Lords of Xulima

 PC
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 128 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 128
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 128
  3. Negative: 14 out of 128

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  1. ja9lryap
    Nov 16, 2014
    10
    Awesome oldschool RPG.
    +100 hours of gameplay
    +Hardcore on normal difficulty
    +Free to move
    +Good non-pixel style graphic
    +Interesting dialogues and quests
    +Advanced combat system
  2. basilhare
    Sep 28, 2015
    9
    I am mainly a strategy gamer coming from a background of playing Civ “X”, Gal Civ “X”, EUIV, M&B Warband, Matrix/AGEOD games, X-Com, etc.. I was in between games & looking for something different to play when I ran across this game in a thread about good RPG-Tactical Games. I am glad I gave Xulima a try. It has a nostalgic feel to it and that old fashioned D&D appeal (I date back to theI am mainly a strategy gamer coming from a background of playing Civ “X”, Gal Civ “X”, EUIV, M&B Warband, Matrix/AGEOD games, X-Com, etc.. I was in between games & looking for something different to play when I ran across this game in a thread about good RPG-Tactical Games. I am glad I gave Xulima a try. It has a nostalgic feel to it and that old fashioned D&D appeal (I date back to the white box/3 booklet early D&D Pen and Paper Days) that some of us old timers still remember. This feel though, is coupled with some very nice (albeit very basic) game mechanics that just simply work for the type game it was designed to be. At first glance, I thought that the combat mechanics were a little “hokey” but they work and they work elegantly. I look forward to the battles and they make you think and plan each combat turn. In addition to the combat and questing, there are some nice surprises in your exploration & adventuring. For us old schoolers that enjoy some logistics, there are some simple but elegant food & rest requirements that work without being tedious. To me, the best part of the game is the old school leveling up and making hard choices in your skill & attribute allocations as you advance. If you are a “instant gratification / pew-pew” gamer that needs high end graphics and action, stay away. But if you can use your imagination a bit and want a nicely done, old school adventure game, Xulima is your ticket. I hope they follow with a sequel…I havent been addicted to a game this bad in along time…

    Pros
    Old School Nostalgic Feel
    Nicely Done Game and Combat Mechanics
    Immersion
    Elegant Logistics, basic but not tedious
    Nicely done advancement system
    Challenging (recommend the medium or hard settings, don’t play on “normal”)
    Overall game package just works – good feel, fit and finish
    Hours and Hours of RPG Adventure Fun

    Cons
    Simple but elegant graphics – no huge explosions or 3D action here
    Might feel grindy for some
    Some might miss the “follow the green arrow” tips of other games ie., this is a thinking persons game…
    Combat system may be too quirky for some (again, no “pew-pew” here)
    Some may miss the “Monty Hall” fell of other titles…you work for your loot here…    … Expand
  3. Names
    Nov 2, 2015
    10
    Xulima: Not for the modern gamer.

    Let me explain. The game is very forgiving on the lower difficulties and significantly less so on the higher difficulties. On all of them however it is at least somewhat complex, requiring some degree of planning and common sense from you. There are no green arrows that tell you where you should go next. At the same time it's not entirely without    Xulima: Not for the modern gamer.

    Let me explain. The game is very forgiving on the lower difficulties and significantly less so on the higher difficulties. On all of them however it is at least somewhat complex, requiring some degree of planning and common sense from you. There are no green arrows that tell you where you should go next. At the same time it's not entirely without direction, as NPCs will tell you about other regions of the world. Many call this game linear because "Titanic" encounters block all the "incorrect" paths. First, those are blocking shortcuts and not paths. Second, most of them are defeatable early anyways even on the highest difficulty allowing for a great deal of sequence breaking at least on par with that of a Souls game.

    The second thing a lot of people have trouble with is the presentation. Yes, the graphics are simple and the animations a bit clunky. This is an indie game made on a tiny budget and one of the very few Early Access success stories that exist. Sacrifices must be made. Likewise the story is fairly generic... this game is focused on the game mechanics first and everything else second and as a result the core game is solid.

    The third thing is the difficulty. As I mentioned the low difficulties are very forgiving. A lot of modern gamers will struggle even there as even the "Casual" difficulty still demands something from you and most modern games do not. Exercise even a little forethought however and you'll be right at home on the middle difficulty for your first run and either after completing it, or hitting the halfway point and finding it easy you can then charge right back in on the highest difficulty and complete that. And then if that's STILL easy, some crazy guy (me) is making a mod that makes it harder still. I've easily gotten 450 hours out of this game and I am nowhere near done with it. Forget all that pretentious generic crap, this is the best game I've tried all year.    … Expand
  4. XxSoULxMaNxX
    Oct 23, 2015
    9
    Excellent Game. Some parts were a bit of a grind but overall great experience. I would absolutely recommend it and will play the sequel when it is released.
  5. Joewashere
    Aug 8, 2019
    8
    This RPG is quite unique in that it combines top-down-view exploration (similar to Baldur's Gate) with blobber-like combat (similar to Wizardry or JRPG's). This combination works surprisingly well. The world of Xulima is huge, ranging from icy regions, to forests, jungles, deserts, as well as towns and castles - all with beautiful, fairy-tale-like graphics. Exploration of extreme weatherThis RPG is quite unique in that it combines top-down-view exploration (similar to Baldur's Gate) with blobber-like combat (similar to Wizardry or JRPG's). This combination works surprisingly well. The world of Xulima is huge, ranging from icy regions, to forests, jungles, deserts, as well as towns and castles - all with beautiful, fairy-tale-like graphics. Exploration of extreme weather regions is actually dangerous since you run out of supplies much faster, adding a lot to the fun. What can be criticized about this game is that it has relatively few dungeon areas, as well as a somewhat formulaic design where the same elements are repeated on several maps (one castle, one town, one witch house). Also, the end game is not very well done and could have been trimmed down somewhat.… Expand
  6. RagingPoet
    Jul 12, 2018
    8
    Lords of Xulima is all about progression and resource management. In almost every other RPG you will very soon reach the point when you have more money and equipment than you need. Here it is not the case, you can always make use of additional wealth. All because of mechanics that allows to exchange items for exp and the fact that shops actually sell decent items even in late game. AlsoLords of Xulima is all about progression and resource management. In almost every other RPG you will very soon reach the point when you have more money and equipment than you need. Here it is not the case, you can always make use of additional wealth. All because of mechanics that allows to exchange items for exp and the fact that shops actually sell decent items even in late game. Also level progression is fast enough to not get bored waiting for the level up and slow enough to not max out ur build too early.

