This game was reviewed using the Allied Stinger-A: RTX 4060 Ti 8GB Gaming PC.
Hear ye, hear ye! I hath played yet another Steam Next Fest game demo! This time, I didst delve into Mirthwood, crafted by Bad Ridge Games. This RPG life simulation offers a rich fantasy world, allowing players to shape their destiny. The demo gives you five in game days to explore, and you better believe I made the most of every moment.
It’s a beautiful and detailed 2.5D world, featuring cutout-styled characters and animals – it gives me similar vibes to Pentiment but more open world. I wasn’t sure of this style at first, but it quickly grew on me.
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Players can design, name and choose traits for their character; I played as an “introvert” and earned a “difficult to make friends” perk. It was intriguing to choose these things, but they didn’t seem to impact relationships in the demo.
Early in the game, I encountered a man named Thorne, moments from being put to death by soldiers. His plea for mercy included a tale of preventing the town’s water supply from being poisoned, but his story was suspicious. I chose to kill him on the spot while staring into the eyes of the soldiers, which cost me morality points and set me on a darker path (for my new Empire).
Entereth the Realm of Mirthwood
In Mirthwood, you flee a war torn continent and start fresh in an unfamiliar land. You can cultivate crops, repair and grow a thriving homestead, and take on various quests.
Sword in hand, I picked up one particular quest from a notice board in town, which involved investigating an old meadery and its occupants. Locating the meadery was an adventure in its own right, but exploring the now abandoned homestead turned to tragedy.
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There is also a stack of smaller side quests, like when I found a man speared against a tree with his own sword. The options were to either pull out the sword and leg it or take the man down and give him a proper burial, alongside his weapon (you can guess what I did).
The game gives you plenty of options on how you can complete the quests, usually with a bad option and a good option.
Combat in Mirthwood is a bit basic and slightly clunky, requiring precise positioning to attack enemies from the side. Despite this, I quickly acquired better weapons, making me a formidable opponent.
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Equipped for Courtship
Your character has five gear slots: Head, Torso, Legs, Weapon, and Trinket, allowing for plenty of customisation. While most slots are straightforward, the Trinket slot offers unique flexibility, enabling you to equip items like a Rabbit’s Foot for bonus luck.
Each item is represented by a colour coded card to indicate rarity. Equipable items have gold and armor or damage values, while consumables affect hunger, energy, and health. Items also feature affiliations, attracting various factions, and traits, providing stat buffs and enhancing specific actions. I found one particular robe that buffed my romantic skills… Hellloooo!
Interacting with NPCs in Mirthwood is reminiscent of The Sims. You can converse, romance, and build relationships with townsfolk. I managed to establish a budding romance with a local named Lena, culminating in a hug — a promising start!
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Many areas and features in the world are locked in the demo. Caves, buildings, and other locations hint at quests and adventures to come. Additional features, like fishing, are also on the horizon, promising even more depth and variety.
My brief tenure with the Mirthwood demo hath left me eager to behold what the full game doth have in store! ‘Tis scheduled for release on PC later this year. Thou canst add it to thy wishlist today.
