Orogenesis

for £2.09, pretty good game, although personally I have to say I did prefer mothlight, and that was free, same creator, this is mothlight's sequel, but I didn't really feel that it quite lived up

I didn't hate it, it wasn't bad, there were some issues, I did feel that the direction was quite poor in some areas, and there are a couple bugs, nothing game breaking as far as I've seen

one issue I have is that there's just not really any external sources for help, no fan wiki, not really any guides on youtube, just sort of let's plays, so you have to figure out everything for yourself, god blood in particular caused me some confusion

I wasn't sure where the last 2 god blood were, I had 3, and got all the orogenesis orbs, I looked around a ton trying to find the last 2, looking it up I found out there was 1 outside of shantytown under a rock you have to mine more than all the other rocks, but I didn't realise 1 was also from fighting the guy in the door opened by the orogenesis orbs

there seems to be about 4 endings as far as I can tell, could be more, 1 is from fighting the god blood monster thing, 1 is from not fighting it, 1 is from going up the stairs, 1 is from talking to Enzo after getting all the orbs and doing everything in the door but not going up the stairs, this ending feels kind of like you have to really go looking for it, or be paying attention to everything going on, this ending also has the most extra game


overall, this game has a lot of lore, some poor direction which requires you to just persistently be trying to look around or figure out what's expected of you, but it's not a bad game despite it's flaws, I'd recommend you play mothlight first since it's free, and then decide after that if you want more, and then get this game, otherwise you may rather not bother

I also feel it's worth noting that I've heard there were some rumours about the dev, only thing I heard was from the owner of the discord the dev made, from asking around I heard he said some racist or, let's say "WWII Germany", type stuff, I didn't see a lot about it tho, as while the games are good, they don't seem to have much recognition online (hence neither does the dev), which I think is a shame, as they've got some phenomenal worldbuilding, particularly the first game, although this one does expand on it fairly well

despite the rumours about the dev, if you can separate the art from the artist, they're great games with distinct visual designs, great worldbuilding, and the gameplay is at least okay for an RPGmaker game, it's not breaking any barriers or anything, or redefining RPGmaker combat, but it works, ultimately you play for the story and the world with games like this, and they're both pretty compelling, it's not for everyone, but you can use your eyes, if you think from a glance you'd like this then you might, if you think you might not then you probably wouldn't



out of 10 I'd give this a high 6 or a low 7, so I guess 6.5

abstract sicc game about sicc dude :D

Samu did it again. Great dynamic RPG, if you are a fan of such games, you will have a good time for sure.

One thing i have to point out is that the occult girl sometimes isn't responsive (she looks awake at those times). Just go do something else and then come back to her, she will most likely react then.

I love this so much. I love Samu so much. I'm so happy to see Enzo again T^T Thank you Samu. For reference, I spent an hour straight gambling, murdered everything (only to read later about how kind and friendly they are), and cried more than cared to admit. Great game, worth the current price and more.

I first played soulscape. Tried orogenesis next and I really liked the trippy and weird style of this game. It took me about 5 hours to finish this game. I can only reccomend this game and other games by Samu.

Got stopped by a softlock issue at the Edna the Witch encounter that's never been resolved in all the years this game has been on Steam. Additionally, there's an anti-semitic caricature later in the game... wtf?

Outside of this and the limited time I played, I got the impression this was something of a lower effort for the creator. The story is simplistic and bland. Graphics are very remiscent of a Zelda gameboy game with the usual weird npc designs from SAMU, although they're somewhat less creative this time. The music was very good, which is something else his works are known for. But... it was a very basic experience with the usual linear adventure direction.

I used to love SAMU titles like Mothlight, but this felt phoned in and unpolished. I'm also really not down with a racist character design that makes no sense in a fantasy world like this. I dunno... maybe this well is dry. This was well below what SAMU can do with a plot and overall design. Can't recommend it.

Beat it, all endings and side stuff unless there's something hidden very well. Thought it would be longer with the play times on other reviews. There's a weird bit of antisemitism in one of the last areas which makes me less forgiving of all the other jank that comes with small, odd indie games. This game has great art and music but fails in every other area.

Combat is brain-dead and goes from being difficult very early game to a cakewalk once you get equipment. 95% of battles was me just spamming attack to damage race enemies since the healing options and spells were terrible until the very overpowered party full-heal you get towards the end. The final battles are really weak and anti-climatic.

Story's standard fantasy fare and dialogue is sparse. Generally these sort of games offer an interesting story that's different from more established developers, but it seems like they used up all their creativity with the visuals.

Just don't support the dev. I had their other games on my to-play list but I'm going to steer clear of everything Samu after this.

very fun game so far! reminds me of the Legends of Zelda games. very well made and looks great visually. would recommend!

it's been three years since I've played Mothlight, but I still remember it was a favorite of mine. Playing Mothlight so long ago and not playing Orogenesis in one sitting I feel like I missed out on some cool lore stuff, but it was still a very fun game, and look forward to anything else Samu works on.