    Main problem with the game is that turn-based combat is too slow and gets old very quickly while there are no way to skip most of the fights and no auto-resolve option.

    Overall Lords of Xulima is a good game that can easily provide with 100+ hours of gameplay.    … Expand
  7. Canox
    Nov 23, 2014
    9
    For such a low price, you can't ask for more.

    + Hard difficulty + Nice tactical combat + Gold does matter + You have to think before you spend your gold + A lot of skills to discover + Nice graphics + Cool music + Small riddles and minigames (lockpicking, disarming traps) The only thing i didnt like is, that you are forced to play with one "premade" character (the main    For such a low price, you can't ask for more.

    + Hard difficulty
    + Nice tactical combat
    + Gold does matter
    + You have to think before you spend your gold
    + A lot of skills to discover
    + Nice graphics
    + Cool music
    + Small riddles and minigames (lockpicking, disarming traps)

    The only thing i didnt like is, that you are forced to play with one "premade" character (the main character), everything else is really good. If you like rpgs with tactical combat, there you go.    … Expand
  8. Type4101
    Nov 19, 2014
    9
    A pleasant surprise that illustrates the potential success that a kick-starter project can have, when the developer spends its budget on the game itself (and not advertising, bribing reviewers, or putting it in the executive's pockets). This is a reasonably-priced, complete game (no micro-transactions!). It is also excellent (if a bit difficult). The one significant problem is aA pleasant surprise that illustrates the potential success that a kick-starter project can have, when the developer spends its budget on the game itself (and not advertising, bribing reviewers, or putting it in the executive's pockets). This is a reasonably-priced, complete game (no micro-transactions!). It is also excellent (if a bit difficult). The one significant problem is a complete lack of documentation--not even a wiki. This is not good for an RPG game that relies on careful distribution of skill-points....you have no idea if you are squandering your points on skills you won't use, because you don't know what is ahead in the future. Once a comprehensive wiki or manual is produced, this game will be worth getting.… Expand
  9. f2pelerin118
    Nov 26, 2014
    9
    A really good mix of the old and the new.

    Exploration from an isometric perspective and first-person turn-based battles with a party of six.

    The game is deep, but easy to understand. Challenging, but also accessible.

    There is a massive amount of content and the game is great fun to play.
  10. JackPaladin
    Nov 16, 2014
    9
    After over 120 hours of play, I'm ready to give my review. If you played M&M; If you played Xene; if played Wizardry, and you've spent all your gaming years since then looking for a game, any game, to scratch that itch of a classic, old school'ish RPG, this is that game.

    Real time movement on the map; turn based combat; dozens of skills, spells, stats and classes. Up to 100 hours of    After over 120 hours of play, I'm ready to give my review. If you played M&M; If you played Xene; if played Wizardry, and you've spent all your gaming years since then looking for a game, any game, to scratch that itch of a classic, old school'ish RPG, this is that game.

    Real time movement on the map; turn based combat; dozens of skills, spells, stats and classes. Up to 100 hours of play (if your a completionist); and just the right combination of old style RPG gaming with lots of modern amenities blended in.

    Mix in a Development team that actually listens to it's community, and adds patches/upgrades faster than you can say "Kill That Ogre", and you just can't go wrong with this game. Watch any UTube video on this game if your on the fence.    … Expand
  11. dollarhyde
    Nov 16, 2014
    8
    Lords of Xulima is a great old school rpg. Very challenging combat, great atmosphere and music, lots of items, skills, quests and more. For anyone who enjoyed games like Wizardry or Might & Magic series this is a must have.
  12. Wren182
    Nov 18, 2014
    10
    Excellent classic-style RPG with some modern elements thrown into the mix. The game's graphic style is unique and refreshing; classic 2D top-down perspective, but with a level of detail that is easy on the eyes. The combat is addictive and challenging. The music is the best I've heard in a game in a very long time. Overall, fantastic game. Highly recommended.
  13. Morrow
    Nov 21, 2014
    10
    I don't know what it is but old style games keep pulling me in far more than newer RPG's. Honestly, I've put aside DD: OS for this! It feels so much more about the gameplay and less about gimmicks and newer player/people who need game to evolve without adding anything really new.

    This game is about the love for RPG's. The love for playing games like the way they were meant to be played,    I don't know what it is but old style games keep pulling me in far more than newer RPG's. Honestly, I've put aside DD: OS for this! It feels so much more about the gameplay and less about gimmicks and newer player/people who need game to evolve without adding anything really new.

    This game is about the love for RPG's. The love for playing games like the way they were meant to be played, with enough own imagination.

