Разработчик: Astronomic Games
Описание
Synopsis
You are detective Hank Anderson , and you’ve just been transferred to another city to help solve a series of unusual crimes. Upon arrival, you are greeted with a gory scene and a revelation of several instances of a deadly disease that turns people into savage zombie-like husks. Upon closer inspection, it appears there’s more to all this, and peculiar events do not stop. It is up to you now to solve this mystery and find out who or what has caused this.
During your investigation, you will have to make choices, find allies, and improve your abilities, for all this will affect how the story shapes up. You will meet fascinating female characters throughout. What kind of relationship you forge with each one of them is up to you, but be aware that your relationships with the ladies will impact the investigation one way or another.
Features
- A detective story with choice and consequence, set in a modern-day urban fantasy world.
- 6 female characters to romance, all unique in some way, ranging from a sexy vampire to a cute elf!
- Build romantic or platonic relationships with the ladies in a variety of ways: dialogue options, sidequests, and even take them out on dates.
- Choose to specialise in athletics, charisma, erudition, or mix and match those abilities to open up new ways of tackling the missions.
- Your stance with each lady could affect the flow of events, their interactions with you and each other, as well as their final fate.
Поддерживаемые языки: english
Системные требования
Windows
- OS *: WindowsR 7/8/8.1/10 (64bit)
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: DirectX 9/OpenGL 4.1 capable GPU
- Storage: 1 GB available space
Отзывы пользователей
Well written characters and intriguing story.
A full playthrough is about 5 hours. It's a point and click game, and it has stats that alter how you resolve the mission events depending of how you manage them.
An enjoyable and addictive game with a good plot and choices.
Basic not too stressful fun. Remember what clues you find. Choose your starting point for different outcomes
Snares of Ruin is a crime mystery RPG game, I really enjoyed the story worth every bit of penny & and loved the art work.
Snares Of Ruin is a independent story-rich R.P.G. developed by Astronomic Games and published by New Reality Games. As ace detective Hank Anderson, you find yourself along with a new partner Gwen transferred to the city of Cromford in order to solve a particularly mysterious series of crimes that have the local authorities baffled. Being an experienced gumshoe, you'll have the opportunity to investigate crime scenes, follow up leads and examine evidence as you try to determine the answers to this perplexing thriller while also finding the time to expand your social life.
GAMEPLAY
In my opinion, the bread and butter of Astronomic Games titles are the engrossing stories which always go hand in hand with the terrific gameplay elements. I just really find the gameplay in all of this developers titles alot of fun and this offering is no exception. Firstly, this title does a wonderful job of putting you in the shoes of a detective. You'll have a chance to visit a number of locations throughout the city and speak to an abundance of different people while you search for clues and try to solve the mystery at hand. Being a R.P.G., Hank gains experience as tasks are completed and when enough XP is acquired you receive a skill point that you can then apply to a limited skill tree consisting of Athletics, Charisma and Erudition. Athletics adds interactions with the environment as well as physical feats usually involving strength, Charisma adds dialogue options and chances to persuade people as well as earn their trust and finally there's Erudition which brings additional dialogue options and technical knowledge that deals with science and computers. With these gameplay aspects you can easily tailor the character of Hank Anderson to your preferation be that a fighter, a negotiator, a computer geek or an amalgam of the attributes.
Exploration is encouraged as you can locate some extra skill points and currency hidden in different areas throughout the city just by going off the beaten path and looking for them. I'm happy to report that there is some lite character customization as you can choose from a small list of options for the preferred look of your version of detective Hank Anderson which is a nice addition. Also, while I wandered about the city I really liked talking to various N.P.C.'s as some of them have funny or rude things to say to you. Others talk about current events going on in the city or just have idle chit-chat that you can listen in on at your leisure. Yet another terrific quality of this title is the non-linear way that you can complete the investigations. Most of them can be accomplished in different ways depending on the choices that you make as well as the skills that you employ. All these aspects combine for a truly enjoyable gameplay experience alongside the absolutely wonderful narrative.
