Guild of Darksteel

I can't in good faith recommend this game to anyone at the current price tag. Played the game from start to finish in one go, takes about 3-4 hours even while unlocking all the achievements, which are bugged by the way so you may or may not unlock them all, not to mention the achievements pretty much contain spoilers. I'll mention the two positives first before we move onto the problems this game suffers from; the pixel art is solid, and I genuinely took an interest in the world and its history early on. Now for the negatives, which far outweigh the positives unfortunately, and we'll stick to the main ones else this review will get too lengthy. The story had me intrigued initially, and it's really the only thing that'll keep you playing until the end if you can bring yourself to do so, but I was disappointed by how it all wrapped up. A lot of potential in the build-up, but the payoff just didn't feel good at all. Combat is what caught my eye about this game, but it's just far too shallow and repetitive, with badly thought out mechanics. Movement is also very limited and one of the first things that'll immediately tip you off on this game being quite rough. Climbing ledges is clunky, while dropping from them looks clunky. I think there were maybe 2 music tracks in the entire game? One for the settlement, and one for combat. I actually liked the music, it took me back to my GameBoy Advance JRPG days, and it's a shame there just wasn't more of that. It's a damn shame because there's just a bunch of wasted potential here, it could have been a short but sweet experience, and instead Guild of Darksteel is an overpriced candle which not only doesn't burn for very long, but doesn't even burn all that bright either. Wait for a deep, deep discount, or just skip this one entirely if I were you.

Alright ... Pros - Nice Graphics - Decent worldbuilding Cons - Everything else really Guild of Darksteel feels more like a rough draft than an actual finished product. The graphics are really the only plus for me. They're pretty well-made and fit the dark tone of the game, but there's definitely too narrow of a color palette for my liking. The worldbuilding is nice, but the game is so short (2-4 hrs) that any intrigue it has doesn't get much time to be built up or built upon. All of the characters also feel pretty one-dimensional with none of their motivations really being conveyed all that well. Then we get to the gameplay, which I can only describe as boring and tedious. During combat you are locked in place and can only attack or block. Every enemy has a different cycle of attacking and blocking that they do. And by cycle, I mean it, each enemy only has one attack cycle that is the same every time. Then with only 8 enemy types, you'll learn them in no time, and not even the final boss escapes this fate of repetitiveness. The combo system sounds like it would be fun, but it doesn't feel like it was developed around. It's pretty shallow and most of the time you'll just be spamming your strongest combo during the enemy's idle time. Leveling up your combos feels a little too easy and random, but with how dull the combat is, getting over it faster is kind of a plus. There's also a gold counter that really doesn't do anything throughout the game. Lastly, the text wasn't proofread very well. There are a lot of little grammatical errors. There even appears to be an error in the descriptions of the 2nd and 3rd combos you get. They say they buff the next combo of the opposite type, but the indicator that is displayed afterwards is for the same type. There's also some weird clipping issues and bugs, especially with regards to the achievements. All in all, definitely not worth it at full price. Maybe $3 or $4 at most.

Has an interesting setup with darksteel making the wielders immortal, with some good consequences. Music is alright, art style is neat. But the gameplay is just repetitive, multiple screens of caves filled with bats and bandits, where you have to defend, then counterattack by imputting strings of attacks, using two buttons. If you miss and end up dying, everyone respawns, and you have to restart the section, which just makes the boredom even worse. It's a very resounding no from me. Simplicity is good, and there are good simple games, but Guild of Darksteel is so boring in its repetitiveness that my mind just goes blank after a few minutes.

Guild of Darksteel propose une expérience modeste mais plutôt cool. L'ambiance sombre, le setup scénaristique intéressant et le gameplay simple mais efficace font bien le job. Même si l'histoire et son développement ne sont pas d'une folle originalité, on s'y prend notamment grâce aux personnages et quelques touches d'humour bien senties. Le gameplay est étonnant au départ, on est vraiment sur un jeu de rythme plus que d'action, mais c'est réussi. Deux défauts à ce système, à mon sens : certaines indications visuelles ne sont pas très claire (notamment un indicateur couleur qui a l'air clairement faux) et peut-être trop de combats aux ennemis trop faibles. J'aurais préféré des rencontres moins fréquentes mais plus longues pour mettre à profit les combos. Ca reste un bon titre que je recommande. :)

Tldr: Decent Game, impressive for a solo dev, buy at a discount (3€ seems worth it) Guild of Darksteel is a short, story-driven game with combat that is technically real time but works more in a turnbased style in reality. It has a very nice pixelart style and smooth animations for both the character and the enemies. The story is pretty basic, but the tidbits of worldbuilding thrown you way make it a lot more intersting. Characters are pretty shallow but left me wanting more, which does point to a certain level of skill on the part of the Dev. The sound design and soundtrack are decent, nothing special but definetly not bad. My biggest gripe are the monotony and level design. There are 5 types of enemies in the entire game (6 if you count the final boss) and their patterns are extremely easy to learn and abuse. This would not be as monotonous if the level design did not force you to fight through a dozen unavoidable enemies to get to the next dialoge piece. And if you miss something at the start of the area, you have to do the way back to the start and return to where you were. Of course all enemies are reset both ways. I finished this game in about 2,5 hours (3,6 are shown because I made dinner) and I was bored out of my skull for roughly 50% of it. Overall, I still liked this game, and I will always respect Solo Devs trying to do interesting game concepts. I will definetly check out their next game! Final Rating 6/10 (with 5 being average) Edit: 2 of the achievements are bugged which is very annoying. Edit 2: Multiple typos

Prince of Persia-like platforming with rhythm based combat. Great story, several characters you can interact with and surprisingly nice art. The list of combat moves is very limited and you’ll be repeating them a lot, might even get tedious towards the end. Dungeons are linear with dead ends that hide absolutely nothing. Warning if you’re an achievement hunter: two achievements towards the end are broken; it looks like they’re never getting fixed. It’s getting ridiculous that it’s always the last few achievements that are broken.

