An Unexpectedly Green Journey

Become da greenest and da meanest

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 660: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (10/10) So, straight up: this is pretty much a perfect game. Well, no, it's not. To get the cons out of the way: [i]An Unexpectedly Green Journey ("Green")[/i] is not character- or romance-focused—let alone interested—at all. Sure, it's a bit light on story and has a male gender-locked protagonist. However. Those are my tiny cons. Yet besides that, in terms of pure fun? [i]Green [/i]is practically perfect and one of the best releases in a while. While I was never an orc fan, this joyful tale of fighting, feasting, drinking, destroying, and conquering was enough to win me over completely. You start as a baby and grow to an elder, and in that wide span of time, you're treated to an incredibly free-form, sandbox narrative. The world truly is your oyster, and whatever you can dream, you can build. If you haven't tried an IF game before, this should easily be it. [b]Thanks so much to the staff for the free copy![/b] See full review [url=https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/kates-reviews-new-an-unexpectedly-green-journey/174532/705?u=kate27]here.[/url] [b][h2]Pros:[/h2][/b] ✅ [b] A deep "open world" with so much ♥♥♥♥ to do (+ replayability). [/b]Maaaan. You guys know that Skyrim itch of going "hey, what's over there? Let me check it out!" Yeah, that's the feeling I got from Green. At every stage in your life, there are countless activities to do. I can't even begin to summarize all the events, so let me tell you about the highlights of my playthrough. I found a pet wolf, fought in a tourney, overthrew my chief, led successful raids, killed a dragon, subjugated the dwarves, humans, elves, and haflings, became king, then emperor of the orcs, built a navy, subjugated the human empire, became the emperor of the world, wrote a constitution, planted my succesors, fought back the invasion of an ancient race with a godly axe, and then became a god. Like. I even got titles: Bane of dwarves, Dragon Slayer, King of the Orcs, the Green Emperor, the Scourge, the Great, Elfkin, Peace-forger, World’s Doom, Inquisitor of Damnation, and Field Marshal of the Damned. All in one playthrough. ✅ [b] Excellent use of character customization and stats. [/b]You have your five main stats: Presence, Cunning, Appetite, Strength, and Constitution. You also have Renown, Horde, Infamy, and Piety, as well as Loot. (Loot! The all-important currency!) And the impressive thing is that these systems actually interact. A high Presence might let you negotiate where another orc would have to fight, while a massive Horde can give you options that would otherwise be impossible. Renown, Infamy, and Piety almost function as a second layer of character-building, supplementing your personal attributes with the reputation you've accumulated throughout your life. And because these numbers aren't static, your character actually changes as you play: you can become stronger, richer, more feared, more respected, more devout—and eventually older and weaker. ✅ [b] Flavor text + choices matter.[/b] For a gigantic game, there's a surprising amount of flavor text. Yes, I can point to, well, everything that shows how your choices matter, but even your little quirks are noted. For example, I explored as a baby orc and pet a wolf. As a result, this wolf—or its descendants—showed up again and again in my adult orc's life, eventually becoming a loyal ally until the day my orc died. I befriended the scorned elves and won their loyalty by protecting them, granting me their bows in battle. Lastly, the game seemed to watch, almost patiently, as my heart grew darker. I wished to learn from the clan's shaman: he refused me, citing that Krog didn't like me. I tried to enter a temple; the priests there kicked me out after sensing my corrupted heart (I then massacred him and the occupants of the temple). I couldn't even train my Constitution with the shaman in my later years because my Piety was at a whopping 5%. ✅ [b] World depth. [/b]While the setting itself is pretty generic medieval fantasy, Isaac does an excellent job at making it feel [i]personal [/i]to the player. First, there's a map, some solid fun lore, and some good, detailed illustrations. Second, there's a record of your battle and arena fighting record, with each victory another notch in the legend you're carving for yourself. Third, and lastly, the part I loved the most: a "diplomatic relations" screen. Here, you are informed about how elves, dwarves, halflings, humans, goblins, scorned elves, and minor powers have historically looked upon your green brethren. However! Isaac has also added a humorous "culinary opinion" for each race—how tasty they are—and the current relations between the two groups. Impressively, the current relations section changes as you progress through the story. ✅ [b] Endgame(s).[/b] Isaac knows how to land an ending. Multiple, in fact. I ascended to become king, then emperor of the whole continent. At this point, most authors would end the game. The player has achieved their main goal, and endings are extremely hard to pull off, right? The player has all the power at their fingertips; better to remove said power now. Otherwise, an author could churn out a couple more hundred words. Well, that's what Isaac did. Bro was not content with giving the player an incredible power fantasy. No, he decided to add another power fantasy to the original power fantasy. Besides the kingdom management, he came up with an awesome endgame threat: cyclopes. These aren't the dumb giants from Homer's [i]Odyssey. [/i]Nope, these are eerily strong, silent monsters with mind-melting powers. As Emperor, you now have [i]new mechanics: [/i]a "war report" that tracks the enemy's advance, and a new way to decide how to respond. You can call upon your allies, shore up your defenses, establish fortifications, prepare traps, manage your resources, and decide where to commit your forces. And, crucially, time is passing while you're doing all of this. You can't simply prepare for everything at once; every decision gives the enemy another opportunity to advance. [b][h2]Cons:[/h2][/b] 🟥 [b]I can't remember any character name.[/b] I know I saved a human princess and a scorned elf, but it's quite a shame there's no character arcs or development. Oh, I do remember the guy who tattoos you! While there are many side characters, they are pretty much filler. (I did like the human Emperor, though!) 🟥[b] No romance and a male gender-locked protagonist.[/b] To be honest, these cons didn't bother me that much, but I know they're a deal-breaker for some people (though you would be missing out!) You're referred to as a "king" or "emperor" a couple of times, but it doesn't seem like gender is a Big Deal™️ for orcs because, ya know, they're orcs. Everyone is born from cabbage plants, anyway. [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass.[/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our [url=https://www.youtube.com/@IndieGems2]YouTube channel[/url] for more reviews like this one. [/hr]