Drova: Forsaken Kin - 2D action RPG inspired by Gothic series

[ArchAngel]

I haven't seen a single bug in 10 hours of play. The progression balancing and economy has been impressive too. Solid release, great game, and sad that the majority of the codex is sleeping on this.

If they called it Dragon age X, Skyrim 2 or Bloodlines 2.5 codex would be all over it, at least to bash it.. :D

 

[Jinn]

How is the game structured? Is it focused on combat? Not that it's a bad thing, but as interesting as it seems, the fact that it's an action-RPG needs to be balanced by gameplay that also involves dialogue, C&C (choices and consequences), and things like that, for me.

Have you played Gothic 1 and 2? Structured very similarly. If you play without too much savescumming your choices and actions are going to have consequences. There's two factions you can choose to join. A ton of sidequests and off-the-beaten-trail exploration. If you're looking for an enthralling narrative, look elsewhere, but the setting is interesting enough.

 

[notpl]

I haven't seen a single bug in 10 hours of play. The progression balancing and economy has been impressive too. Solid release, great game, and sad that the majority of the codex is sleeping on this.

How is the game structured? Is it focused on combat? Not that it's a bad thing, but as interesting as it seems, the fact that it's an action-RPG needs to be balanced by gameplay that also involves dialogue, C&C (choices and consequences), and things like that, for me.

Same C&C as you got in Gothic: occasional choice to help someone out or screw them over, choice of factions, totally linear main quest. Much better combat, but you can't really be a mage or thief, your only real character building choice is picking your favored weapon type.

 

[Tacgnol]

10 hours and I'm still in Chapter 1. I've been exploring the map, doing every side quest and doing all the faction quests up to the point of joining.

Very gothic-esque.

 

[Litmanen]

How is the game structured? Is it focused on combat? Not that it's a bad thing, but as interesting as it seems, the fact that it's an action-RPG needs to be balanced by gameplay that also involves dialogue, C&C (choices and consequences), and things like that, for me.

Have you played Gothic 1 and 2? Structured very similarly. If you play without too much savescumming your choices and actions are going to have consequences. There's two factions you can choose to join. A ton of sidequests and off-the-beaten-trail exploration. If you're looking for an enthralling narrative, look elsewhere, but the setting is interesting enough.

I haven't seen a single bug in 10 hours of play. The progression balancing and economy has been impressive too. Solid release, great game, and sad that the majority of the codex is sleeping on this.

How is the game structured? Is it focused on combat? Not that it's a bad thing, but as interesting as it seems, the fact that it's an action-RPG needs to be balanced by gameplay that also involves dialogue, C&C (choices and consequences), and things like that, for me.

Same C&C as you got in Gothic: occasional choice to help someone out or screw them over, choice of factions, totally linear main quest. Much better combat, but you can't really be a mage or thief, your only real character building choice is picking your favored weapon type.

Thank you both!

Played the (three) Gothics and loved them. And I'm not expecting a Planescape: Torment, here, no.

Maybe I'll give it a try in future

 

[Lord_Potato]

I haven't seen a single bug in 10 hours of play. The progression balancing and economy has been impressive too. Solid release, great game, and sad that the majority of the codex is sleeping on this.

I for one intend to play this (and Skald) once I wrap up my Fallout: London playthrough.

Is there any word about additional content that will be added to the game later?

 

[Abu Antar]

I haven't heard anything about additional content.

 

[Jinn]

Is there any word about additional content that will be added to the game later?

I haven't seen any mention of it. The game is doing fairly well by indie standards, having a peak player count of 2000+ on Steam yesterday. These developers seem very dedicated to putting out a finished product, so I doubt the game is "unfinished" in terms of content. Maybe we'll see a DLC, but my guess is they'll start working on a sequel immediately after this.

 

[onemananadhisdroid]

One of the guys was talking about possible DLC somewhere near the end of this decent podcast piece (German). https://okcool.space/hinter-den-kul...-gothic-ok-cool-trifft-christian-sandkaemper/

Massive incline around the 27:40 mark.

Long question: "What was important to you? What were these common threads that kept being laid out because that was simply significant to you?"
Short answer: "No quest markers!"

Earned a laugh from the interviewer. Earned a massive respect from me.

 

[Jinn]

Long question: "What was important to you? What were these common threads that kept being laid out because that was simply significant to you?"
Short answer: "No quest markers!"

Yep. These guys understand what exploration is in an RPG. Exactly why I want to support them.

 

[ArchAngel]

Is there any word about additional content that will be added to the game later?

I haven't seen any mention of it. The game is doing fairly well by indie standards, having a peak player count of 2000+ on Steam yesterday. These developers seem very dedicated to putting out a finished product, so I doubt the game is "unfinished" in terms of content. Maybe we'll see a DLC, but my guess is they'll start working on a sequel immediately after this.