    For me a game is all about wanting to continue, curious about what's coming next, when am I strong enough the defeat that certain boss, discouvering new areas. This game has it all and mostly, it shows the love the desingers have for RPG's. Not to cash in enough money to make part 2.

    I love it, you should try to love it too.    … Expand
  14. wolf80207
    Jan 7, 2016
    7
    After The Video Review: Lords Of Xulima

    Hours Played: 12 hours Price: $19.99 USD I normally do this anyways and I had a lot to say so I just kept it in this format. The Good: Old school style with new school mechanics: it has kind of an old school feel of ultima in a way but it’s supported by new age combat and graphics. Interesting combat game-play: basically if your    After The Video Review: Lords Of Xulima

    Hours Played: 12 hours

    Price: $19.99 USD

    I normally do this anyways and I had a lot to say so I just kept it in this format.

    The Good:

    Old school style with new school mechanics:
    it has kind of an old school feel of ultima in a way but it’s supported by new age combat and graphics.
    Interesting combat game-play:
    basically if your enemy is using a melee weapon and he’s to the far left of the screen he can’t attack the far right without moving first, which costs half a turn to move. In addition to that it’s all turn based combat with weapons and skills that can stun and while not as comprehensive as say final fantasy x and it’s turn based system it’s still pretty good.
    The voice overs are pretty good:
    often the proper voice can make or break a game, but they pretty much nailed it here the narrator and the voice of god sound very appropriate and usually are dipping with dramatic feel to it.
    The environments are pretty well detailed and everything looks good:
    it actually a good thing to be a developer on Steam and not have your game look like it was done in MS Paint and here it looks really well done, with good detail in pretty much everything you encounter and every where you go.
    It has a Steam workshop:
    there is too many mods and for the most part they haven’t done too much in terms of really outlandish stuff, but it’s always nice to have.

    The Bad:

    The outright necessary grinding:
    I’m not kidding here you WILL grind in this game you WILL kill every enemy in every area if you want to continue on your quest there is no maybe here.
    but wait there’s more! the enemy's are finite and you get a bonus for killing all of them that you will need, so you LITTERY have to go everywhere to fight every enemy.
    The lack of skills:
    the ones they do have are more trial and error and outside of the divine summoner class it feels like most characters really don’t have a lot of skills in the beginning and as they level up they still feel really under powered.
    Complete lack of explanations:
    most of the skill icons you can’t click on so you don’t know what they do same with the icons on the weapon stat’s, even concepts like when poison or bleeding will affect you is never explained, Also it never gives you a look at what skills you character will receive way down the line so you're never sure what you're building towards.
    Often times completely unrealistic with its difficulty:
    somehow even after you take down nearly EVERY enemy in EVERY part you can go in a map if you didn’t build you didn’t min/max your characters correctly then congrats you get to start all over again from the beginning of the game.
    it has such an unforgiving difficulty that even if you have been playing CRPG’s your entire life you're still going to lose, that being said however you're probably going to restart to get your revenge (after you buy a new keyboard).
    The DLC feels like a slap in the face:
    I swear it like the devs when they making them were like “aww is it too hard for you? that’s ok you can just spend more of your money too make it allll better.”
    It has a weird stutter when you run:
    this could just be my computer but it has a really weird jerky stutter when your character starts running again it could be just me but it’s weird.

    The Summary:

    This game just is not approachable by anybody who isn’t direly serious about needing a challenge in a CRPG and Dark Souls & Bloodborne just aren’t your thing, everybody else just needs to stay away from this title because the only thing you’ll find with this game is frustration and a lot of broken keyboards, but if you can make it past all that there is a good game here albeit one I can’t recommend but a good game all the same.    … Expand
  15. FooJones
    Mar 6, 2015
    8
    Old CRPG fans rejoice! New fans...probably not so much.

    As a CRPG player from the 80s, I can say that I've had my share of both good and bad CRPGs, forgiving and what might have ultimately felt impossible to finish. Lords of Xulima brings the old school back with a vengeance, but with that little bit of new flavor that's enough to feel fresh for us old timers, and possibly enjoyable for    Old CRPG fans rejoice! New fans...probably not so much.

    As a CRPG player from the 80s, I can say that I've had my share of both good and bad CRPGs, forgiving and what might have ultimately felt impossible to finish. Lords of Xulima brings the old school back with a vengeance, but with that little bit of new flavor that's enough to feel fresh for us old timers, and possibly enjoyable for younger CRPG fans (and by younger I don't mean your age, but number of years you've been playing in the genre).

    The story is nothing to write home about, as you are a hero who has been assigned with a task to clear some temples built by Gods that are being abused by an evil prince and witches, but the story is still gripping. The writing is a tiny bit cheesy, but it's nothing to complain over. Personally, I'm not bothered by it, and I feel it sets the tone for the game.

    The game play is also nice. You have a party of 6 adventurers; the hero which is pre-made and 5 fully created characters of your own. There are several classes to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and while you can't really customize the skills and stats at the front all that much, you can fully customize as you level up. Also, if you get tired of your character's ugly mug, you can change it on the fly with any of the other portraits available (I do like this feature a lot, though it might seem silly to some). Your party is identified by your main character traveling in an isometric view of the world. You can interact with people, items, etc. Food storage is important in this game. Those who played the older Might and Magics or even Ultima Underworld I & II will remember how important food was. The biggest gripe I have about it in Lords of Xulima is that EVERYTHING you do uses up food; from just walking around, to bashing open chests and of course, resting. While consuming food while resting is great, I feel just walking around and using up food stores is a little bit too much of a pain in the butt, especially since gold is limited in this game. There are other alternatives though to this food issue, providing you're patient or resourceful.

