ThemsAllTook
Level: Master Delver

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File: 0xwQIz.png (29.8 KB)
Downloaded 611 times.
License: Other
From: Myth Bearer itch page

https://jc-bailey.itch.io/myth-bearer

I've played the first bit of this now, and it's pushing all the right buttons for me. The overall game structure is similar to DROD RPG, where the moment-to-moment task is to choose which monster to fight for an optimal route, with the standard health/attack/defense trio of stats. What stands out for me is the world it's set in, which has a very specific fantasy aesthetic that I've always been super into. Wandering the world, gaining power, and routing a way through the puzzles just feels great.



If you're curious to check it out before playing, I'm doing a let's play here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBk6-z6v3pDJQUrnihkvekF5KP0AqywSP

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5056
Registered: 02-04-2003
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Wow! Neat!

I appreciate you sharing this, Alex. It looks great. I'm interested to watch your LP to experience it together in that way.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5056
Registered: 02-04-2003
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I binged your first four episodes and had a fun time watching.

The advancement and choices provide an interesting system. The worldbuilding is fun.

Having max HP that replenishes and increases each level is an interesting design.

I'm interested to see whether your guesses on what's coming up next prove correct.

I was thinking I was just going to watch your LP, but now I feel like picking up the title because I might play through myself. The style yields instant nostalgia, and I also like supporting developers to make more games like this.

It feels something like how Twisty Little Passages might have been as a fully-interlocking puzzle world.

Edit: just read on the developer's site that there may be another puzzley game in the works. A platforming Magic Tower game?!

Edit: I like the ambient music, but I really don't like it playing on an 8-second loop for hours. Yikes.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 01-12-2021 03:46 AM]

ThemsAllTook
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 207
Registered: 06-23-2014
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Weirdly, the music kind of grew on me over time. It's repetitive, but can be pretty catchy.

When I first started, I expected a relatively short and straightforward experience, but now that I'm a bit deeper in, the game is going places. I have no idea how much more is left (in terms of both world size and mechanics I might not have seen yet), and it's a great feeling. It just keeps getting better.

Illusionist
Level: Master Delver

Rank Points: 165
Registered: 05-27-2020
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I'll say what I usually say, never enough of games like the one you posted. The graphics are cute, and the gameplay looks like fun. From the first look it feels like something I would like to play
There are obviously many games like this one, but I'm fine with adding another one to my collection.

I probably should also share some of my favorites some day......
but it has to be some day

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[Last edited by Illusionist at 01-14-2021 07:54 PM]

Doom
Level: Smitemaster

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I gave this a try earlier but dropped it, mostly due to finding the complexity low compared to other similar games. Also, really wasn't a fan of being limited to a single save slot.

The world was fun to explore though, so I gave this another chance. Now that I've seen the full game I can agree that it gets a lot better. On the other hand I think I'll still stand by the first impressions - the main draw of the game is the exploration, not the strategy side of things.

mrimer wrote:
Having max HP that replenishes and increases each level is an interesting design.

Ever tried Desktop Dungeons? I'd argue it's mechanically much closer to Myth Bearer than magic tower games are. Level-up healing is one of the main gimmicks. The scope is very different though (randomly generated single-screen levels).

Gordius
Level: Delver
Rank Points: 91
Registered: 12-16-2008
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Doom wrote:
the main draw of the game is the exploration, not the strategy side of things.

That's interesting. The exploration is the aspect of this game I find most frustrating. Hovering over every wall square in every new room to see whether there's a secret passage there isn't my idea of a fun game mechanic. Plus a very open world with a lot of places you can spend a small amount of health (or worse, a key) to discover that there's nothing behind it.

Which gets to your point about the single save slot. Especially when you finally achieve something that seems a clearly notable goal (like getting to a Z), and the reward is "Oh wow, that's new! I'll bet this will be interesting! And it opens up..., huh, nothing I'm remotely prepared for. Okay. I probably shouldn't have bothered with that yet, I guess. Well, I'll restart the game completely and try something else."

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5056
Registered: 02-04-2003
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Alex, I picked this up and played through the point you had reached in your first four episodes. It was fun for me, at least knowing what was there and trying to optimize from the beginning. I sped through, focusing on advancing the story, and I reached Chapters 4 and 5 by character level 9. I hadn't used any healing items yet, but I'm worried I might have hit a brick wall being at such a low level. In order to go anywhere beyond the NE corner of the map, all enemies are, like, level 22/25/30. Maybe I can grind to beef up my character to the point I can break out of my "prison", but it feels quite possible I've gotten myself stuck by playing too efficiently...

Edit: I worried in vain. There was a tunnel I could use to escape that area, so I could keep levelling up on weaker enemies.

Doom wrote:
Ever tried Desktop Dungeons? I'd argue it's mechanically much closer to Myth Bearer than magic tower games are. Level-up healing is one of the main gimmicks. The scope is very different though (randomly generated single-screen levels).

Ah, yeah! I'd completely forgotten that was a thing there. I appreciate the reminder.



____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 01-16-2021 12:41 AM]

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5056
Registered: 02-04-2003
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Found multiple neat things going forward that provide so many possibilities!

Versed in this style of play, progression hasn't been demanding.

Don't want to spoil anything, so I won't share details yet.

I'm really liking the progression in this game. Fun world design.

I feel that I'm close to the ending now. Now I'm wondering what sequence breaks are possible throughout.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 01-15-2021 07:38 AM]

martz
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 414
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I bought this yesterday on the recommendation of this thread - also because it will run on my archaic PC...

I enjoyed it (despite finishing it already). I bought DROD RPG on release, mainly to support Caravel although I never really got on with it. I did complete it in the end but I've not really been back to it since.

I found this game a lot simpler (possibly, by extension, easier) but it was fun. I found the map just about the right size in that I could remember locations without needing to make notes, I think the balance is spot on (all equipment bar the steel armour was useful) and it's quite forgiving.

Thanks again for the recommendation.

____________________________
Without struggle, there is no progress, so get up, get out, and go make the rest of your life the best of your life; you deserve to live the life that YOU want to live...

Progress - Gavin G

jcbailey1112
Level: Delver

Rank Points: 35
Registered: 02-11-2021
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Hey, thanks for playing my game Alex, I had a lot of fun watching the playthrough! I actually never heard of DROD RPG until after releasing Myth Bearer on Steam. The inspiration for it originally came from Gothic and Desktop Dungeons, and perhaps a bit of King's Field.

As mrimer mentioned, I've had something similar in the works called Deep Rune. It won't be out until at least April-May though.

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[Last edited by jcbailey1112 at 02-11-2021 11:34 PM]

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5056
Registered: 02-04-2003
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Hey there, jcbailey!

Thanks for popping in. I wanted to say thank you for making Myth Bearer. You know I like this style of game, and I had fun with it all the way through.

IIRC, I completed the game without dying my first playthrough on Lvl 38, w/o using any potions of either type. I appreciate the forgiving nature you built into the game experience through multiple methods. I didn't leverage all of these, but knowing they were there kept me from delving into analysis paralysis (which would have made playthrough more tense and less enjoyable for me to just keep playing through).

I'm very much looking forward to Deep Rune. I'm sure you're busy, but if you can spare a moment, please post again here when it's released!

You can probably also find some beta testers here if you're looking for early feedback, etc.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 02-21-2021 08:26 PM]