Zoria: Age of Shattering

Getting better as I play!

gem

Play time not accurate, played on other platform. Pretty good action RPG. A little WOW-is in the art style but most aspects seem balanced and play is fun if you like this sort of game.

this game is very fun and challenging

Very nice game, where you build up a party (lots of options) and even build (somewhat) a base.
Story is good and so is the game play, worth the purchase!

This game is clearly a labor of love. I have never seen a game that's so obviously got a lot of dev time behind it... that is just so, so, SO very awful to play.

There are hundreds of items in the game, and lots to interact with. The land looks pretty good in screenshots. Characters have a tiny handful of skills, and sometimes you can find nice ways to combo with your own team. I see where they were going with this.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is simply the least fun I've had in a game in a long time.

Skills are simple, limited, and very unbalanced. The hundreds of pieces of equipment you get are generally for specific classes, which means the vast majority is unusable by your character. People join and leave your party quickly, and "choices" in dialog aren't even given an illusion of meaning. Combat is simple and same-y and unfortunately happens over and over again.

The worst aspect of the game, though, by FAR, is the pathfinding. Your team of rugged adventurers freezes, unable to step over a twig. Invisible walls hem you in on all sides. The map may indicate a possible path, but unless you are Supposed To Be There, you can't go there. You're essentially playing a single corridor game with a veneer of open maps. You cannot go off the predetermined path. Walking from point A to point B is so terrible, so painful, and so janky -- I found myself literally snarling in frustration as my team got caught on every fold of dirt.

I cannot recommend this game.

Had a good time with the game but I would like to see the following in a future update, DLC, or sequel:

More banter between followers while roaming or during quests.
Ability to talk to followers freely when camping.
It's good you can respec skills at will but the ability to do the same with attribute points would be good.
Higher-level exotic missions (maybe add epic ones?) in the Outpost
Ability to join or run higher level exotic or epic missions in the Outpost
Quick travel back to the Outpost
Increase the max party size to six.

Way too good for 3 developers. Very impressed. Reminds me of Baulders gate. Love it!!!

.

In all seriousness, the overall experience of the game is not great, and most of the issues stem from the map design.

The maps are overly large yet lack substantial content. Additionally, optimization seems to be a major challenge, as the camera cannot move far enough, nor can anchor points be placed at a distance. This results in players spending excessive time just trying to navigate. On top of that, the maps are filled with invisible walls, and the environment design often makes it difficult to distinguish which terrain is passable and which is not, making exploration even more frustrating. In fact, one could argue that dealing with the map is more of a hassle than the enjoyment gained from combat.

The combat itself is fun, but occasional bugs cause characters to get stuck. While the game is enjoyable, content noticeably diminishes in the later stages, making it apparent that the development team rushed to finish the game. Speaking of bugs, the game frequently encounters issues where the background music fails to play, and in the arena, a bug prevents players from completing the level 20 challenges, effectively soft-locking progress.

That being said, completing a game is an achievement in itself, and I respect the effort put into it. I hope the development team continues to improve and brings even better experiences in the future.

Translated by chatGPT

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認真說來,遊戲的體驗並不算太好，大多的問題都出在遊戲地圖設計上。
地圖大而無當，沒有太多實質內容,加上可能是最佳化很困難的原因,導致攝影機無法移動到遠處,也無法在遠方放定錨點,讓玩家花費大量時間在找路上,加上地圖上一堆隱形牆,地圖美術又看往往看不出來那些地形是可以通過,那些不能，讓找路變得更加痛苦。
甚至可以說地圖造成的麻煩比戰鬥帶來的樂趣更多。

遊戲本身的戰鬥是有趣的,但偶爾會發生人物卡死的bug，
並且在遊戲越後期內容越來越少，明顯感受到的開發團隊的趕工，
bug的部分,這個遊戲頻繁的發生BGM不播放的bug,並且在競技場也會發生無法打敗20級挑戰的bug,導致遊戲完全卡死。

不論如何，能夠完整開發完一款遊戲都該值得尊敬，我希望開發團隊再接再厲。

Overall, simply a mediocre game. No game mechanic or gameplay element stands out, it's simply just mediocre. While it's not bad, it's simply not good either. Combat, classes, the UI, itemization, and the keep are simply mediocre.

Great!

Got a little easy for me, so I didn't finish. The story was good, good combat, nice crafting system, and polished questing system.

The graphics aren't fantastic, but those didn't distract me from this well put together game.

I have a Steam Deck. The game looked appealing to me, so i bought it only to discover that sound does not output to Bluetooth.