VISUALS
This of course is a RPGMaker title so it has the look and sound that people who have played these types of games before will expect from the software. I however like the fact that many of Astronomic Games RPGMaker titles don't follow the typical "chibi" style when it comes to the characters and objects in the game. They tend to opt for a more realistic look which I prefer immensely. With that said, Snares Of Ruin has a number of detailed environments that you will visit throughout the metropolis from the City Center to the Slums, the Docks and beyond as you conduct your investigations. Also, the art on the character portraits during dialogue is beautifully illustrated. In my overall opinion, as a RPGMaker title this game manages to provide a terrific visual presentation definitely one of the best in the RPGMaker genre.
SOUND
I liked the aural quality in this game from cell phones ringing, knocks on a door to the sounds of combat, etc. It all sounds wonderful but I really enjoyed the soundtrack as it had some catchy tunes, however, it's a shame that the music isn't available as D.L.C. or in the game files for listening at my pleasure. Nevertheless, I don't think anyone will be disappointed with the aural presentation of Snares Of Ruin.
CONCLUSION
I truly loved the adventure that this game takes you on from the investigations involved in Hank's work to the pursuit of romance in his personal life as well. This title does a great job of balancing both and keeping them interesting while also tying them into the compelling storyline. Replayability is high as there are quite a few achievements to get and some cannot be attained through merely a single playthrough. Your choices also affect current events and the stories ending so you may want to make alternate decisions next time to see how differently things end?
On a sidenote, I have to mention the technical issues that I had with this game. I've played quite a few titles from Astronomic Games and haven't had issues with any of them whatsoever but this game had some glitches, random crashes and freezing which occurred to me on a regular basis not to mention the occasional lagging which is weird because this is a RPGMaker title and they aren't particularly taxing on your hardware? Nevertheless, I had so many technical issues but hopefully no one else will. As far as options go, there are a number of Steam Achievements to hunt down but sadly no Steam Trading Cards to collect. In summary, with a thought provoking narrative, wonderful R.P.G. elements and very fun gameplay Snares Of Ruin is a title that any fan of the roleplaying game genre or anyone looking for a nice engaging story will enjoy so it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Snares of Ruin is a mystery/detectiv story driven game, which uses the rpg-maker software in a quite interesting and unique way. It's also one of my favourite games (and currently has a heavy discount) so maybe it's a good chance to check it out.
- There are no random battles or level ups. You solve your fights using either of three skills that you're able to increase during the course of the game, which leads to different results and possible endings. So it has quite the replay value.
- The story is really well written and even contains three different romance options (and two very minor ones, while you don't have to romance anyone at all if you don't want to). While these romances turned out great imo, the focus lies more on the mystery, and it kept me interested until the very end.
- No pre-used character pictures and sprites!
Well, if you like rpg-maker games, detective & mystery games or story driven ones, you can't do anything wrong with this one. It also has a very nice main theme. There is also a prequel of Snares of Ruin, which can be played before, but it's recommended to play the original Snares of Ruin first, because of some possible spoilers.
Snares of Ruin 2 is in the works and looks really promising so far!
This hurts a little, but I can't really recommend this game based on my own tastes. The writing is well done, and the character portraits are nice looking, but that's really all Snares of Ruin has going for it. The entire game is reading, then walking, then more reading, which isn't inherently bad, but with nothing to break up this pattern, it gets old fast.
I would gladly recommend this game if it was a visual novel or text adventure, where the traveling was less tedious, or if it had puzzles or combat. If you don't care about those things, then go ahead and give it a shot though.
Snares of Ruin is a game about the detective Hank, who must figure out why a deadly virus has been released into the city. His partner Gwen helps him him in this investigation. This plays out as a very straightforward story where choices vary in terms of choosing attributes and romantic interests. The storyline is interesting, and the game isn't difficult to figure out. Its a nice solid story to play that doesn't require an intense amount of skill. .
