As a seasoned gamer with decades under my belt, I must confess, Mirthwood by Bad Ridge Games has left me utterly confounded and captivated in equal measure. It’s like stumbling upon a quaint, forgotten village nestled between two towering mountains – part epic adventure, part cosy farming sim, it’s a unique blend that I’ve rarely encountered before.
Occasionally, Mirthwood – developed by Bad Ridge Games – seems like a fusion of two distinct games. On one side, it offers an expansive journey requiring you to traverse a challenging world, unraveling the secrets of the Ancients and transforming into a mighty hero. Conversely, it provides a comforting farming experience where you can engage in Sims-like interactions with characters, build relationships, start families, and manage goats. In truth, I’m torn between my preference for either aspect of the game.
The experience is heavily focused on the adventure aspects, with everyday chores like mushroom picking and family dinner preparations serving as prelude. However, the tranquility of your domestic life is abruptly shattered by a raid, which forces you to flee and embark on a journey to the Free Lands, an open-world island, where an inexperienced cook with a worn sword stands ready to tackle the crisis that must have struck it.
In essence, it appears the crisis primarily consists of numerous monsters. The tale, in its nature, offers an engaging experience through tasks like “go here, defeat that, retrieve this.” Mirthwood meticulously designs the world to spark curiosity and exploration, making deviations from the path gratifying due to hidden treasures left behind by past inhabitants, regardless of their age. The loot system is robust, allowing for character customization tailored to individual preferences, ensuring each player’s experience with Mirthwood is unique, even if the main storyline follows a fixed narrative.
The main issue that hinders the adventuring experience, apart from the fact that every character and enemy model resembles a flattened Playmobil diorama, is the combat system. Although it performs adequately on a fundamental level, and engaging in sword fights produces a satisfying ting whenever your blades collide, the overall experience feels clumsy and unsatisfying. You are able to move freely when walking, but can only attack within a 2D plane to the right or left of your character. This means that in areas where enemies stack up beneath or above you like being trapped in a Pringles tube, combat becomes nearly impossible to win. In open spaces, it’s manageable, but venture into too many caves carelessly and you’ll find yourself in a difficult situation.
You have spells, of course, and ranged weapons, but while they certainly have their uses, in close quarters nothing settles arguments better than the business end of a broadsword and it’s just not always viable, which is a shame when you spend so much time delving dungeons for the Discarded Pants of the Ancient Ones or whatever. Loot comes thick and fast, which again allows for a lot of diversity in build and playstyle, so it’s a pain that you can fall foul so often to enemies queuing politely in tight corridors.
In numerous aspects, the life simulation aspect of the game seems more fulfilling. A blend of Stardew Valley, The Sims, and Fable, Mirthwood’s charming gameplay offers an authentic experience. As soon as you step into a dilapidated farmstead that now belongs to you without any hesitation, the primary objective of this part of the game becomes living a meaningful life. After such a tragic event as the loss of your entire family and hometown, there’s nothing quite like cultivating rows of turnips to find solace.
In this game, you can engage anyone you encounter in profound discussions about various subjects, aiming to earn enough positive points (symbolized by green plus signs) from them. These points could lead to romantic encounters, strong allegiances, or even situations where they’d be willing to sacrifice themselves for you if necessary. You can form friendships, enmities, or relationships, and even manage a farm with family members who will miss you when you’re away on your adventures, which might involve dangerous exploration in tight passageways. The game offers a high degree of flexibility and personalization, but some players might find the storyline too dominant compared to the more casual farming aspects.
Regardless of what you’re doing though, the one village-burning horror you can’t escape from is the framerate. Perhaps because it’s got more balls in the air than a lottery machine, Mirthwood often struggles to keep itself moving smoothly. The framerate will chug now and then or pause altogether regularly, during scene transitions, when the day changes to night, if it starts to rain, or if there are too many enemies onscreen at once. It will no doubt get patched and fixed as more content is added post-launch, but right now it is a noticeable issue.
Despite being an incredibly complex game created by a tiny two-person team, Mirthwood occasionally encounters technical issues like glitches and frame drops. However, these problems are expected to be addressed over time. Given your commitment to the game and its universe, such imperfections might not affect your experience as much.
Although Mirthwood has its issues, it remains an entertaining enough adventure simulation for me. I’ve never been fond of survival games requiring me to constantly hunt for food or face starvation, and it seems that developers who think the human body can only survive without food for three days probably haven’t experienced a long Lord of the Rings marathon or intense work periods. Moreover, the moral system in this game allows you to cleanse your sins by visiting sacred sites and paying a fee. It’s somewhat ironic that you can go on a rampage due to a barmaid rejecting your advances, then pay a considerable amount of gold to remove the bloodstains and hair from your sword, which seems to undermine the idea of a moral system. However, it does give players the liberty to wipe out entire villages whenever they wish without significant consequences. In summary, there’s that.
As someone who thrives on immersive adventures reminiscent of Outward, cherishes the charm of Stardew Valley, and finds joy in the intersection of both worlds, Mirthwood promises to be an unforgettable journey for me. This captivating game offers a wealth of activities and hidden treasures, making it an ideal choice for those who seek endless engagement.
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2024-11-12 13:46