    Combat can be VERY unforgiving in this game. It's turn based and does require some strategy, which old fans like myself of the genre will enjoy. However, at the beginning of the game, you'll find yourself being beaten down by the easiest of foes if you're not careful. A lot of this is due to the game not pointing out buffs you can receive in the first village. If you're willing to pay for these temporary buffs, they will make combat more manageable in the beginning, but they add up in expense quickly and again, gold is limited in this game.

    Lastly, my final issue with this game is the loot. Most loot you come across is "meh" at best, and a lot of your bigger and better items will come from lucky rolls at the shops. I'm glad this game isn't a gear grind of boring farming for hours to find one piece of upgradeable equipment.

    Don't let my review deter you though, if it sounds negative. Overall, the game is actually quite good, especially for the money. It's definitely challenging, and might disappoint those who thing this is a game you can just steamroll through. It does take a little bit of thought and careful planning, but it's definitely worth at least one playthrough. I give it 8/10 because of the somewhat disappointing loot, and the food system is a little too much for me. Give it a try!    … Expand
  16. ValadursErbe
    Nov 20, 2014
    9
    In Lords of Xulima you control a hero called Gaulen the Explorer and his five friends (these five can be completely created by yourself, with 9 additional classes at your disposal). Guided by a dream sent by the gods of his world, Gaulen sails to a forgotten continent. During exploration, the game is very similar to classics like Baldur´s Gate, but once combat begins, it will look like aIn Lords of Xulima you control a hero called Gaulen the Explorer and his five friends (these five can be completely created by yourself, with 9 additional classes at your disposal). Guided by a dream sent by the gods of his world, Gaulen sails to a forgotten continent. During exploration, the game is very similar to classics like Baldur´s Gate, but once combat begins, it will look like a mixture of Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy 10 and the newer Etrian Odyssey series. It is also often compared to the Wizardry-series.

    Major Features:

    - A charming atmosphere, travel through a mystical world and explore secret graves, forsaken temples and more.
    - Challenging and strategic combat. Very original due to the elaborate debuff system.
    - Character skills and equipment management are rich and rewarding.
    - Recaptures the feeling of oldschool rpg series like no other game

    Possible weakpoints (depending on your taste):

    - Story plays only a secondary role. Exploration, combat and character management take the main spotlight.
    - Recaptures the feeling of oldschool rpg series like no other game. You wonder why this is repeated in the negatives list? Because nowadays we are so accustomed to arrows that point where we have to go and other such luxuries that the transition can be very rough.
    - Hard to get going. You have to manage the party, food reserves and find your way in a huge non-linear world. (If you have troubles, try the easiest difficulty. There you can learn the basic game mechanics without getting your head chopped off for every mistake.)

    Minor addittion: You CAN run in this game, the trailer shows only the walking speed.    … Expand
  17. pondloso
    Nov 18, 2014
    9
    i have to write this cuz some noob just say this game bad cuz of food system
    i play this game like 60 hour and nerver have to buy food for once
    they have a lot of free food if some people not just so dump or noob they will know how to deal with it just so easy and food in this game make this game more fun it fell like real adventure you have to plan every thing you have not just some    i have to write this cuz some noob just say this game bad cuz of food system
    i play this game like 60 hour and nerver have to buy food for once
    they have a lot of free food if some people not just so dump or noob
    they will know how to deal with it just so easy and food in this game make this game more fun
    it fell like real adventure you have to plan every thing you have not just some stupid AAA RPG that you
    have a ton of gold and have no idea how to use it or just sink it in stupid enchanted

    this game this game deserve 9 i would git it a 10 if they update more item that you can found
    along game more spell or skill and for sure a lot more craft system but i give it 10 cuz some noob want to make this game look bad

    i cant even compare this game with an AAA RPG game that just came out cuz this game so much more
    fun and addict and this game not grindy at all mob do not respaw they made it balance and i play
    at veteran mode .it no easy but it fun it Challenge.

    sry for my english    … Expand
  18. xag
    Dec 6, 2014
    10
    A fantastic master piece oldchool RPG:

    + 150 hours of oldschool style gameplay + Total freedom, the only limit is the quality fo your party. + Brilliant HD isometric graphics. No pixelation. + Funny minigames and riddles (lockpicking, disarm traps, etc.) + Turn based combat in 3D simulated screen. + Perfect sound effects and music. + Great writing. + Hardcore but playable without    A fantastic master piece oldchool RPG:

    + 150 hours of oldschool style gameplay
    + Total freedom, the only limit is the quality fo your party.
    + Brilliant HD isometric graphics. No pixelation.
    + Funny minigames and riddles (lockpicking, disarm traps, etc.)
    + Turn based combat in 3D simulated screen.
    + Perfect sound effects and music.
    + Great writing.
    + Hardcore but playable without frustation.
    + Rewarded exploration.
    + Many secrets.
    + challenging extra bosses in secondary quests.
    + many classes to build your party, but you must build it carefully to make it useful.
    + Food system addition.

    - For some people will be too hardcore, but you know where are you entering.
    - More people to talk in towns.
    - More types of weapons and armors.
    - At some time you'll ended ;-).
    - Food will be a problem for some tu
    The best classic rpg from Wizardry VIII.    … Expand
  19. PowerGamer
    Dec 2, 2014
    7
    Fun until it gets old.

    I really loved this game for a while. Reminded me a bit of the simple fun I had playing the Ultima games back in the 80's. It's got the usual things that you like from RPGs. The character creation, the battle with monsters, the loot, the leveling, etc. Again for a while but then after so many hours, you will see a lot of it is the same; in particular you    Fun until it gets old.

