Book of Travels

I saw this game on sale and bought it with no idea what it was. I didn't know it had been intended to be a TMO. I didn't know it had essentially been abandoned in early access. At first I enjoyed it, I made my character, I did some exploring, I got some new gear, I did a few quests... and then nothing. That seems to be it. I've played 38 hours and 37 of that was just wandering around. There doesn't seem to be a story line. There doesn't seem to be any activities or goals. There doesn't seem to be any combat despite weapons and armour (I even walked around what was described as "the most dangerous area in the game at night" and nothing, no enemies in sight. Essentially what this is is a really beautiful environment but no game. Which is really disappointing because it has so much potential, but it's exceedingly clear it's been abandoned very early in the process.

I had to get used to the gameplay, but it is very calming, something I can appreciate in the evening after work. After 7 hours of playing, I haven't fought a single non-practice battle yet. It's more like in the real world: you try to avoid fights usually.

Runs like molasses on my mid-high end system. Also multiplayer game that plans to kill servers by the end of the month.

Not sure I understand what this game is about. It seemed interesting based on the description. However everything feels so tedious to do and understand that I have bounced of really fast.

Take it on discount. Not perfect, but it's quite fun. Especially with friends. The game has almost no handholding, other than basic tutorial. Lots of exploring, but I guess you should've already been prepared for that with a game called 'Book of Travels'.

This game is utterly unique. I don't know how complete it is, but I have enjoyed all that I've played of it. Read the FAQ before you buy it though. As it is unique, it's not for everyone, and it might not be for you. For me, the art, music, pace and exploration as fantastic. Now just 2 months before the servers go offline, I've managed to find a partner to experience it with together in the last days before then. I hope to write more about my experiences of that and how I find all the parts of the game fit together later.

TLDR: this is not a real "recommended" vote. I had high hopes for the game, because the concept was really intruiging. But as others have said, it ended up just being another disappointment, going from a successfull kickstarter and 29,99€ game to a barely finished 5€ proof of concept. Part of me is angry at the studio for many reasons, part of me still acknowledge the massive undertaking they had and just wishes them the best for the future. Buying a liveops or long-term commitment game is always a bet, and this kind of things (sadly) happens too often in the online gaming space. That being said, the initial success of the game proves that the space of TMORPG with a more slow-paced approach to core gameplay has yet to be explored and that many players, including myself, are craving for this type of experience. Hopefully, some studio will see this opportunity and build something out of it. That's the first reason for my thumbs up. The second reason is me hoping that the studio may build upon the foundations of this game for their future projects. But going forward I will be careful before comitting with what M&D offers, as they now fall for me in the category of "over-promisers and under-deliverers" until proven otherwise.

Gave me some UO vibe...but thats all the + I can say about this chore-galore.