Balrum

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16

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  1. MikeZillaGames
    Jun 27, 2016
    8
    Balrum deserves more attention. For both good and ill. It deserves more than the three reviews on the site up until now. And, for the most part, I'd say my experiences thus far are mostly positive.

    Balrum is an old school looking isometric open world RPG with turn based combat. If you're into these sort of analogies, I'd say it's like a mix up between harvest moon or minecraft and    Balrum deserves more attention. For both good and ill. It deserves more than the three reviews on the site up until now. And, for the most part, I'd say my experiences thus far are mostly positive.

    Balrum is an old school looking isometric open world RPG with turn based combat. If you're into these sort of analogies, I'd say it's like a mix up between harvest moon or minecraft and Divine Divinity. There's a huge emphasis on crafting and exploration here, and I'd even go as far as to say it even has elements from Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon. You start out as a young adventurer living in a small village community. Pretty much all the villagers you will get to know quite well, and each of them have a purpose- selling, teaching, etc. As you gain experience, you'll learn how to fight, farm, mine, etc.

    The game uses a turn based system during combat. Even on normal difficulty, it's quite a challenge. In fact, early on learning all this stuff is quite daunting. The graphics are awful, the movement feels a bit slow and clunky, and the UI isn't very user friendly. However, if you can power through these shortcomings, you'll find a rich experience here.

    -The Good-
    Large world to explore
    Exhilarating combat and char. customization
    Some light hearted, enjoyable NPCs
    Great crafting / building system
    LOTS of stuff to do

    -The bad-
    Clunky UI
    Steep learning curve
    Difficult to use map
    Awkward movement

    -The Ugly-
    The graphical fidelity looks like something from 15 years ago...but looks are not everything    … Expand
  2. SigilFey
    Sep 21, 2016
    8
    Recommended! This is an enjoyable romp, but don't play it expecting an earth-shattering experience. In short, everything it does is "Good!", but not "Amazing!" If you're looking for a challenging, old-school experience with some modern mechanics mixed in, you will enjoy your time!

    Who will -LOVE- this? + Players who remember the old Ultima series fondly. + Players looking for a    Recommended! This is an enjoyable romp, but don't play it expecting an earth-shattering experience. In short, everything it does is "Good!", but not "Amazing!" If you're looking for a challenging, old-school experience with some modern mechanics mixed in, you will enjoy your time!

    Who will -LOVE- this?

    + Players who remember the old Ultima series fondly.
    + Players looking for a difficult challenge. You will die quickly if you overreach.
    + Players who enjoy never knowing whether they're ready for that quest or not...

    Who will -HATE- this?

    - Players that require graphical fidelity to remain engaged.
    - Players that associate an RPG with "X=Attack, Y=Power Attack".
    - Players that prefer a casual, guided experience.

    The game provides the classic "figure out the haunting secret of your world" story to drive things forward. The narrative is engaging enough to maintain interest, but nothing revolutionary. Mechanics such as inventory, exploration, and combat are handled basically -- slightly clunky but 100% functional. Challenge is going to be a surprise for gamers unfamiliar with the old-school approach! (In short, certain enemies are "off-limits" until you've achieved a certain level of power and skill. The game notifies you of this by massacring your character in the face. No "hints". Running away from enemies too powerful for you is a normal and necessary part of the gameplay. It doesn't mean you can't -go- there; it means you can't -fight- there.)

    Where the game loses a couple of points is in it's hunger / fatigue system, which is simply an invasive and annoying part of the game that is horribly documented. I strongly recommend reading up on this before playing, as it can completely ruin the experience for new players unless they understand how it works. The crafting / smithing / alchemy / training system could also use some direct, clear documentation. Forcing the player to experiment to discover recipes, effects, etc. is one thing, but Balrum's presentation is so un-intuitive or outright obscure, that you often won't notice THAT something has happened, let alone understand WHY it happened. Again, some basic reading online clears this right up.

    In the end, it's a fun game that is more than the sum of its parts. Everything manages to hold attention, and the experience is completely player-paced. There's a load of content to discover: everything from hunting with your pet, to dungeon delving, to building houses, to farming, to crafting magical weapons, to capturing fairies that ensure your trees grow back...

    It's well worth the purchase!    … Expand
  3. jeffmott
    Apr 13, 2016
    8
    Quite a fun old school game, reminds me of some custom ultima online shards I used to play on in that there is quite a lot of crafting. Only 8 hours in to game so far.

    Pros: Crafting system is cool Magic is fun Skill books give an incentive to explore Atmosphere of the setting is good (at 8 hours anyway) Cons: Graphics dated Crafting system (combine system in particular) is    Quite a fun old school game, reminds me of some custom ultima online shards I used to play on in that there is quite a lot of crafting. Only 8 hours in to game so far.

    Pros:
    Crafting system is cool
    Magic is fun
    Skill books give an incentive to explore
    Atmosphere of the setting is good (at 8 hours anyway)

    Cons:
    Graphics dated
    Crafting system (combine system in particular) is poorly explained and not very intuitive
    No skill reset and unclear what skills do before purchasng    … Expand
  4. VittorioCs
    Mar 15, 2016
    10
    I have just started the game and I love it. I missed a game like this so much since Eschalon Book. The atmosphere and the world is good. For this price this game worth every penny for it. Yes it is rare gem!
  5. Blighty
    Mar 4, 2016
    10
    Really cool RPG - takes a little while to figure out how it works, but once you do its a gem! Very large and especially active world.

    Make sure you put the autosave on!
  6. blubberguts
    Nov 20, 2016
    9
    Great game. If you've ever played Ultima VII or Eschalon this game will scratch that itch. Yes, the graphics are a little old fashioned and the interface could use some work...but it's fun and there's a large world to explore. It has elements from Harvest moon (you can plant and grow stuff) and cooking sims (you can learn or buy recipes) and a dungeon explorer game. The aspects of the gameGreat game. If you've ever played Ultima VII or Eschalon this game will scratch that itch. Yes, the graphics are a little old fashioned and the interface could use some work...but it's fun and there's a large world to explore. It has elements from Harvest moon (you can plant and grow stuff) and cooking sims (you can learn or buy recipes) and a dungeon explorer game. The aspects of the game are well crafted too; the cooking / pets / growing crops aspects are interesting *and* actually useful in the game.

    Really having fun with it; would love to see a game like this but with actual modern graphics (I'm fine with an isometric viewpoint, I'd just like a 3d isometric world instead of 2d tiles.)

    Give it a shot; this is one of those games that the more you play, the more rewarding it gets....    … Expand
  7. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    6
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»

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  1. Games.cz
    Aug 11, 2016
    60
    Balrum is able to surprise with by glimpses of good ideas, but they lose any meaning because of too many mistakes. Maybe you will enjoy playing the game if you have the patience of a saint. But Balrum, unfortunately, will do anything to kill your patience as soon as possible.
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