    I really loved this game for a while. Reminded me a bit of the simple fun I had playing the Ultima games back in the 80's.
    It's got the usual things that you like from RPGs. The character creation, the battle with monsters, the loot, the leveling, etc.

    Again for a while but then after so many hours, you will see a lot of it is the same; in particular you spend the majority of the time in battles.
    So repetitive my shoulder actually started to ache from the same repetitive moments, and I'd literally get sleepy doing the same things over again.
    Although this goes a lot for other RPGs of this style (like the final fantasy style et al).

    Then at first you see a lot of the world is the same and rather bland.

    It lacks direction. There is a story behind it, but it feels like it's a lot of aimless wandering, again over
    a lot of scenery that got bland.

    Finally the classes are not hashed out as good as they probably could be. Some are over powered, some are basically useless.
    You would expect that a typical balanced party setup like:
    A tank, cleric, thief, and Mage, then one extra like a Bard for the buffs or CC, would work great.
    But it turns out the way the game balance works you'ed be better off with more tanks, or otherwise high HP and defense guys. I though a thief was needed to have a lock picking, disarming expert, but it
    turns out I could have had the main "explorer" character learn those skills and a thief archer was almost useless in battle.
    The mechanics are that AOE CC (area of effect, crowd control) characters are some of the best, as the simple fact that whom ever has the most to attack gets the most hits in. If you can lock the enemy up the less damage you will take, and killing them faster en mass will save you a lot of the tedium.
    You are best to read some kind of guide before you start, rather then using your intuition from previous RPG experiences.

    Overall worth the price since you will get a lot of RPG enjoyment out of it, but I doubt you will make it to the end..    … Expand
  20. delusionnn
    Apr 8, 2015
    1
    This tedious, linear grindfest celebrates its flaws by hiding them with the tired "it's meant to be hard" and "it's meant to be old-school" clichés. Most of the positive reviews were written mere days after release, which is a red flag for a game as big as LoX.

    The game purports to have 100 or more hours of gameplay, but all of that gameplay lacks much nuance or variety. The first    This tedious, linear grindfest celebrates its flaws by hiding them with the tired "it's meant to be hard" and "it's meant to be old-school" clichés. Most of the positive reviews were written mere days after release, which is a red flag for a game as big as LoX.

    The game purports to have 100 or more hours of gameplay, but all of that gameplay lacks much nuance or variety. The first couple of hours are the only fun hours. It boasts an "open world", but in reality, where you can go and what you can do is strictly limited by what level you are and what you have already done. The quest and dialogue options are pointless, usually not even giving you the illusion of control.

    Poorly written quests and dialogue contain quest information that you have to piece together, so just breezing past all of it is not always an option. While monsters aren't level-ramped, the in-game economy is, so as your level goes up, your costs go up, too, even for what should be fixed costs, like food. Given how important food is in this game and how little of it you can carry, and how much pointless walking there is in this game, the game feels like it punishes you for success. Having the right mix of character types is critical, but this is hampered by having the main character loaded with essential support skills that if you don't pick will make the game pointlessly difficult. The tradeoff is that if you do choose these skills, the character is nearly useless in combat.

    The items boil down to a dozen or so basic items, the only difference being the amount of stat bonuses they give you. There are no weapons or armor which, for instance, will make you use a given character differently. The entire game feels very incremental, and there is never a satisfying feeling at getting a new item - it's just always a matter of trivial increase, over and over.

    The game is profoundly buggy, which sometimes results in over-paying the player for items, locking up fights before they start, or skipping key fights.

    The balance is completely out of whack, with the game being at once very linear in what it expects you to do next, but very arbitrary in where it has put the next place you need to do it. This often results in your party finding itself in an area where every fight is a 100% chance of losing until you find the area you're "supposed" to be in. This gives the lie to the claim that there is anything truly non-linear or open about the game.

    Skip this celebration of everything bad about the worst RPGs of the 1980s and 1990s. You can find better for your time and money.    … Expand
  21. Doutzen
    Jan 28, 2015
    7
    First 10 hours with that game are like "wow, it's 1998 again and I'm exploring new Baldur's Game for the first time". But after that, you come to the town looking exactly as the first one and you have to do... almost exactly the same things. Just in different locations. So, this game is awesome, but it's getting boring and schematic. I really liked this game, but to be fair, I cant' rateFirst 10 hours with that game are like "wow, it's 1998 again and I'm exploring new Baldur's Game for the first time". But after that, you come to the town looking exactly as the first one and you have to do... almost exactly the same things. Just in different locations. So, this game is awesome, but it's getting boring and schematic. I really liked this game, but to be fair, I cant' rate it higher than 7, because it started to bore me after first few hours and finally I couldn't even finish it.… Expand
  22. LD9000
    Nov 16, 2014
    6
    Tedious.
    I'm a fan of turn based RPGs, and this one is getting on my nerves - I find myself thinking - why am I clicking on these monsters for hours, cant I go play something better? Wizardry8, Jagged Alliance, King's Bounty and more recently Divinity Original sin - all of these are examples of superb turn based games, where the core of the game - turn based combat was fun and    Tedious.
    I'm a fan of turn based RPGs, and this one is getting on my nerves - I find myself thinking - why am I clicking on these monsters for hours, cant I go play something better? Wizardry8, Jagged Alliance, King's Bounty and more recently Divinity Original sin - all of these are examples of superb turn based games, where the core of the game - turn based combat was fun and challenging. In this game battles are too long and too tedious to be enjoyable.

