notable oddity though is perhaps the difficulty curve. The game tosses you into the world with no fast travel, no map, not even a compass - all these things are rectified in due time, but not knowing which way is north is a bit ridiculous - especially considering the relative difficulty of the combat is almost trivial. I think [u]literally[/u] all of the 6 or 7 deaths I incurred during my 16-hour first run were either from fall damage (which you can negate if you plan ahead), or throwing an explosive too close to myself. Even with minimal investment into physical stats, no enemies really posed a threat to me unless I stood blankly in front of them - and because their attack patterns are so limited, I don't imagine higher difficulty settings will fix this for those looking for a challenge, as you could train a dolphin to dodge these attacks if you gave it a waterproof keyboard. Speaking of stats, there are some clear 'favorites' to prioritize; while you can brute-force things sometimes with Lockpick, there's a ton of stuff that is simply gated behind a flat of Lore or Charm check which you can almost always retry - which also plays into the "entire-house-for-one-piece-of-loot" thing I said above. You'll also want plenty of Mana to keep casting Agility's Addendum, a super-speed spell, because travel feels great with it (like bouncing around on a Source-engine Surf map), and without it feels pretty sluggish. Also, when "warp home" is a spell you'll use so often... starting the player with only 1 spell slot is just a bit insulting. Side note: I feel like the warp spells could enable some very cool speedrunning strats. Performance-wise, the game seems great - though you'll likely want to turn down the jitter on the textures and the head bob before too long. The only performance issues I had are when you very clearly zone between two areas - there's a brief stall and pop-in even on an M2 SSD, and sometimes you can be moving so fast that the terrain in front of you won't load. But my real complaint is in the keybinds - you can equip up to two weapons, six items, and six spells - but you can only ever cycle them in one direction. It's hardly the end of the world but radial menus and/or proper hotkeys would go a long way. Also - why is the [spoiler]airship[/spoiler] sensitivity so different from normal? It's almost comical, and I shudder to think how I'd handle it without a giant mousepad. [i]Now...[/i] If this has seemed like a lot of words complaining, I suppose I do that - humans are prone to negative response bias. I have plenty of tweaks I would personally bundle into a DD megapatch, or a mod, or [i]Dread Delusion 2[/i] - the game was not perfect, and frankly some of my hangups are things that have been solved elsewhere a long time ago. But when I say that [i]Dread Delusion[/i] is one of the finest RPGs I have played in a very long time, overflowing with visual and narrative depth and written with just the right amount of seriousness (so rare these days) - I mean it. Play this game. Even if you play it just the once, the experience will be well worth what you put into it. If I had to give it a score? 8.5/10. Hearty recommend.

Please take the time to read all of the dialogue; it is so well written. There's references, world-building, sarcasm, role-playing, and a bit of 4th wall jokes sprinkled in. The music is phenomenal, it's beautifully haunting and I wish I could purchase it. The combat is the only lacking thing within this game, but as a souls veteran who's also played all elder scrolls games, it didn't make my experience with the game worse in any way. The spells are generally utility focused, but there are, of course, a few offensive spells and they all fill a niche. If you're wanting to minimize the down-time between zones, npcs, or exploring, buying the spell "Agility's Addendum" from the Emporium in Hallow Town is HIGHLY recommended, it is super satisfying and allows the player to move at incredible speeds. There's plenty of unique items and effects within the game, there's lockpicking. Charm checks within dialogue (think fallout with its skill locked dialogue choices), upgrades for every worn item and weapon, "Lore" checks to progress through some areas, which require you to find the "secret/hidden" objects within the areas and activate them, leading to the next area being enterable, now an endgame zone, and AIRSHIPS! This and Lunacid have both been wonderful experiences for me this last year and I have no regrets of purchasing either at full price and playing the games to their fullest. Truly amazing games.

This was a great game, it was a relaxing, intriguing and weird. The game play was simple but didn't ever get stale, the soundtrack was peaceful and atmospheric (if a little limited), and the world building, lore and story were all captivating and strange. I went into this game thinking it would be a short 10-15 hour experience at most, and was pleasantly surprised with how much time I actually spent with it. Looking forward to playing again to see the outcome of the choices I didn't make.

The opening hours, while atmospheric and richly characterising the Apostatic Union and the central conflicts of the story, were undeniably slow, and the lack of musical variety, and somewhat basic combat definitely didn't help the feeling of monotony it instilled in me. Things however started picking up after the first 3 or 4 hours, and the game really blossomed as I reached the tail end of [spoiler]my first stint in Hallowshire[/spoiler]. Once I hit this point there was no going back, the game just stayed really really good til the very end, with excellent writing, a tight main plot, and side quests that all felt meaningful. Speaking of side quests, each and every one left me feeling more connected to the people of the Oneiric Isles, caring about their plight, and understanding various factions' motivations that bit better - I couldn't ask for more. The game's slightly simplistic mechanical building blocks put a lot of pressure on the art, music & dialogue to deliver - and if you don't find the colour palette too dizzying, nor mind reading words to get at the good stuff in your video games, and are content to put up with a bit of slow start, then it all comes together exceptionally well. P.S. I love the [spoiler]sprint spell, thank you devs for letting me go [b]fast[/b][/spoiler].