Hopefully one of the big twitch streams or someone like SsethTzeentach plays it and that should up its sales. All I see now on first Sunday are bunch of around 100 viewer german twitch streamers.

 

[Hydro]

A bunch of german soycucks with pronouns and pixelart style hmmm
To the trashbin it goes

 

[baba is you]

I've played it for over 20 hours, and it seems like a game worthy of being loved by the codex.

The downside is that the quests are a bit more monotonous than Gothic, and the character designs are uglier than Gothic, but the gameplay is good. Even though it's a small team, the day and night cycle is implemented quite well, and the game's economy seems to have been taken care of.

Compared to the indie RPGs I've played this year (Skald and other RPGs), I think this game has a good exploration structure.

 

[Tacgnol]

Yep, finally entered Chapter 2 (ended up joining Nemeton). Immediately got a ton more side quests and things to do.

I just hope it doesn't do the Risen thing and plummet in quality later on, but my impressions so far are very positive.

 

[Jinn]

I just hope it doesn't do the Risen thing and plummet in quality later on, but my impressions so far are very positive.

Judging from what I've seen, these guys have studied early Piranha Bytes very closely. They want to pay homage, but I think it's pretty evident they want to avoid the glaring mistakes their inspirations have made in the past. The campaign has technically been complete for I think 5ish months - time which has been devoted to polishing and playtesting. There's no real indication we're going to see that signature PB drop in quality near the end of the game.

 

[toro]

I'm having fun. It was an impulse buy but now I've already put like 7 hours into it. This is Gothic in 2.5D.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Is there any magic in it?

 

[Jinn]

Yes. Quite a lot actually. You can use scrolls from the very beginning of the game, then learn magic once you join a faction.

Starting to come around, Iluvcheezcake?

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Yes. Quite a lot actually. You can use scrolls from the very beginning of the game, then learn magic once you join a faction.

Starting to come around, Iluvcheezcake?

Yeah. Been reading the topic, seems interesting

 

[AfterVirtue]

So the choice is between support pronouns, degeneracy, the fall of meaning to play an interesting game or to renounce, preserve purity, avoid the pleasures of the flesh of gaming. i say nay to thee, my breathens; let's take arms against this sea of troubles, let's destroy degeneracy, so that good exploration in rpg can shine again in a sky clean of woke storm-clouds.

Yeah, take my pills... i worked all day, shitposting is my pill.

But, seriously, pity for body types, maybe for the german government maybe for other reason, but it seems enough of the game heart is in the right place, contrary to BG3,. if there is nothing inside the actual game to spoil it, it is worthy, for what i read, of a tentative support, hoping, perhaps against reason, to support what makes the game good.

 

[notpl]

So the choice is between support pronouns, degeneracy, the fall of meaning to play an interesting game or to renounce, preserve purity, avoid the pleasures of the flesh of gaming. i say nay to thee, my breathens; let's take arms against this sea of troubles, let's destroy degeneracy, so that good exploration in rpg can shine again in a sky clean of woke storm-clouds.

Yeah, take my pills... i worked all day, shitposting is my pill.

But, seriously, pity for body types, maybe for the german government maybe for other reason, but it seems enough of the game heart is in the right place, contrary to BG3,. if there is nothing inside the actual game to spoil it, it is worthy, for what i read, of a tentative support, hoping, perhaps against reason, to support what makes the game good.

You realize the line "take up arms against [this] sea of troubles" means to commit suicide, right?

 

[AfterVirtue]

You realize the line "take up arms against [this] sea of troubles" means to commit suicide, right?

It all ends in death - Active or passive?

Edit: Let me be more clear:

 

[Marat]

You realize the line "take up arms against [this] sea of troubles" means to commit suicide, right?

No it doesn't. It is debating whether one should endure ("to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune") or resist (perhaps uselessly, as one would against the insurmountable sea). Only then does Hamlet contemplates the peace of death (which he likens to sleep) as yet another possibility.

 

[notpl]

You realize the line "take up arms against [this] sea of troubles" means to commit suicide, right?

No it doesn't. It is debating whether one should endure ("to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune") or resist (perhaps uselessly, as one would against the insurmountable sea). Only then does Hamlet contemplates the peace of death (which he likens to sleep) as yet another possibility.

I don't really know what to say to this except that you're wrong and have somehow misunderstood required high school reading. "And by opposing, end them" is not at all ambiguous, nor does it imply the possibility of "uselessness;" if Hamlet takes up arms - which means committing suicide - then he will end his troubles. Permanently.

This is perhaps the most studied soliloquoy in the entire canon of English literature.

 

[Marat]

"Taking up arms" is the literal opposite of suicide. He's pondering how to live and if he should kill Claudius. He's oscillating between impetuous action, depression and outright suicide.