    Sure, the game promises 100 hours gameplay, but you will soon realize why it is so - you will be repeating the same boring fights over and over and over again. For example the forest of Nabros has the same patrol of 10 soldiers, which you will be running from until you can defeat them. Guess what? Once you can beat one patrol, you can beat all of them, and it becomes a grind. Then you will be running to town to buy your +5 speed blessing every 24 in-game hours.

    While you can push towards new lands and get more challenging fights, you will still be pestered by hordes of invisible roaming encounters which offer you an option to run/camouflage, but no autoresolve, meaning you WILL evenbually be forced to fight these.

    The game deserves a credit for exploration - this is the true strength of this game. Dungeons are pretty cool - there are 4 castles, 8 temples an 8 towers to explore plus a number of smaller dungeons. These are well thought out with traps, secret doors and various hints dropped around.

    Puzzles are decent, there's a number of "type answer here" kind of riddles.

    The game offers some non-linearity - you can go as far as you can, as long as you can defeat the guards at zone transitions. Unfortunately the power levels of these game are rising steeply - you simply won't kill a group of 200hp guards which hit for 30 damage if your toughest tank has 100hp and 20 damage. Large portions of the game are blocked off by these "Titanic" challenges that you cant beat until much later.

    If you made a mistake of attacking guards in the first town too early, you will be locked into a very small game area where you will have to grind for 3 hours before you can defeat the 10 man patrols that box you in from the northern lands.

    This brings me to the next gripe - ridiculously beefy enemies which offer no challenge. 400hp treants, 800hp dinosaurs, etc. 3 of my damage dealers can do 20-40 damage per attack. There's no challenge to these fights -tank and spank, repeat.

    The RPG system is OK - your characters can learn new skills as they level and spend skillpoints on improving existing skills. There are skill books and mushrooms that reward exploration by improving character stats.

    The equipment system is rather poor. Too often I found chests with like 100gold x 5 - all slots in the chest are filled with gold, there's rarely any equipment drops. The two vendors I found don't restock frequently, so at level 14 I'm continuously sitting on 6000 gold that I have nothing to spend on.

    Most of the equipment is both skill level and stat locked, so a sword might require 8 sword skill and 18 strength and agility.

    Overall, I doubt I will play this game through the entire 100 hours of gameplay.    … Expand
  23. Joote
    Dec 20, 2014
    9
    This is one of those simple to get into old school purely additive games. It doesn't demand you spend 2 months learning how to play or clunky controls and interface. It's just good, simple enjoyable gaming, just like gaming was before it went daft.

    For the asking price all RPG fans must have this, my guess is that you will love it.
  24. DarkShaman
    Dec 11, 2014
    8
    This classic RPG, with familiar story telling, has everything the oldschool RPG's had. The combat has a tactical turnbased style, with a unique aspect that characters can be in either the front or the back row. It limits the strategy a bit, but still, the combat keeps being entertaining and rather challenging sometimes (even on normal difficulty).
    A must have if you love games like    This classic RPG, with familiar story telling, has everything the oldschool RPG's had. The combat has a tactical turnbased style, with a unique aspect that characters can be in either the front or the back row. It limits the strategy a bit, but still, the combat keeps being entertaining and rather challenging sometimes (even on normal difficulty).
    A must have if you love games like Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale.    … Expand
  25. CartoonHead
    Dec 31, 2014
    9
    Combat similar to Legend of Grimrock and a map traversing and questing system similar to Kings Bounty yet 'feels' like neither. Not very hand holdy and a serviceable story makes this game challenging and enjoyable. 9/10
  26. Flatliner
    Nov 18, 2014
    5
    Ok, so I haven't put in 120 hours. I played the game for about 10, that is enough surely for any RPG.
    There are some good features to this game and I realise it is an indie game so naturally there are budgetary limitations. That said, the game is just too grindy and the reward for effort does not even come close to what I enjoy in RPGs.
    I can handle grindy games, I have completed Etrian    Ok, so I haven't put in 120 hours. I played the game for about 10, that is enough surely for any RPG.
    There are some good features to this game and I realise it is an indie game so naturally there are budgetary limitations. That said, the game is just too grindy and the reward for effort does not even come close to what I enjoy in RPGs.
    I can handle grindy games, I have completed Etrian odessey and many other games where it seems you are on a treadmill. The difference is when the combat and progression complement each other. Xulima does not do this in my opinion.
    The food mechanic is just dopey, pointless busy work, I don't think it add anything to tactical gameplay
    No point having a 100+ hour of RPG if 80 of it is the grind to get to the next quest area.    … Expand
  27. Bybysraibas
    Dec 2, 2014
    0
    At first glance it may look ok but soon you realize, how boring and sometimes painful your time passes. This game fails to deliver. You can go "anywhere" but you will die unless you meet particular requirements or have finished particular game parts. After eighty- fourth or whatever fight it becomes huge frustration, because its slow, boring and repetitive. Nothing changes, only damageAt first glance it may look ok but soon you realize, how boring and sometimes painful your time passes. This game fails to deliver. You can go "anywhere" but you will die unless you meet particular requirements or have finished particular game parts. After eighty- fourth or whatever fight it becomes huge frustration, because its slow, boring and repetitive. Nothing changes, only damage and monster hp numbers increase.
    On paper there are lot of skills and character choices but due constant lack of skill points you cannot pick even half of them. You cannot experiment, you must strictly specialize or you will be punished. Do not waste your time on this.    … Expand
  28. Kordun
    Dec 10, 2014
    0
    Old school game with old school mechanics. The developer didn´t see the sign of time and put old play style elements in the game. Old play styles like endless grinding, slow motion fights because you have only a max acceleration speed for twice or unfair enemies (especially bosses) who have AOE attack + stun + wounds. Holy crap game.......
  29. night4
    Jun 4, 2017
    8
    Pros:
    -6, no wait, *5* person party creation
    -Graphics -Sound -Skills/Classes/Abilities -It's a long game -Replayability Cons: -The explorer guy you're stuck with -Battle loading screens -Mana (PP) doesn't regen -Combat annoyances (front left party member cannot attack an enemy on the front right) -It's a long game (they could have condensed it by half by removing half the    Pros:
    -6, no wait, *5* person party creation
    -Graphics
    -Sound
    -Skills/Classes/Abilities
    -It's a long game
    -Replayability