I just played through this game, and completed it. My current "playtime" as of this review is 8.8 hours, but some of that time, I was away from the keyboard. So the game COULD be completed maybe 1 time through, in a single sit down session after a day of work.
Don't think though that the game's story or gameplay element's wont' stick with you though, because I intend to go back and play again, choosing different options and also to see the various ways your characters stats can impact the story. There are only 3 stats that govern your character in this game, those being Athletics, Charisma and Erudition. As I beefed up my strength at least 1 npc I chatted with noticed and told me I was looking hot because of it.. which is nice that the game keeps track of your choices in more than just standard don't got enough of a stat, can't do this or whatever. There's a library that helps your character to have a broader range of knowledge if you can keep enough points in erudition to read the books that will help when those situations arise.
The romance is there for you either to partake in or be a bitter and cynical loner, that spurns the affections of the romance-ees. Some situations led to getting a bonus in a stat or finding a few valeracs laying around, that more commonly happens when you take the initiative to go off the beaten path.
That being said, there isn't a lot of wandering around to do, which for this game worked out wonderfully. The main character chimes in from time to time to keep you from going to an area that isn't relevant for the day's tasks. Don't worry though, what you get to do is plenty enough to keep you entertained for several play throughs. I picked it up on sale recenlty, and for the pittance I paid for it, I'd say I definitely achieved the feeling I got what I paid for and then some.
Whatever hype this game has received was earned. It is a casual kind of experience, I wish there were more types of casual'esque games like this, somewhere between a visual novel and a bonafide sci-fi thriller.
Another thing I like about the game is even when I felt like I screwed up my "build" and put a stat in something I regretted like 5 minutes later, it panned out and was worth it. I only reloaded to avoid consequences of my actions 1 time, because what happened just kind of came out of no where, but um, yeah I guess that's something else to like about the game. Also the developer is extremely responsive and has listened to advice and critiques from just about every angle there is. If you're on the fence about it, hop on over and give it a try, especially if it is on sale. Or ask in the forums if you need further coddling into a decision.
This is a cautious recommendation. The different stories and characters felt a bit shallow, it might have been better to focus on less and flesh that out more. Still an entertaining game, especially when baught during a sale
I like zombies so much so playing a detective and trying to discover all that was a great pleasure. you can even choose diferent girls to mate with, but I prefered only human, Yeah, I am a real retrograd, lol. Sound is perfect, but not the kisses...(((Oh, is it so hard to make a sound of a kiss?)) At least a wisper would be better, the one in the game was so funny))) The developer is thinking to make a new chapter of this story and it would be really great. Thanks, and good luck))
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started to play this game but I must say I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this game. It shows as a good example of how good writing, story and good depth in gameplay will always trump graphics. It also feels as long as it should be, and not padded with mundane side stuff. My only constructive piece of critiscism would be a lack of male characters, after a while you know that there is a dating sim clearly here, but I think that may have been the developers goal. But until that realisation, it was standing up perfectly fine as an interesting story, and still did after, though a small bit of the immersion was lost.
If a sequel(direct or indirect) was made to this game, I would definitely pick it up on release.
A neat little adventure game with some light RPG and dating Sim elements in the RPG Maker engine.
You play a freshly-arrived detective in a fantasy town, tasked to investigate murders related to the outbreak of a deadly epidemic. The story is well written, the pace feels right and well balanced between investigation phases, emergencies and hanging out with the ladies. The (optional) romances are well integrated in the game and don't feel cheesy at all.
Expect nearly 5 hours of playing time, more if you explore alternate paths and hunt for achievments.
Snares of Ruin shows that you don't need AAA graphics or a high budget to make a game that is enjoyable and fun to play. It's well worth the money.
Snares of Ruin is a nice and decent adventure game, on the investigation field, superbly using the RPGMaker programming.
The storyline and the gameplay are good and solid.