Довольно таки приятная игра,на денёк. Сразу оговорюсь,я могу её посоветовать,тогда почему же негативный отзыв?А во,из-за двух ачивок,их невозможно получить легальным путём.Прошерстил всё, обсуждения и дискорд разработчика в нем кстати написано что достижения были починены,ага,ЩАС... Написал туда с этой проблемой,приложил скриншоты,будем надеяться что игру починят и как только её исправят,я сразу же изменю отзыв на положительный. (НАШЁЛ ИНФУ ОТ РАЗРАБОТЧИКА в его дс: "Seeing as those achievements have been bugged for quite some time, I took the liberty of deleting them for now so everyone can 100% the game until they are actually fixed!Sorry y'all had to wait so long for some action. It may take a bit to update on the steam page itself, but the achievements have been deleted in the back end and published!" Ждём ребята,посмотрим что из этого выйдет.) Что же касается самой игры а не её достижений? Красивый пиксель арт,атмосферные задники,достаточное количество разнообразных противников,лёгкая боёвка но не без изюминки в виде комбинаций,приятная боевая мелодия но она всего лишь одна,под конец успевает надоесть. Сюжет и лор,интересно,ничего необычного но неплохо. Хотел бы иметь возможность бегать и изменять стиль текста,господи,какой он ужасный,читать очень тяжело,глаза напрягаются и болят. Других проблем не встретил,ну кроме сломанных ачивок :/ Фулл прайс игры,вызывает смех,кто в здравом уме будет платить 7,49$ за игру которую можно пройти за 4 часа,взял по скидке меньше чем за 1$ и вам рекомендую поступить так же.

Guild of Darksteel is a dark fantasy side-scrolling adventure developed by Igor Sandman and published by Digerati. At its core, the game tells the story of an immortal warrior who finds himself in Ravenrock, a city plagued by fear, hidden conspiracies, and forces that have lingered beneath its foundations for generations. Rather than presenting itself as a traditional hack-and-slash experience, the game leans heavily into storytelling, offering a journey that explores the burden of immortality and the search for purpose in a world that seems determined to move on without its protagonist. The setting is one of the game's greatest strengths. Ravenrock is portrayed as a bleak but fascinating place filled with mercenaries, townsfolk, guards, and guild members who each contribute small pieces to the larger narrative. Conversations play a significant role throughout the adventure, helping establish the city's history and the growing threat hidden within it. The game's writing embraces a slower pace, allowing players to absorb the atmosphere and become invested in the people inhabiting this decaying world. There is a distinct sense of melancholy throughout the experience, making the protagonist's eternal existence feel more like a curse than a gift. Gameplay blends exploration, platforming, and combat into a straightforward but enjoyable formula. Battles are built around timing attacks, blocking incoming strikes, and learning enemy patterns. As players advance, they unlock additional combat techniques that add variety to encounters. The combat system is easy to understand but offers enough depth to remain engaging for most of the campaign. However, repetition becomes noticeable as enemy types are reused frequently, particularly during later sections of the game. While combat never reaches the complexity of larger action RPGs, it remains functional and satisfying enough to support the narrative-focused experience. Exploration encourages players to venture through castles, underground ruins, and shadowy corridors in search of answers. The pixel art does an admirable job of bringing these locations to life, with detailed environments and effective lighting contributing to the game's gothic identity. The soundtrack further enhances the presentation with a mix of somber melodies and tense musical pieces that reinforce the oppressive tone. For a title created by a solo developer, the overall artistic cohesion is impressive and demonstrates a clear vision from beginning to end. Guild of Darksteel is not without its flaws. Movement can occasionally feel rigid, and navigation is sometimes hindered by limited direction regarding quest objectives. Players who step away from the game for an extended period may find themselves struggling to remember where to go next. Some sections also suffer from pacing issues, particularly when the narrative slows down between major revelations. Additionally, while the lore surrounding Ravenrock is intriguing, certain aspects of the world and its characters could have benefited from further development to make the stakes feel even greater. Despite these shortcomings, Guild of Darksteel succeeds as an atmospheric indie adventure that places storytelling ahead of spectacle. It offers an engaging tale supported by memorable art direction, a compelling premise, and a world that feels rich with untold stories. Players looking for a fast-paced action game may find its deliberate approach limiting, but fans of dark fantasy and narrative-driven experiences will likely appreciate what it has to offer. It stands as an admirable achievement for a solo project and serves as a reminder that strong world-building and passion can leave a lasting impression even without blockbuster production values. Rating: 6/10