Way of Defector Reviews

No. I like the concept and genre but it's just not a good game.

North Korea is the most interesting thing in the world today... How can an indie game be so good? This is one of my favorite games of all time... I wish there was more expansive DLC. New maps? New routes?

i dont know why its mixed. i personally liked it and it has replay-ability too! i say investing in strength and working is your best chance at success. but everyone has their own playstyle. dont listen to the haters. its $5 for a good time. you dont have anything to lose!

Great concept, poorly implemented. The "game" is repetitive and takes on almost a D&D style of gameplay with the dice. However where you might fight a troll or something in a D&D style board game, you do the same thing over and over again. You seem to be constantly on a quest to find a broker, just when you think you have achieved it, bam rinse repeat. I really tried to give the "game" a chance but it's just mind numbing. If you have ever watched paint dry, then you have had more excitement than this "game" offers.

A thoughtful experience, even if a bit rough. The gameplay itself is not complicated - you need to work to earn money, buy food, and collect information about the way to get from China (where you currently are, illegally) to South Korea. There are public security officers roaming the map, trying to catch you, and when you share a space, you must undergo a skill check to avoid them. The main mechanic is dice rolls - you can roll more dice if your stats are higher, and certain items or actions can increase them. It's quite straight forward, and easy to learn. When you fail or succeed, attractive paintings show up - I wish there were more of them, and incorporated in the game itself. The normal GUI is fine - you can see the screenshots. I recommend this game, but you'll enjoy it the most if you really try to identify with the character, instead of focusing on the (basic) gameplay. For the price, it's a worthwhile experience, in my view.

Taiwan is a sovereign state. Just for not including Taiwan as part of China, I'm all in for this game. Now the real review: The concept is interesting. You play as a North Korean defector who is trying to find your way to the South. However, I think the tutorial should explain more aspects of the game's mechanisms. I found myself struggling even with tips.

It's a simple and interesting game. It resembles dice rolling Board Games, since the outcome of almost all your actions are decided by the roll of dices, and you get as many dices as your status allows. It's challeging and every time you get further down your journey (after all the game overs you get) it's very rewarding. If you are unsure, i would say that for such a price it is totally worth a try. Some changes i would recommend: - An option to turn off the help for good, because it's tiring to click "no" everytime you start a new campaing and the games asks if i would like to see the hints. - If my health is already full i see no reason why the game should allow me to roll the dices and try to recover health at the and of a "rest" option. I only played for 5h so far, with the first character until i escaped for the first time, so the following observations may be wrong: - Every playthrough i got the random event where i found an orchid and the game asks me if i would like to pick some fruit or pass by it. If i pass, nothing happens, but if i pick the fruit the owner always sees and tries to catch me. So everytime i got the event, i just passed because it was not worth the risk. I believe it would be more interesting to the game experience if the outcome of the event was random: maybe the owner would see me, maybe not, if he did than i try to go away, if he didn't, than i would pick the fruit with no further problems. - Same logic applies to the random event where some patrol passes by on a car, i can walk as if i was a normal citizen, i can flee or i can do a third one i don't remember. First time this event came, i choose to walk, and they passed. after that i got the event almost every playtrough and i choose the walk option, with the same outcome, which i believe does not add to the experience, it's just "oh, that again... ok walk..." I hope these observations are helpfull somehow for the Devs

This game resembles very much a similar game concept I had in mind for a couple of years touching the very same topic and since i'm pretty much into defector stories (read 3 books and saw I think every documentary about NK) I was thrilled to press the 'buy' button for mere 1,5 USD. The game is definitely worth a couple of bucks more and joins the glorious group of so many low-key, decent games like Papers Please or NEO:Scavenger

A simple but ok game. This theme deserve a better game to show the anxious journey, and its implications, of escaping from that hellish and horrible country

Way of Defector is fascinating. You are helping North Korean defector escape through China, and together you go on an emotional journey where you feel responsible for this real-life inspired person's survival. The game is far from perfect though, and the decision to make every outcome determine by a dice roll ranges from mildly irritating to screw this game. The writing could also use work, and there are a certain amount of weird and overly 'gamey' moment that seem very out of place. However, if you can look past all of that, then you will find a game that is like nothing else you will have played before. For the full review please visit here - https://bitsandpieces.games/2018/01/11/way-of-defector-review-freedom-is-but-a-dice-roll-away/