The story is interesting and manages to leave room to suspense till the end of the game.
There's a bit of politics in it, through the city council. Not too much politics, but enough to give some depth to the storyline.
Various endings await, giving the game replayability value. As well as going for the 100% achievements requires at least 2 or 3 playthroughs, you can go through them without the burdensome feeling to play the same exact story since you're free to make different choices here and there, all the way.
At the same time the gameplay is pretty entertaining, not too hard but neither too obvious : rather well balanced actually.
This is not a RPG with battles per se (although you'll encounter some fights), it's more of an adventure/point 'n click game.
The game also provides a dating feature. The main character is a male detective. Many women (not necessarily humans) are gravitating around him (boss, collegue, victims, witnesses and so on). It is to the player to chose the kind of relationship he wants to have with each of them, from plain friendship to dating and even more.. Be aware you might face their relentlessness and/or jealousy ! .. While flirting with others might turn to be difficult, at least at first glance. It requires you to pay attention to details. That dating aspect was somewhat funny :D
The pace of the game is very good too.
Day after day the character faces new challenges and twists, making the whole inquiry progressing smoothly.
Tremendous background.
Wherever or whenever it is supposed to take place, I loved the semi-dark atmosphere and the soundtrack fits adequately the whole ambiance.
Main characters and NPCs are sympathetic (even bad ones!), as if the game was sending some kind of message saying, like in real life: "nothing is ever black and white".
The background theme is quite a hot topic involving environmental care and social diversity.
To achievements hunters :
Snares of Ruin achievements are working fine and in accordance with their description.
Definitely a must-have !
Last but not least, game support is efficient. As far as I have seen, the developper (Astronomic Games) did answer all gamers' concerns, remarks and suggestions. That's very much appreciated !!
I do recommend Snares of Ruin to anyone and especially to dark adventure games lovers.
To me this game is one of those gems you stumble upon and feel so happy you did !! Considering the low price it's definitely worth a try. If you're too low on money wait for a sale but don't walk by it !
Tags: Adventure - RPGMaker & Topdown
Additional Tags: Delete Local Content & Remove from Library
TLDR: Story-only hotspot-centric shadowrun-style. Backstory is a bit generic. Rewards for paying attention to clues. Good game structure. Hotspots often highlighted which helps. Falls short overall.
This game comes awfully close to being worthwhile. Every day is divided in mini-missions. Which themselves are sometimes optional or part of the main story. Either way completing them skillfully allows to unlock points to invest in one of three main stats, which in turns opens more ways to interact with the hotspots you will find in the future.
Game sometimes offer multiple paths to solve missions and I did not get stuck anywhere, nor did I notice any typos in about an hour and a half worth of playtime.
Not all objectives are very clearly identified, the maps are a bit basic and you will have to get very familiar with the small RPGMaker maps to know your way around intuitively.
Most characters are not very fully fleshed out and seems like superficial caricatures of themselves. The writing was not all that extraordinary either. Even quite a ways in it did not feel like I was actively solving anything, but rather just opening more and more tiny sub-arcs to the main story with no real fulfilling developments or resolution for my effort.
There seemed to be an ability to sweet talk your way around a few key characters for romance-related options which I have not really explored but it is there for those interested.
The engine would not correctly fullscreen, and even windowed often left black spaces on screen edges wasting some of the screen real estate. There seemed to be a rather disappointingly low amount of assets being used causing some fairly heavy recycling.
Im a tad impressed, and if this was a free fan game I would say that it might be worth looking into for fans of the genre with a lot of time on their hands to help give feedback to the dev and improve it further, perhaps with a lot of patience and care this could become worth it.
I noticed some screen tearing when scrolling around areas on occasion which might be an additional reason why the screens abruptly cut off to brand new areas rather frequently.
In conclusion, this is not quite up to par either on the plot hook front, gameplay front, or ease of use and game design front. There are a few staple of the RPG genre and the detective oriented story holds up half decently.