    Cons:
    -The explorer guy you're stuck with
    -Battle loading screens
    -Mana (PP) doesn't regen
    -Combat annoyances (front left party member cannot attack an enemy on the front right)
    -It's a long game (they could have condensed it by half by removing half the repetitive battles)

    This could have been an 8, easily, if not for the explorer and the battle loading screens. Lemme tackle these separately:

    Why on earth are we allowed to create 5 party members of whatever we want, then this explorer is FORCED upon us, whether we want him or not, whether he works for our group setup or not? At least make his thief skills more affordable so if we want to go that route, we aren't stuck with a gimped half-fighter. Let me say that I do understand enough about the game to know that the skills only he has are useful, I just wish he had more flexibility.

    The battle loading screens are even more annoying than they sound. Part of this game, apparently, is avoiding enemies higher than your level, coming back for them, or risking a fight with them. If you do risk a fight and lose, you've got to save your game, wait for the battle to load, try the battle, wait for one of your guys to get a turn (which, if you're losing, could take a while), then load your saved game. It takes way too long. Is it supposed to be so punitive for trying a harder fight?    … Expand
  30. MR67
    Nov 2, 2018
    5
    I spent over a week on this game but just got fed up with it and uninstalled it as it was just becoming too much of a chore to play.

    This is an old-school RPG with combat like Might and Magic but a travel interface like King's Bounty or Diablo. In a nutshell, you play a party of 6 characters (5 of which are customisable) who travel to an island called Xulima to investigate what happened    I spent over a week on this game but just got fed up with it and uninstalled it as it was just becoming too much of a chore to play.

    This is an old-school RPG with combat like Might and Magic but a travel interface like King's Bounty or Diablo. In a nutshell, you play a party of 6 characters (5 of which are customisable) who travel to an island called Xulima to investigate what happened to the temples of the gods who used to live there. The main character of your party is called Gaulen the explorer, a ranger type who receives a vision from his god which then results in him rounding up 5 bold companions and travelling to Xulima to put things right. The game then opens with your party landing on the beach.

    Pros:
    - I love the music for this game (at least what I've heard so far).
    - There is a lot to do (but it can get quite repetitive).
    - The minigames for lock picking and trap disarming are simple but effective.

    Cons:
    - Harsh difficulty. Some people might not see it this way, but getting into the game is difficult, as combat is unforgiving and money and resources are very tight, at least for a while. Enemies can one-shot even your front line warriors with a lucky critical hit early on, and even after a few levels, your squishy mages and clerics can still be one-shotted by ranged or magical attacks. An enemy that should be a reasonable challenge can end up wiping your party out if it happens to get lucky with its RNG rolls. Your party needs to consume food as they travel, so this has to be carefully managed. You also have to ensure you keep a good supply of healing potions, torches and lockpicks, and this is made even more taxing by the fact that the developers decided it would be a great idea to have some of these items increase in cost as the party gains levels, so a lockpick that costed 40 gold pieces when your characters were 1st level goes up to over 200 gold pieces by the time they're about 10th level. Consequently, money is fairly tight most of the time. Also, the game forces certain encounters on you periodically which cannot be avoided, which is a real pain in the butt.
    - Loot. Very limited. Merchants will typically only stock around 10 each of randomly generated weapons, armour pieces, and cloaks/rings/amulets, and this only refreshes every few days. It will take several levels just to get your characters reasonably outfitted with suitable armour/weapons because the merchants will not stock what you are looking for or else you can't afford it. Weapons and armour are also stat and skill locked (eg. a longsword might require a Swords skill of 6 and an Agility score of 16 to use) which also restricts their usage. Enemy loot drops are pathetic, but this is a problem in a number of CRPGs. How many times have you defeated a small army of heavily armed and armoured soldiers just to get a couple of dozen gold pieces for your troubles?
    - Game mechanics suck. Speed is by far the most important character attribute as it affects how soon your character takes their turn in combat as well as how many times they can attack during a battle. Even with you regularly putting points into your characters' Speed stats every level, you still encounter super fast enemies like giant wasps that literally attack several times before your fastest character even gets to take their turn. Min-maxing is encouraged over role playing as even your doddering elderly mage ends up having to become a literal speed ninja just to remain reasonably effective in a combat. Dual wielding or bonuses for just using a single weapon are not supported so a thief character ends up having to be played like a warrior, either using a shield or a two-handed weapon. The RNG system in combat seems (to me, anyway) to favour your enemies, as your characters seem to end up missing or fumbling their attacks (which causes damage to themselves) more often than what enemies do.
    - Writing - could be better, as there are a number of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Story seems quite thin. Almost no backstory given for Gaulen and his companions just to flesh them out a little more and better explain their background, motivations etc.
    - Repetitiveness. Combat gets very repetitive after a while, as the process remains mostly the same with just the numbers increasing. Towns seem fairly similar - same merchants, same places to explore etc. Even the main quest itself is repetitive in what you need to do.
    - Gaulen: You're stuck with him in your party as he is critical to the main story. He is the only character in your party who can take the Explorer class, but thankfully you can decide where his skill points go as he levels up. Unfortunately, even though he possesses a number of very useful non-combat skills, he never ends up being as useful in combat as your other characters.

