Roadwarden

Very good writing, really enjoyed the story as well as all the lovely characters you find along the road.

So I have only played Roadwarden once. I picked it up on a whim as a long-forgotten steam wishlist game. After I picked it up, I couldn't stop playing. I played the entire story from start to finish that same night, despite needing to work the next day. I haven't done that since I was in college - I was just so engrossed in the storytelling and the consequences of my choices that I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend.

With extraordinary writing and a solid, coherent story, Roadwarden feels like reading a "Choose Your Own Adventure" novel. With its hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and a simple but evocative visual style, the world-building and immersion is fantastic. Simply an exceptional gaming experience.

one of those games i wish i could forget just to play it for the first time again. its given me a dire need for more games like this but nothing scratches the itch

Very intriguing approach to world-building that I wish was more common. The story and world is not forced down your throat, it is revealed to you naturally as you explore the world ... 3 hours in and I can see myself going for completion on this game.

It's good, but it becomes tedious at some points, and you can get yourself in a real pickle if you don't know what you're doing (or if like me you go crazy and go off the beaten path). The pace is not for everyone, there is a LOT of reading, so know what you are getting into. I personally enjoy this type of game, I just wish it was just a little bit more straight forward.

Don't assume that you will simply read words and click more words in this game. While there are some text based games out there that strictly produce paragraphs of plotline hedged by your occasional selected decision, the music, illustrations, and yes, even the text in this game do more legwork than many animated games.

Having played through my first try on the easiest level (I wanted to get to know the game for its plot before risking any major battles), I found the game particularly charming and mysterious. The soundtrack is also quite lovely.

It is hard to describe the game in detail without giving too much away. If you like fantasy/worldbuilding you'll probably like the game's careful attention to those details that make your mental image of your location and your decisions that much clearer. If you like to weigh the morals of your decisions and hunt down the truth, you will enjoy the game's investigative nature and hidden secrets. If you like social strategy and relationship building, you'll have no shortage of people to connect with and charm/piss off.

I cannot think of any cons this game has. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was more visual than I expected and left me in happy mood when I had achieved everything I sought to achieve.

A note for children: I think the nature of the game might mean it isn't so popular with most kids... not in the Fortnite era, anyway. I wouldn't buy this for a child younger than 12 because I would guess that they would either find it boring or feel uncertain about the implications of some of their decisions. At the same time, the topics discussed aren't mature, graphic, or tragic to the point that I would keep this game away from a child who was interested in it. I think anyone 14 or older, particularly someone who enjoys reading and contemplating, would enjoy this game.

A note for mental illness: As someone with multiple mental health issues, I did not find anything too troubling to continue through. There are mentions of some serious events - forced marriage, one or more people being attacked by wild beasts, verbally abusive family dynamics, multiple wars, religious abuse/abuse of power by religious leaders, cults, close relatives who pass away due to a plague, and the same plague having the potential to destroy the population of a certain town. Some of those topics do align with real, terrible events in my life, but the game does not depict anything in a way that caused difficult emotions to come up for me. On the contrary, I enjoyed thinking through the choices and alternatives laid out before me in those situations with a bit of my life experience behind my choices. Another thing: Whomever created this game seems to have a very strong understanding of human motivations and philosophies. Nothing felt railroaded and my decisions led to very intuitive results.

There are definitely some things I don't like about Roadwarden, but the good things absolutely outweigh the bad. So much so that I actually beat this game on steam family share, but decided to buy it after anyway (on a discount of course).

The three things I don't like about the game...

1. Night time is nowhere near as interesting or dangerous as the game seems to imply making time management somewhat less important than it is made out to be. When the game warned of night time, I was hoping it would have some interesting night time events that could occur and get killed by. Instead once you are overdue, the game just magnetizes you back home. Really it's quite hard to even die in this game. Not that I want it to be easy to die or anything, just that the dangers the game promises never feel very present.