The buffy/shadowrun style universe did not really feel credible and it was hard to relate to the protagonist or any of the characters since everything felt so cliche.
I do not think I will ever replay this to completion. Perhaps this developer has enough talent to craft something worth the time investment but this is not it in my humble opinion. I've gotten partway through act2 and it seems like the game was about to end shortly thereafter regardless.
There are droves of utter crap RPG-maker games... This one is a cut above the rest, from the little I've played so far.
First, it runs at native hz, 75fps for me. Scales to fullscreen well (just press F3, and F4 to stretch or center the image).
Story is well written, gramatically correct, and interesting! You can walk fast, so its not mind numbingly slow like other RPG-makers. Yay!
Props to this dev :)
Did that game on 9 hours! Simply the best ever Matseb ever done in his narrative work! couldn't stop playing and ended up not doing AT ALL what I planned for the day!
At the begining I was a wee bit intimidated by the lack of equipment inventory (might had kept that crowbar 'til the end XD ) or to not be able to read all additional skills I got. But it got away so fast trying to solve the case, read the maps, try to solve the case by reading the map somehow -I kinda got a hint there or two but it doesn't give away anything or everything-) and was so immersive that contrary to Atonement2 where I almost forgot what was a quest/journal log, there I just kept scrolling around my tasks so to plan the detective's time and try NOT to fail quests. -Thing I seem to had done a lot with side quests-.
It somehow had a more intimate feel than Shadowrun and despite having fantasy humanoids sharing same society, it was very relatable on a human level.
I managed to finish keeping all ladies safe but Hank all alone. But, I guess Gwen and medina would had be so close as choices, probably I can imagine it would had been something from outside the job story. ^^
I recommend it definately. I think it is something to revisit maybe every months to see what we missed. :)
I sorted my library into five categories:
- exceptionally awesome
- good
- average
- byers remorse
- not yet played
... this one, in all its minimalistic glory, made it on the "exceptionally awesome" list after the first playthrough.
I really loved every second of it - lovable characters (maybe aside the main character, that stays a bit dull), a unigue and interesting setting, LOTS of decisions that actually matter and can mean life or death to any of your (all female) friends.
Some heartbreaking dialogue options ...
And a very relaxed, laid back gameplay.
It is a perfect example to show how even the most simplistic game mechanics can give you immersion when utilized properly.
Finished it once ... just about to start over again, other path this time!
As Hank Anderson, the detective sent to solve a series of bizarre murders in a city, I quickly found myself in the middle of mystery, action and power struggles. The plot features zombies, vampires, werevolves, rusalkas, conspiracies and secret laboratories in a world where none of that feels out of place.
Hank's work consists of crime scene investigations, interrogations and a couple of shootouts along the way. All of that is done through exploration and dialogues and revolves around two mechanics - caffeine and stats. Hank needs caffeine regularly to keep his mind sharp and notice the smallest details of his surroundings. They get highlighted automatically this way, which makes this part of the game a cakewalk, but drinks and food cost money, which means you won't have a chance to spend it elsewhere. After you've found all clues you have to deduce correctly what happened at the crime scene and then you're one step closer to getting to the truth. Stats like Athletics, Charisma and Erudition are improved for the completion of quests as well as certain actions, like exercising or reading books. They are all pretty meaningful as they allow you to approach situations differently. Persuade an officer to share a computer password or just hack it? These unique scenes vary from something fun but ultimately insignificant to major stuff which could be of great benefit.
Of course, none of that would be so appealing if it wasn't in conjunction with another part of the game - a dating simulator. It is integrated into the game pretty well and is so intervowen with the main plot you could hardly tell whether it's there to compliment it, or the plot itself serves as a background for Hank's romatic adventures. All of the six romance options influence the story and your options throughout it. And it's not only dates either - every woman plays her part in the plot and you find yourself accompanied by them on the missions regularly. In fact, it is the source of some of the game's most memorable moments. Like when you're in a middle of an argument between two women and each one expects your support. The catch is you're bedding both and would like to keep it that way, so you have to balance hard to keep any of them from hating you. The girls can be a major asset and supplement the fields you're lacking in, like one of them is a powerful werewolf, great for violent encounters. This task can be quite tricky at times though, like when you're with your girlfriend and another girlfriend of yours approaches and invites you on a date tonight in no uncertain terms.