That's absolutely a non-starter for me. However, small company so I chose to give them a break. Its been months and the issue is still unfixed. It might be a good game, but I'll never know until Bluetooth audio routing is fixed. Until that happens, the game is just a steaming pile of bad code that I feel ripped off for buying

I could not get past the horrible controls. Simply getting past looting the very first room and talking to various NPCs was frustrating.

This is a nice, simple, RPG. I loaded up Pathfinder: WOTR and tried to play it a few times. I just found it to be too much. I was looking for an RPG I could pick up and play with some learning but not PhD level. I found Zoria, which I had been looking at for awhile. It is kind of rough in some ways but I am having fun. It is really well done and I have had zero bugs. Give it a shot.

Update: At 7 hours, the game gets far more interesting.

Doesnt reconize saves , have to controll alt delete to quit game

An old school tactical RPG with a fascinating story. It reminds me of Larian's Divinity Original Sin 2, but lower quality, hence it is cheaper. Still, I find that it worth every penny for me. I like the beginning of the story and can't wait to see how will it develop.

Upd: after playing 10 more hours, I am certain this is a great indy game. There are drawbacks, such as some quest show on the map, but you have to finish other quest to enter the location where they are. Still, the world is great, the story is great, the grind is fun, and I enjoy sending my addon characters to missions while questing with my main team.

Im really enjoying this game so far. I think I made a mistake picking the thief; im getting spanked in one turn, and my party is carrying me hard. Im having fun and its surprising because (I mean no disrespect) I didnt expect this to be this good. Salute

Edit: Ended up re-rolling - I added another thief to my team that put my thief to shame. My build was absolutely terrible.

Plays like a low rent diablo rip off that for some reason switches to turn based mode when you enter combat. If you're hoping for something that feels like d&d or pathfinder, this isn't it.

For a 3 devs work it is... pretty significant!
Campaign is long enough, locations amount is good. Classes amount is ok, each class have it's special things.

There is something odd with timers: for example when I rest I expect questing parties to complete their adventures and temporary buffs to be gone etc.

But overall Impression is positive.

At first this seems a pretty basic mostly action RPG. However give it a chance! It does get better the longer you play! The options, progression and freedom of movement do expand quite considerably to become a decent RPG. I'm enjoying it so far and I feel I've only really started to 'scratch the surface'.

Overall a good game and I had a lot of fun with it, reminds me alot of Neverwinter nights. If you like old school crpg's and dont care too much about graphics then I would say to check the game out.

In some ways I found this game hard to review cause if you compare it to games that has larger teams behind it the game does fall short in some regards but if you consider that this is developed by only 3 people I found it nothing short of amazing what they managed to create

It's ok game, scratches the fantasy rpg itch.
Very well done for just three developers.

waited a long time for disappointment.

Liked the game, not the developer. Launching game crashes my PC, every time. Moved it on to different drives thinking it was a bad drive. That solved nothing. Eventually, re-validated game files on Steam and it allowed me to play. Unfortunately, I have to do this every time I launch the game (yes it is a PITA). Joined their Discord, explained problem and got a curt response that this was not their problem. There were no questions to follow-up with, nothing.

3 Developers?!?!?
It is unbelievable what they accomplished. Seriously.
Great world building.
Great story telling.
Engaging interaction with history as it happens.
@devlopers
I hope you 3 are still talking to each other after all the time and effort you must have put into this. If you are still talking, I hope you grow your team just slightly. Not because you need to put more into the game, but because I don't want you to burn out.
I'd be over joyed to put in on a kickstarter for Zoria 2 set in any of the ages.

Bang for buck all day

I recommend it because it is great at what it does. A very simple, very basic tactical RPG. But no matter how hard I try I just cannot care. It feels like a phone game. Simple menus, simple skills just all very simple and boring.

I know it's a quality game, and lots of people are gonna love it. But I just couldnt even force myself to get interested.

This is a fun squad-based tactical RPG. The combat is fun but can be challenging at times, mainly in the higher difficulties.
The story is good enough to keep you wanting to play more.

RECOMMENDED FOR THE GAMEPLAY AND GAME MECHANICS

Although Zoria has some rough or cut corners, the game takes working ideas from some great CRPG titles and combines them well to make the game engaging (the way PC gamers especially like...).

