Iron Danger

From its inception to the execution, Iron Danger showcases a rare, coherent vision where everything comes together to form a unified experience, not least because of truly novel gameplay that holds it all together. I’m afraid that Iron Danger has spoiled other games in its genre for me. I can no longer imagine playing formulaic fantasy tropes with rigid combat and eternally repeated, tired systems.

An intriguing tactical game with an excellent time manipulation mechanic that transforms each battle into a dance of perfectly choreographed moves. Some repetitiveness after the mid point of the campaign and the uneven framerate in larger battles are small blemishes on an otherwise quality game.

Iron Danger feels like a breath of fresh air for CRPGs. While not a perfect game, its unique, time-based combat system is a pure joy to play with and worth the price of admission alone.

If Iron Danger was the third game from a veteran indie studio, I’d be impressed. It’s Action Squad Studios’ first outing. I’m blown away. While it can occasionally be rough around the edges, I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Time rewind mechanics and focus on maneuvering bring a welcome spin on an otherwise tedious gameplay formula. [Issue#245, p.56]

The battle system that allows you to turn back time and retry is well done, and once you manage to stylishly defeat enemies after a long session of trial and error, it feels great. While the game offers many different situations to keep things fresh, sadly its story is not as captivating as its gameplay.

All things considered, Iron Danger is a great game. It may lack the sweeping epic scope of others and the marketing budget of a AAA game, but it lacks none of the quality. It’s a fun romp in fantasy Finland, setting stuff on fire and slinging spells left and right. It’s like 2001’s Achron that actually works!

The time manipulation mechanics shines on a game with a simple story and a raw ending.

I feel like in many ways we’ve entered an era of meta-design, where entire games are built around challenging or redefining tried-and-true mechanics. I see Iron Danger falling into that legacy and, in such context, I think it’s a game that is easier to appreciate for veteran players of the genre. I don’t mean to say that this game is inaccessible to newer gamers. Certainly, the low-stakes nature of it can accommodate them quite well. However, if you are a lover of RPG games such as Divinity: Original Sin 2, and are a frequent abuser of the quick-save button like me, you’ll find Iron Danger quite fun and refreshing.

There are some circumstances where I wouldn’t hesitate at all to give Iron Danger a strong recommendation, and others where I would advise to wait for more in the series or another entry from the same team. For people who have a strong appreciation for SRPG gameplay and love to overthink challenging battles, this is your game. If you really need a game with the sparse, bleak feel of a Norse epic, you’ll find that here. And definitely, for anyone who knows the Kalevala or spends inordinate amounts of time discussing different representations of mythology or old folklore in games, this is especially your game, and I’ll be wanting to talk to you about how the game represents Lowhee and Ilmarinen.

Daedalic's take on tactical combat is unique and refreshing, making for a robust gameplay that is also enriched by an interesting setting inspired by Finnish folklore.

Of the many ingredients of Iron Danger, the combat system is for sure the best designed and comes across as fresh and most interesting. I can't say the same for the RPG and narrative components though: not bad, but not excellent either.

Very combat focused RPG. You can manipulate time within the turn-based fantasy battles - perfect for tinkerers with patience.

Iron Danger is an interesting story of a young woman who obtains magical powers from a shard impaling her. The tactical combat and ARPG mechanics make for clever gameplay and a lack of grinding, although some fights are frustrating. The story itself is good, but the ending drags it down a lot by leaving you unsatisfied and wanting more.

Iron Danger is based on an interesting time-traveling that sometimes works great, and sometimes doesn’t. If you like the genre, though, it’s worth a try, as it offers something hard to find in other similar games.

Iron Danger is a splendidly innovative effort in the RPG scene. The time manipulation mechanic works neatly, until it doesn’t because of the too many enemies on the screen. Production values are also, in general, pretty high.

The game features on of the most unique combat system in the tactical RPG genre. The maps are small, the RPG element is rather weak and the interface could use some polishing. In spite all of that Iron Danger still remains original and fun. [05/2020, p.55]

Iron Danger is a fascinating game to try and assign a score to. It is really based around one core concept, and however far that concept takes you is how much mileage you'll get out of it. Jumping back and forth through time using mechanics reminiscent of audio or video editing software can be a unique tactical puzzle. That said, Iron Danger lacks the polish or depth to appeal much beyond that interesting concept. A lot of people will have fun with Iron Danger, but I could also see it being a game that many load up and ultimately bounce off of.

You simply have to try out Iron Danger’s unique combat system to fully appreciate how great the fighting is. The bland narrative, confused set-pieces and frequent bugs are significantly less awesome.

An interesting idea with a decent production, Iron Danger could be the basis for something truly amazing in the future.

Iron Danger has a couple of staggering flaws such as a lack of motivation, character progression or a good story. That being said, the well thought out battles and the rewarding challenge make the title a compelling strategy game.

Iron Danger is a unique and rather wonderful little game set in a mythology we rarely get to see explored in video games. It’s charming, the characters are generally very likeable, and the systems are unlike anything else in gaming. It is, quite simply, good fun, and solving each of the combat encounters is intensely rewarding. It’s certainly worth a look if you want something just a little bit different, or if you just really like time-travel.

Iron Danger won’t change your world, but it’s a wholly unique game that may appeal to dungeon crawling fans.

Iron Danger is a fascinating tactical RPG that gives players full control over time itself and turns combat into an intriguing sort of puzzle.

Iron Danger as an experience relies so heavily on the time-travel combat mechanic that it doesn’t really present you with much besides that. Everything else is a little bit bare bones.

Interesting duels, time games and remarkable characters are the main things, that Iron Danger has to offer. It's not a game of the year, but it does entertain. [Issue#302]

An excruciatingly boring game based on a very interesting concept. Unfortunately, I can’t rewind the hours I spent playing Iron Danger.

At first sight, the game looks completely unique compared to old fallout or other turn-based games. The plot is fairly unique, the audio is beautifully done, and did I mention, grade A voice acting. This game takes a new approach to turn-based action play with a “reversal” system that allows the player to optimize their decisions. You would think that would lower the level of difficulty, but this game cranks the difficulty up to a 10 out of 10. Even if you're a veteran gamer, you will have to adapt and learn the game.

Iron Danger is a compelling real-time tactics game that's held together by its core feature and a few interesting characters. Sadly, the story is bland other than a few interesting characters and while the core gameplay elements result in a strong tactical game, the controls frequently frustrate and impede the fun you can have.