2. The free form text segments are cool in theory, lame in practice. Example being that you will happen upon an area in the deep forest where there is an enemy you can see. However the game will not allow you to just walk up and attack that enemy. It will refuse to do so. Instead you have to figure out what text to input that find out that the enemy is, in fact, not real. If you could just haphazardly go up and attack it, you'd find out immediately that it was fake. I don't like this at all.

Also entering in random text just to hunt for areas that may or may not exist is lame as well. In real life we find locations by just wandering around where we haven't been. If you went into a town and you were trying to find everything, you'd absolutely be able to do that by just... visiting a new random location. That's how it should have actually been. Trying to guess what locations are in the town that the developer put in is only good for easter eggs.

The only time this manual text entry actually works in my opinion is early on when you find a small shelter area. And even then, the dev didn't think of enough words as it took me a long time to go through variations on words to find the right one. I know my brain works in odd ways, but if you are going to do manual text entries then you really need a huge number of possible entries. This is why that sort of stuff fell out of style from early text adventures. Predicting how every player's brain could possibly work is extremely difficult.

3. Save scumming feels almost necessary for a few specific parts in the game due to how heavily RNG they are. Even if you help one faction out a massive amount, there is still a high chance that you will fail a certain check and you have to just keep saving and loading until it works. I never liked games that 'you have x chance to succeed based on your skill/rep' options in game. I always think that stuff sucks even back during Fallout and such. This is one of the reasons I really like games like Geneforge a lot. Because in that game you don't even get certain options if your skill level isn't high enough. Dice rolls suck and only work in games that you can't save scum. (Such as playing D&D with a group) And many games make dice roll systems worse by predicting 'the player will just save and load so...' and just make the chance of success super low for no other reason than...?????


And if you made it past those complaints, well congrats! Because that's all I have to complain about. Even though I wrote paragraphs on those subjects, they're actually pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. Everything else in the game is pretty awesome.

I love the pixel art, I like the effects of choices you make, I like the music, and I like the characters. Barring my previous issues, this game is excellent and I have no regrets playing it and then buying it after. The only thing it's missing is hot big tiddy elves...

Makes you feel like you're part of its world and can make a change - because you can.

The OST does so much with so little.

Grammatical errors/misspellings distracted me in a few spots. Could have used another proofread,

in a world with ai art and slop AAA games this well written text based adventure is some of the best money you can spend

A truly wonderful and captivating experience. Such a masterful work using one of the most underutilized game forms (Interactive fiction.)
If you like, as some would say, immersive game worlds. Definitely worth checking out if you like games about experiencing a handcrafted world.

Very narrative-driven and unique. Deep story with meaningful choices, but not an epic fantasy one, and not meant to be. Excellent game for its intended audience.

Solid casual game with a compelling story. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sit back and take your time actually reading every single word the game throws at you hwile you're at it. Take your time taking notes in-game / on paper. T'i's totally worth it

An amazing, immersive, story-rich game. Multiple endings, compelling characters and story-lines, beautiful sound track and charming graphics. The three modes (casual with no time limit, standard, and hard) are a welcome touch - I played on casual to get the most out of the story and spent 16 hours on my first playthrough, and there are still achievements I could not get. If you're someone who likes to replay games to get different endings, roleplay different types of characters, etc. I think this game is a great pick.

Great story, world-building, and role-playing. It's amazing how much can be done with so little. An instant favorite!

Simple: Try the demo, if it hooks you, then buy the game and continue your playthrough.

A beautifully written RPG. You will meet diverse characters, fight interesting beasts and explore a grim, but beautiful world

this game is the PEAK of dialogue and worldbuilding writing, and its wrapped in a really eloquent exploration layer with a surprising ammount of depth for how simple it is!

Easily the best text adventure game I've played - great intrigue, memorable characters, evocative descriptions, real consequences for choices, and the reputation system is really well implemented.