PROS
- You have to manage and upgrade your outpost with a lot of different rewards and abilities (*glances at Veilguard*)
- You can recruit a large number of companions with redundancies for a large variety of classes, which have to-the-point skill trees but all can serve a specific purpose and help vary gameplay
- You can send idle companions to fulfill missions
- Each loot item has its own importance (that should go without saying for a CRPG but... *glances at Veilguard*)
- Related to this, the crafting system is wonderful, because it is meaningful. Crafting is not only essential to cope with afflictions and to get buffs, it allows also to make an infinite variety of specific gear that are nearly always more worth than the stuff you loot (*glances at Veilguard*)
- Combat is smooth and really tactical, with implementation of both positional backstab and side attack. Contrary to a lot of other titles, shielding is efficient and salutary: it's often worth to spend a turn shielding yourself
- Good music

OKS
- Lore and story setting are just alright, nothing groundbreaking there, just original enough to stand on its own
- Graphics are passable, but I haven't seen any glitches so far
- World design and environments can be either pretty good or a lot less so. Certain areas feel seriously underworked and its breaks immersion

CONS
- The writing itself is... well, not great. This game could have really been elevated to another level with a good writer
- Voice acting is awkwardly poor, even for non-professionals
- Clerics can't equip shields and heavy armor? Class X can equip medium but not light armor? Too many silly restrictions for such a variety of gear
- The limitation to a party of 4 almost forces you to choose a specific class at character creation depending on your playstyle... but you don't know that. Since Clerics are useless as tanks, you either need to get a Cleric or a Priest in addition to a tank and in addition to your own class (if you didn't get those), because not having a healer makes the game a lot more tedious. Although the game does intend to have you switch classes in your party from time to time, this makes it hard to actually get the party you want

so this game feels pretty rough you can tell it was made on a small budget but it is oddly fun and it has alot of good elements they could been executed better though.i support their vision for the game if you find this game on on a good sale i would say buy it

Very fun and reminiscent of the golden age RPG games. I got it because it reminds me of NWN but Zoria has its own charm and direction and I recommend to anyone who likes RPGs.

Really impressive tactical party RPG. For the price on sale and being made by three people makes it a hidden gem. It feels like an updated and modernized "Sword Coast Legends" for some that might not be a good comparison but I was a fan of that game and was sorry to see the developers go under. I do wish that the game was designed for a party of six instead of four, especially because there are so many classes to play with, but at least they provide incentive to often switch party members. I really like the mechanic for resting and different classes fixing status ailments. A ranger patching up your bleeding, a thief curing poison effects and the lancer fixing equipment is great. This should be a new standard for tactical party RPG's.

.

Great game great theme love it.

Impressive, fun to play RPG. Dynamic battles, rich lore and detailed locations.

Keep up good work guys.

Nice little strategic RPG.

First things first, many YouTube reviews point out being forced to bring specific class party members to access blocked paths on the map. For example, the Kingsman class can unlock mechanical gates. This was probably the most common and biggest downside I've seen across many review videos before I got into this game. That has since been patched and you can buy consumable kits that replicates that class passive.

Anyway, this is a neutral review. Get it if you have a small turn based party based rpg itch that needs scratching, and you're just waiting until your next big must have game gets released. The game is not bad for an indie game made by 3 developers. I wish they can get more support to create bigger games. It's clear to see that they have plenty of ideas that they wanted to try with this game. Quantity over quality as far as game play features go.

The story and classes are nothing to write home about. Standard bad guy taking over the world plot. Standard tank, melee, ranged, magic, healer classes. What I will talk about are features here that I thought were unique in this genre.

Persistent Abnormal Status Effects

This is one of those ideas where they clearly tried too many different things. There are a variety of status effects such as poison, bleed, diseased, weakened, cursed, sundered, and fatigued. These do not have a duration and will last until you specifically cure them. This is extra annoying early game because you don't have enough bandages and antidotes that early, and the only other way to remove them is by resting while you have the class that has a resting passive to cure them. For example, resting with a Thief can cure poison. Plus many of these status effects come from basic attacks of basic trash mob. Overall, it feels that this was their spin on forcing players to use the rest system. Which is a fine idea, resting does need to have some significant impact. But ultimately they put in way too many of these status effects. In my opinion, some of these should have had a duration instead.

Mana/Energy and Focus

This one is kinda neat. Mana (or Energy for non casters) is your typical rpg mana. What's an interesting take is Focus. Focus is a resource that caps at 100. In addition to the standard mana/energy cost, all abilities require a certain amount of Focus. Focus is generated by basic attacks, and by a few active ability that some classes have. Basically, you can't just chain abilities back to back since even at 100 Focus can only get you 2-3 ability casts. You have to use basic attacks to replenish your Focus. Each basic attack recovers around 40 focus, so it's not so bad. I just find this to be a novel idea that the devs thought of. Also, Focus gets drained as you run around the map or whenever you rest. So if you have a big fight and want to open with your heavy hitting abilities, you can't lollygag too much.