As funny as adding a sheckle Jew sterotype into the game was to imagine you really shoudn't do that dude lol

Warning: There are some grave bugs in here. Be sure to use all save slots, especially before Dungeon V (Furnace) (unlocking doors in the wrong order puts you in a softlock) and before you break the frost dragon's curse (it might happen that Edna doesn't talk to you after that). You might face other minor bugs and glitches, but none of them is as severe.

Slightly recommended. The artwork is unique and varied, but the story turns about to be a bit more unoriginal then you'ld expect it, but it's still neat.
The really downside is the subpar combat. I mean, we all know what to expect from an RPG maker game, but this game manages to become more tedious than average - even with zero grinding involved. What you do is basically running into a dungeon, use always the same spells with your first character and attack with the other ones (one of them does even have a damage spell which is worse than the regular attack). After some encounters you're exhausted - now you can either consume items (which feels bad since there is no opportunity to grind the money for them back) or teleport back, visit the healing station and return. Most of the time it's just like that - run in, tap through some montonous combats, get out and heal, and step in again. Even boss fight's follow almost the same pattern, and once you get you're hands on the mute spell, they become a breeze.

There are different endings, some of them slightly hidden, but all of them feel a bit rushed in presentation. But okay, it's an indie game. But you can not shake of the impression that he dev put less passion towards the end - in the first screens every doodad has it's own, unique description. Later quest-givers won't even talk to you anymore after they've sent you on a quest - not even when you return sucessfully.

Another minus is a stupid, antisemitic joke with a jewel-selling character. It does not contribute anything witty, it's just a blunt reference to greedy, hooknosed jews. What was that for?

A last downside: the game seems to be abandoned. The dev is not responsive in the forum anymore, and he did not sort out 2 years old, game-breaking bugs.

Kind of unfinished feel to it and in one place wildly anti-Semitic but yeah I still had a good time

I'm so disappointed. This game really interested me and I really love the dev's other game but damn, for years now there's been a horrible bug that basically locks the game only past the first dungeon. I tried uninstalling, starting new games but nothing. I'm so disappointed this game looked so cool but the dev's gone and this bug is never going to be fixed. Avoid wasting your money and play his free game instead if you like the look of this one.

Despite how weird this game was it was kinda good, and the music was pretty sweet
.

I bought this game because I loved Mothlight. This one has more playing time, but I can't deny it doesn't have the charm of Mothlight, that had an intriguing main character and a meaningful story. I, still, enjoyed it a lot.

The best way to describe Orogenesis is like if Earthbound was made by a 12 year old while his edgy fat neckbeard 18 year old brother played Bloodborne/Dark Souls and obscure JRPGs in the background; strongly influencing/inspiring his younger brother into making something truly bonkers after years and years of dedication.

It's really hard to describe what Orogenesis is. It has a lot of things going that make it both simultaneously alienating and at home. It has fantasy elements with swords and monsters, it has elements drawn from reality with Casinos and AK-47s, and it has cosmic horror lurking everywhere.

The first half of the story is about a wholesome adventure about da boiz goin to get some orbs and meetin some f(r)iendly faces along the way, but as it progresses it gets more serious and drops lots of deepest lore. I really liked the bits in the early and late game that have lots of the NPCs were just pretty chill, living it up in their places. Towards the middle of the game, it feels both isolating and colder when things really start going down and now you're trying to save the world.

The combat in this game is very easy and simple once you get good gear. I've beaten a majority of the game by finding equipment, stockpiling on healing, and just mashing spacebar to attack. There were a few times where I felt like I was being challenged with the Giant Ice Spider the Dragon and the secret final boss, to a lesser extent oddly enough . The game's design does not incentivize the player to kill things, once you have stockpiles of money and supplies to last a while, outside of killing bosses or enemies holding keys/equipment. Although it is an interesting idea to abstain leveling for equipment-based progression, I feel like it was executed poorly.

What the RPG really lacks is any defining classes or roles for each party member. Normally when designing party-based RPGs, the best framework you can use is going by classic Warrior/Thief/Mage designs with each having defining roles and unique strengths/weaknesses. In this game, everyone just feels like a Warrior (with the exception of the protagonist, who gets lots of versatile and powerful spells, becoming something of a CHAD battle mage with supportive options). One could argue the leaf guy has some utility in its kit with the weaken seeds and the crowd control move, but for the most part, you don't really need to think so much about what each character is capable of.

Gameplay aside, the aesthetics of the game is very much pleasing to the eyes and ears. Each part of the overworld has a distinct color that gives it a theme and identity while the world and character design is cute and morbid. The combat's artstyle is really great too. Each weapon and item has its own animation that goes with it. Everything is so wonderfully etched with the combat and some cutscenes being a big highlight of what the game is from a visual standpoint. Furthermore, the game's music is boppin'. It's got some decent chill, funky grooves, and really weird experimental stuff. Overall, the game's presentation is very appealing.