I especially like how you have to sometimes type in what you're looking for, whether it's people or places, to lock you behind having actual knowledge instead of seeing a selectable dialogue and thinking "Oh, I didn't know about this, but my character does!"

Actual replayability is somewhat limited, but there ARE a lot of different exclusive questlines, shaped by the choices you make. The reputation system is amazing. I haven't tried mage or warrior yet, but the scholar is awesome.

A really fun adventure where you read through an RPG set in a wilderness filled with fantasy beasts of all kind. While some choices and quests can be quite obtuse the experience is still extremely worthwhile and few games deliver on the same feeling of scenery and real places.

do not play this in normal or hard unless you know what you are doing,on easy you can experience a lot more than on the other difficulties

A Noice Surprise

Bonus Character

great game, I recommend not looking anything up for at least your first couple play-throughs

Great Game. Beat it in 20 hours but left the app open a few times cause I enjoy the ambient music.

This is unbelievably good game considering it's price tag. Hugely recommend for anyone who likes RPGs and choose your own adventure style games.

An amazing RPG with unforgiving choices. I would suggest anyone who will play to take notes (the game has a notebook) and saves often.

Awesome game, incredible atmospheric. Unforgiving endings - took a few plays to get the good ending

This is a really unique and fun game f you like storytelling and a choose your own adventure style. If you're looking for wild and zany this might not be your cup of tea, and the text heavy/visual light style isn't going to be for everyone. But with good storytelling and the ability to influence the tone with your choices, I've found this game engrossing and engaging. I has a retro look and feel that might remind you of games like King's Quest, Wizardry, or Shadowgate, but it's wholly it's own thing.

For me it had a nice balance of the unexpected without any of the actions I can think of having completely random or unreasonable results. You know when you're taking your character into a dangerous situation or pressing your luck with how you talk to someone. And I don't recall any dialogue options that are out of step with what I thought I was picking - something I find annoying in an RPG. There's also good replay value and enough choices that you feel like you're playing a character you have some influence over, so it really bridges the gap between visual novel and RPG. If you are familiar with The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante for a comparison, where that leans more toward the interactive story side of things, Roadwarden leans more toward the RPG side.

My playthroughs were smooth with no bugs that I noticed. And navigating the game and UI was very straightforward and very intuitive. The only thing that could be a little tricky for younger players who've never played a game with text inputs, is that taking and making use of notes (there is a built in notes section in the journal) can be helpful for some things.

If you're in the mood for an interactive fantasy adventure story and like the retro aesthetic, I don't think this one will disappoint.

This game reminded me of the older browser games like "Do not escape", but, naturally, done to a much greater dept. The setting is a bit "woke", witch to me felt a little dissonant, but nothing too distracting.

A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Book and The Witcher had a baby and then took 15 minutes to decide how much to sell it to the goblins for. Engrossing, rewarding, captivating, outstanding music, incredible writing, so immersive and, boy, does it flow. I don't really like the Text-Based genre much... but I adore this one.

This game changed me for the better. I really, really liked it. It was roleplay in the best sense of the word. I made choices, and the ending didn't quite make me cry, but it came close. It just felt... right. I really bonded with my character, Garbanzo the Bean, and his horse Pinto. So much so that even after I immediately started a new game when I beat it for the first time, I couldn't get past the first few pages. I just missed Garbanzo. One day I'll come back and play the other two classes, and do things differently, roleplay different characters, but I'm going to give Garbanzo some time to digest in my soul. Great story, great gameplay, great music. This one will sit with you. I really enjoyed that it wasn't some tale of morality, and "good and evil" alignments weren't really a thing. You weigh each choice you make in it's own context, and you follow your own moral compass, whatever that may be. Loved it.