    Summary: Old-school RPG which you will enjoy if you're familiar with the older Might & Magic games and are prepared to put up with frequent game saving and reloading.    … Expand
  31. ron121060
    Oct 15, 2015
    10
    Am about 15 hours into this and love it. Some of my recent favorites include Wastland 2, Divinity: Original Sin, Skyrim, Paper Sorcerer,Fallout 3 and Fallout 3 NV, and Xcom. After hearing about it on some forum I almost overlooked it because of a review and how slow movment was in a trailer which you can change by the way. I think the game could have used some more publicity but in anyAm about 15 hours into this and love it. Some of my recent favorites include Wastland 2, Divinity: Original Sin, Skyrim, Paper Sorcerer,Fallout 3 and Fallout 3 NV, and Xcom. After hearing about it on some forum I almost overlooked it because of a review and how slow movment was in a trailer which you can change by the way. I think the game could have used some more publicity but in any case its loads of fun and so far not that difficult to get into. Hope to see a Lords of Xulima 2 !!!!… Expand
  32. LazyManul
    Apr 15, 2017
    9
    It's an indy game - how it is supposed to be. At first glance it may look simple, but all you have to do is stay in it 30 minutes. After that you will not want to leave it for couple of weeks. Good scenario, balance and gameplay. And of course feel of love that developers put in their game. Not profit valuation, but pure love...
  33. Infarktbear
    May 12, 2018
    9
    Gutes Spiel, eine Mischung aus Heroes of Might and Magic und Rollenspielen wie Lands of Lore oder Eye of the beholder. Man läuft durch die Spielwelt und kämpft am laufenden Band in rundenbasierenden Kämpfen.
    Es ist etwas altbacken und nichts für ungeduldige Spieler, da manche Gegner einfach nicht auf Anhieb schaffbar sind. Klar gibt es Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten für das Spiel, aber es    Gutes Spiel, eine Mischung aus Heroes of Might and Magic und Rollenspielen wie Lands of Lore oder Eye of the beholder. Man läuft durch die Spielwelt und kämpft am laufenden Band in rundenbasierenden Kämpfen.
    Es ist etwas altbacken und nichts für ungeduldige Spieler, da manche Gegner einfach nicht auf Anhieb schaffbar sind. Klar gibt es Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten für das Spiel, aber es macht Laune und beschäftigt, wenn man sich auf den Grind einlässt, lange.    … Expand
  34. Samvell
    Sep 1, 2023
    4
    The in-game isometric visuals are ok. Exploring and gathering mechanics are actually fine, if a little primitive. The writing is mediocre at best. Instead of creating something unique, the game just combines all of the most tired fantasy cliches. Also, it's one of those games that don't understand that creating a bunch of weird-sounding deity names and toponyms does not equal good fantasyThe in-game isometric visuals are ok. Exploring and gathering mechanics are actually fine, if a little primitive. The writing is mediocre at best. Instead of creating something unique, the game just combines all of the most tired fantasy cliches. Also, it's one of those games that don't understand that creating a bunch of weird-sounding deity names and toponyms does not equal good fantasy writing. The Lord Of The Rings, Dragon Age and Dark Crystal didn't become fantasy genre icons because they had weird-sounding names and titles, but because they all had some amazing stories and characters at the heart. And this game has neither the story, nor the characters to speak fondly of.
    There is no role-playing in this allegedly role-playing game. I understand that we play as a set character that comes with a history and a personality, but, damn, even small choices would make a difference. Consider Geralt of Rivia, also a set character, and how many options did he have during the Witcher trilogy. The writers didn't even bother to make a protagonist interesting, much less secondary and episodic characters.
    The quests are the most generic missions you could ever imagine. Kill X amount of rats, collect Y amount of herbs, etc.
    However, the biggest letdown is the combat. If the rest of the game was at least serviceable, the combat is frankly just embarrasing. This is some browser game level gameplay. Why couldn't they just keep the combat isometric, like the rest of the game? Were those cheap-a*s 3D models from 2002 really worth it? The combat itself is very primitive and makes something like King's Bounty Legend feel (and look) like a masterpiece in comparison.
    All in all, I wouldn't exactly call this game absolutely soulless, but it's so lacking in basically every aspect, from sounds and visuals to story and characters to actual gameplay and player engagement, I really don't understand why they even bothered with this 60+ hour open world RPG.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. CD-Action
    Jul 27, 2015
    65
    Lords of Xulima is ugly, some of its elements are too simplistic and the story is poor but you rarely find an RPG that tests you intellect to such a degree, making you count every coin you spend, thoroughly examine every piece of equipment, keep track of food supply, endlessly tackle puzzles, carefully manage characters’ stats, look for alternate routes and find out how to beat different monsters. [08/2015, p.69]
  2. Eurogamer Poland
    Apr 24, 2015
    70
    Lords of Xulima is an addictive and huge RPG. Numantian Games' production provides hours of engaging gameplay, despite its poor graphic design.
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  3. Digitally Downloaded
    Feb 12, 2015
    70
    Lords of Xulima is strictly for the more masochistic of gamers. Its merciless difficulty that only exponentially spikes the further you play should come as a dream come true for fans who like the ultimate in ball-kicking.
    Read full review
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