Orogenesis is a solid hidden gem, despite some of its design flaws. If you want a JRPG that's a wacky fantasy with a subtle slice of life and a dash of eldritch horror, this game is a great way to spend roughly 7 hours of your time. I highly recommend this game to anyone that's into games like Hylics or games influenced by the Mother series (however, if you're looking for an interestingly designed turn-based combat, I suggest you keep looking).

Well worth the price of admission. A fantastical journey throughout.

Samu's games does not rely on grinding in order to defeat tough enemies; there are a limited amount of enemies you can face and you get no experience from fights, only money, which means spending your funds wisely is a major part of the game. However, once you know how the game rolls, there's still a fair bit of challenge that keeps you on your toe. Overall a refreshing and quick RPG for most, a fantastic ride throughout.

Lacks a little bit of story but the art and soundtrack make this game more than enjoyable. 8.5/10
Looking forward to other games from Samu!

Sad to give this game negative review but i expected it to be like mothlight 2.0. Whats bad about it - there is almost no plot. U pick friend at bar, he says "that dude stole my money, go get him", u get that dude, he joins u and...thats all. U just wander aimlessly around the world now. No reasons to expore world and move on, no motivation to found out "omg whats gonna be next". I thought i've mistaken and missed something but watched letsplays and found its just like that. If you ok with game like that - buy it, sound and style of art still very good, but i cant recommend it.

Im a pretty big fan of Samu work, his projects are legit fun and enjoyble to explore. I not only like his games but overall what he does in media and his other comic related stuff like Blackseed and Gooby.

With a new release of his project Orogenesis I had a great expirience playing it, the game had a interesting premise for what it seems to be. I love the game artstyle which is followed by the classic oldschool retro feel that nicely captured the fell of gameboy consoles with the limited colour pallet.

The story was enjoyable, filled with unique and fun characters that were fun to explore with the addition of recurring characters from Samu's previous projects and its a nice little detail for a real fans.
The game isnt obviously perfect but that can be expected from any game at this point, even Undertale had its flaws but this game captured really how to make things fun and interesting.

Here are some of my opinions about the games gameplay -

Pros:
+ Interesting characters and story with its unique twist on the plot
+ Gorgeous Graphics and Beautiful surreal style
+ Bunch of cool Gear, Weapons and Baddies to fight
+ Overall world structure and fun Dungeons to explore
+ Multiple Endings and Secrets

Cons:
- Very linear story
- Grinding and mostly pointless combat
- Loss of interaction with overworld and objects

Fair reminder this game is still getting expanded and will be filled with more free content overtime as it gets polished and many possible things may change my opinion about the game, hopefully for the better.

Overall I give the game a rating of...
- 8/10, I had a great time playing this game, yes it has some flaws and it surely isnt game for everyone, BUT for its price and what it offers I think it delivers MUCH MORE than I would expected and I LOVED the game to its bits.
Great Job Samu, Keep it up

Even though my review may not seem like it, I did generally enjoy this game and I found it to be worth the price.
(Mild Spoiler Warning, I tried to keep it vague though)
My favorite area was honestly the first because I love interacting with interesting NPCs and doing tasks for them to read the interesting dialogue and meet other fun characters but after the first town, the characters start to decrease in personality. Later on in the game, saving a village from a dragon that eats their young gives no response or acknowledgment that it has even been slain and similar stuff like that throughout the game really took me out of the experience. Another example, that I thought was the worst offender, is a friend of the protagonist getting taken by demons which creates no response from the protag which just felt really weird to me. Regarding the characters, while the bits of dialogue they say are interesting there just isn't much of it which made me not connect to them very much. The last character to join the party in particular only has like one or two lines of dialogue during the entire game and after that it just made me wonder why they were still even in the party. The combat is also very basic and not much was done to make it more complex than just spamming the enter button, it's pretty easy to just kill enemies with just regular attacks and skill attacks so I rarely felt inclined to be strategic with something like status effects. The dungeons in the game have very simple puzzles and the only boss that gave me made tense from the possibility of dying was the first because I didn't realize there was a blacksmith that sells armor in the merchant's house. The music does its job fairly well, none of the tracks are bad but also not very memorable to me excluding the theme that plays for the witch who brews mana increasing potions in the first town. I felt pretty underwhelmed by the ending because you find out a cheesy twist regarding one of the character's family members and the room after that it just abruptly ends without much of a resolution. I am aware of a secret boss and even attempted fighting it but I just can't bring myself to do it because of the sprite for it being a collage of genitalia which grossed me out too much to try fighting again after dying to the second phase.

Good music, good graphics and enemy design. The story is interesting, although it's definitely not the best I've seen. The combat is much better than Mothlight, and that was probably the weakest part of Mothlight, but unfortunately it's still probably the weakest part of this game. Would recommend to people who like games with weird worlds.