A really nice little game. Roadwarden cribs elements from a bunch of different genres, but the whole package comes together into something cohesive. It has a great story with plenty of opportunities to make your mark on how things shake out. There are conspiracies to uncover, countless folks to meet, and sides to take aplenty. I really appreciate how so many of the game's conflicts are fairly petty at first glance, yet ultimately interconnected and grounded in the world. The art style is pleasant and consistent -- I just hope you like shades of brown. It's the perfect aesthetic for a game set at the end of Autumn, of course. And last but not least, it's astonishing how vividly Roadwarden brings its characters to life, despite lacking any images of them whatsoever. If that isn't the mark of excellent writing, I don't know what is. Highly recommended for anyone in the mood for a slow-paced, meditative narrative game.

If you're like me and rarely get to play table top games, this almost scratches that RPG-itch. The story is great, and I learn more about it each time I play. The world-building and exposition are done beautifully, the choices the character is presented with are thought provoking, and the soundscapes are really pretty, wrapping up an entrancing and enthralling atmosphere. I don't know about how much long term replayability there is, but I've at least gotten something out of playing a different character with a different background each time, and honestly, infinite replayability is a fool's errand, especially when the stories can be this good.




also also bonus points for gender ambiguous and queer characters that like everyone is just chill with? like no one makes a big deal out of it, some people are just gay or don't really wanna be associated with their gennies, like real life? very refreshing to see such normal representation in a fantasy universe (for more great representation with an albeit more involved oldschool RPG vibes, check out Caves of Qud as well. its not the main theme, but it is there, and that's even more important imo)

I love the dialogue options and they way I can peacefully immerse myself. The game is not stagnant in the slightest.

great game! presented me with interesting choices, mysteries, combat, diplomacy, trade, good music, and more. I liked how character creation was integrated throughout the story. The difficulty settings gave me the control I wanted over my game experience so I got to play through with the default settings and then remove the time limit on my second playthrough. I could slow down and enjoy more of the story, focusing my decisions more on characterization than on managing limited actions. Very enjoyable, loved it.

One of the best games I've ever played. At the end I kept circling back again and again, hoping there would be more interactions to find. I'll play everything these developers make from now on

Beautiful game, i highly advise anyone interested in the fantasy genre play this game.
I get the reading can be boring but this games story is so in depth and has quite a lot of replayability.

I tried to like it but the writing is horrific.... I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It's a shame cause it has potential but the writing is, again, horrific. Almost insulting, lol!

A game I won't stop thinking about for a while. The writing was so well done! I loved how my choices impacted the story and how heavy these choices felt in the game. I really enjoyed befriending some of the npcs and seeing the growth between us as I furthered my mission as a roadwarden to help others. I surprisingly loved playing as a mage who could be proficient with my axe and crossbow! The world was beautifully crafted and I adore the soundtrack! The game will feel overwhelming at first, but give it a chance and you'll find an amazing rpg! 10/10.

I absolutely loved this game. I played it when it first came out, enjoyed it, but didn't really grasp the best ways to approach the puzzles and world. I replayed it last month, doing two back to back plays, and had a blast.

The story is a great blend of subtle world building and low fantasy. I really enjoyed that this is a game where making modest coin and surviving is 70% of the battle, and fighting things really isn't the main goal.

The art style is fun and evocative, writing solid, the choices and branching paths gives a lot of potential for replay, and a single play through takes only 7-ish hours depending on your reading speed.

Special shout out for playing this on Steam Deck. It's not technically verified, but other then some of the sections where you type in things, it worked great, and even those sections work okay.

Great game, it gets you realy invested in the story of the people and the world.

Great game with a interesting world building and characters, few game made me feel such variety of emotions like roadwarden did!


I really hope they expand the world and lore with another game, if you have the patience and really like text based rpg this one is one of the best that currently exist.

I really wanted to like this game but it slowly lost its charme a third into the game. The premise and general setup of the story were very intriguing to me and while I enjoyed the world building to some extent, it just felt like a chore after some playtime. I quit two thirds into it and I don't feel like I'm missing out, honestly.

Good: The soundtrack is pretty much perfect. The worldbuilding is quite lovely whenever it is in focus and the art style is a thing to behold.