Side note, cooldowns are weird. Many abilities have 3 turn cd. Some have 5 or even as high as 10. I find that pretty much 99% of your fights end before your cds are up.

Combat Encounters

Another quirky feature is as you run around the map, when an enemy sees you, they will begin chasing you. Combat doesn't actually start until they get close enough. However, you also run faster than they can. So this means you can have them chase you halfway across the map before you decide to stop and get in to combat. Also let's say there's a cluster of enemies, but one of them is standing a tiny bit closer to you. You can have that one guy chase you and you pull him away from everyone else. Get in to combat, kill that one guy, rinse and repeat. Of course, some mobs stick too close together for this to work. Also, pulling 1 by 1 can get very tedious and time consuming. I'd rather pull them all and just rest up afterwards. Resting to fully heal your hp and mana is super cheap and super convenient btw.

Loot

I'm not a fan of randomized loot in a crpg. It's not designed like an arpg where loot grinding is a core mechanic. Enemies don't respawn, so it doesn't make sense to have randomized loot. Plus it looks weird that when you kill enemies or smash barrels, loot visually flies out on the ground. It's a very arpg thing to have loot drop like that.

Conclusion

The first 10 hours or so was entertaining. At 29 hours playtime, I finished and got the not-so-good ending because I missed critical side quests. Do I feel compelled to do another play through perfect run? Nope. The story is entirely skippable, so I couldn't care less for what the good ending is. I honestly wish the game was shorter. By middle of act 3, I just wanted to rush to finish the game. Every combat was just a tank and spank rinse and repeat. At some point, I stopped caring about attacking from the sides/back just to save me some time from positioning all the time.

Overall, I'm still giving this game a thumbs up just because for me, a thumbs down recommendation means stay away at all costs.

A modern CRPG for people who don't enjoy the story and mechanics of BG3.

Nice little game that I thought to give it a try and I am having fun with it!

It is definitely a low budget game but it is made with a lot of passion and it shows!
I also like that the devs answer quickly to your questions.

The graphics are mobile quality but that is obvious already.
The story is okay. I am following it so far, so that is a good thing for now.
There are some bugs and some small inconveniences here and there but I have encountered nothing game breaking so far.

The meat of the game is its mechanics. Either in battles or in exploration. In resting, crafting or in your fortress.
Most of them are well made and help each other.

Party composition is key when you go out exploring or in a dungeon. And their synergies are very well made.

It reminds me of the last two Divinity games (especially in battles).

Obviously, it is not comparable with kaiju like Baldur's Gate etc. but it is a very nice game to play while waiting between other releases.

I will play more as long as I am having fun!

This game is a pain in the arse! I had to put it down. The game is unpolished and annoying. The true review Madmike review on youtube is 100 percent accurate. SADLY people reviewing this game are getting paid to do so with these glowing reviews... they are not accurate.

I love RPGs and am not disappointed with this game. It has its quirks but it is fun and the story is good. Lots of quests, lots of loot. Was a great price and amazing that such a small team created it.

Good

13 hours in and loving it

Great so far. Just getting into it. I like the feel of this rpg. The music, graphics and world building are great.

I'm having a lot of fun with this. I'm really impressed this game was made by a 3 person team! They should be really proud.

It's engaging, the combat is tactical and strategic, and moves quickly despite being turn based. There is base building with your outpost, and you can hire recruits, and send any not in your party on missions for XP and rewards. I do like having such a wide variety of companions to choose from to make up your party. There's also crafting, forging, and alchemy. There's a lot of depth to the lore about the world you find in books etc too, it feels like a fleshed out setting. There are quests absolutely everywhere. Basically everything you need for a fun RPG!

Hats off to the devs, looking forward to playing this more and seeing what they come up with next.

Fantastic! If you prefer not too much intricate character detail but enough to keep you tweaking and improving then this is for you. Quests, characters, graphics are all engaging and beautiful. Fights are challenging enough for a relaxed approach without getting too geeky. Do the free Prologue (demo) first and then play the main game. I'm really enjoying it after 10 hours and am looking forward to many more.

Feels like a great mix between Diablo and Baldur's gate. A good story, gameplay mechanics are great, characters have a great feeling. Definitely worth playing.

Great game