The characters are mostly well written and interaction with them is an emotional experience. Kind-hearted and loyal partner in crime of elven origin, a girl with a dark secret, desperately needing someone special to rely upon, a ruthless politician, looking to estable an authoritarian rule - these are some of the personalities you'll deal with. They treat each other differently and have their own reactions to events. Each treats her relationship with Hank differently. One treats cheating as a big no-no, and another is able to forgive it and get over it - though ultimately you'll have to make a choice. But it is these small details and love put into the characters by the author that make the game exciting.
As for Hank himself, he allows for much roleplay as he's basically a person you want him to be. Is he motivated by justice, greed, lust or personal gain? Is he able to overlook the crimes he uncovers if the price is good enough? Will his conscious suffer from cheating and lying or not at all? Is he a pacifist and prefers non-lethal, or maybe stealth approach, or just willing to kill anyone in his way? Decide for yourself.
The game's weaker points, which I have to mention for the sake of being objective, derive from the aged platform it is built upon. While character sprites and CGs are great, the graphics in general aren't. While those are not that important for a game like this, it also influences level design - a fair part of the game takes place in some sort of warehouses and laboratories which are repetetive and feel like twins, filled with similar boxes.
All in all, the playthrough took me 6 hours and it's definately not the last one. Although the game is fairly short, replayability is considerable - you have four ways to develop your stats, several ways of completing every of the quest as well as six ladies, all with their own personality, interactions and optional quests. Those 6 hours passed like a moment, and I'd argue this is more of an experience than a game to me. Therefore, definately recommend.
So far so good:
This game is the definition of: "If you can't do something original, then do something well."
The writing, visuals, gamefeel, and story won't win any originality awards, but all are executed with professional competence. It's a lean, mean game and I highly recommend it on that basis.
It's a nice short detective game with sci-fi elements. Writing is good, sound work fits in really well and the gameplay is very engaging. You won't regret it :)
Completed this game in 4.4 hours. Very good mix of detective game with interesting plot and dating game with several women to romance.
+Interesting story.
+Very good looking CG's.
+3 abilites to level up (Strength, Charisma and Intellegence) which give quite a lot of additional actions and options in dialogs.
+Good and plausible characters, liked and believed all of them.
+/-There are no "RPG Maker fights" at all. There is action in game, but all action sequences are contextual.
-Only male hero (not a problem for me, personally, but for some people it might be) with 4 available face versions.
-Quite linear (which is, again, not a problem for me, but some people may find it too limited). There are several story choices, but most of the game you're just doing what you're told.
-Ending was a bit... weak for my taste, but it was improved with first patch, which added more esplanation at the end.
-Out of 6 female characters to romance (according to Steam page) only 3 feel realy developed: Gwen, Alzyra and Miroslava. Elyssa has too little events and all of them happen near the end of the game. Medina was my pesonal choice during my first walkthrough and I was quite dissapointed - helping her few times during game and quick kiss in the end do not count as romance rout in my book, although, after first patch, she got more content which is very good. Solane's "romance" is the least developed because basically there are no romantic feelings between her and hero.
I've completed the game 6 times with all women possible, so now there's nothing left for me to explore. As result, I can say, that it's a good game (especially for it's price), I do not regret buying it and I hope there will be more simular games.
Игры похожие на Snares of Ruin
Дополнительная информация
| Разработчик | Astronomic Games |
| Платформы | Windows |
| Ограничение возраста | Нет |
| Дата релиза | 15.01.2025 |
| Отзывы пользователей | 93% положительных (29) |