Bad:
1. As is the case with story rich text-based games, reading a bunch of text is pretty much the only way to glean relevant information, but Roadwarden tends to just shove a bunch of fillertext on screen and intersperse the relevant information and worldbuildung throughout, which gets tedious after a few hours of playing. It happens with characters, who retain a certain importance throughout the narrative aswell as less important side characters, some of which you'll never meet again after the first encounter. It very much feels like the devs "playing for time" in a way.
2. Whenever you meet an important person you get to make a first impression via emotional reactions. Problem is: They seem inconsequential. I never really had a change in story depending on the way I react to people, be it intimidating or vulnerable or whatever else I chose. Seems like a way to fake depth in dialogue.
3. The stat system was also somewhat confusing when looking at the appearance stat. While it shows a minimum score of 0, it can fall below that due to torn or bloodied clothing. So whenever I was at 0 (-1) appearance and gained two points in it, it would show me a score of 1 instead. Confusing and unnecessary. A sixpointed star asset and a max score of 6 would haven been perfectly fine, why hide a negative score? Why not go for 0 to 6?
That's what comes to mind off the top of my head.
If you like this style of game, have at it. You might enjoy it a lot more than I did.
I personally would not recommend it though.

Be careful with your resources, and you may last long enough to discover the absolute gold at the heart of this game. Great story, fantastic characters, and enough hard choices to make you doubt yourself *at least* a dozen times. Satisfying all the way through.

It's a lot of reading, so if you're not into that: skip it.

But if you like story-rich RPGs, especially text-based ones, you'd be a fool not to check it out.

Oh, and pro-tip: Stay skeptical. Things are not as they seem.

I got the game on sale, played it for 30 minutes and then didn't come back to it for half a year. But when I finally came back to it I got sucked in -- the gameplay is really engaging and rewarding, particularly when I had long stretches of time to play. The majority of the gameplay is relaxing with gorgeous music: At one point I accidentally made a decision I didn't mean to make and had really tense moments that made it really exciting. There's something about a primary goal being to help people that is really relaxing and fulfilling. I wish there were more games like this and will definitely do another playthrough after some time has passed and my memory has faded!

I LOVE this game

It's soundtrack is just perfect, it's the right levels of crunch that you'd expect from 8-bit vibes, with just the right hint of nature in each track. Honestly It haunts my dreams.

The art is perfectly distant like everyone in the game is. It's sharp and precise just like a Roadwarden needs to be. It's just so perfect.

The gameplay plays like a choose your own adventure story book. There isn't really a tutorial, from the moment you start you're on the clock (if you play normal mode). It basically points at things in the UI and wishes you luck. You get to decide your characters Morals and Backstory based on questions asked to you by NPCs throughout the game, it's an incredibly interesting way to build a character. I really just love this game.

3 classes, 3 different time limit modes. It almost encourages you to play through it 3 times. If it's any help I've done 2. One as just the brute strength Warrior, and one as a wise pious scholar. My first play through was something like 28 hours (I played on the free roam mode and just explored everything), my second was just about 8 hours (40 day limit). Both times was an amazing experience, I HIGHLY suggest this game.

I badly crave more games like this 10/10.

I will say the beginning is slow and you don't get much reward as most of everyone just about doesn't trust you nor want to speak with you about helping you. After about 5 hrs is when the game really opens up, at this point I got used to the food system and finding shelters to sleep in and where to find most locations on the map and I have an idea of how the politic side of things coincide.

Gaining trust within certain groups of people feel so satisfying later game.

First play through Id recommend not scholar since scholar can read and gets clues quicker id recommend for a 2nd run.
First play through i did regular 40 days of time and got a neutral ending is just about every town and failing my personal quest. 2nd time I decided to go story so i can finish every quest, finished the game at 41days.

Overall I really enjoyed the side quests and building the towns relationship.

Really wanted to like this game but it's too boring with limited choices.