The Dwarves

 PC
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 57
  3. Negative: 15 out of 57

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  1. ExpertPL
    Dec 25, 2016
    6
    The game is not bad overall, but I think that the strongest advantages of it come from the books it is based on. The best thing of all is lore and plot, although the game feels like most movie adaptations of the books: too short to introduce properly every character, as a player I felt some kind of bond only with main character and two dwarven brothers that were introduced early in theThe game is not bad overall, but I think that the strongest advantages of it come from the books it is based on. The best thing of all is lore and plot, although the game feels like most movie adaptations of the books: too short to introduce properly every character, as a player I felt some kind of bond only with main character and two dwarven brothers that were introduced early in the game and had many dialogues involving them. The rest of the characters (and there were quite a lot of them) were for me some random characters with names attached to them. This game could really be longer and have more details about story that feel rushed as well.

    I have to mention voice acting as well, as for such low budget game, the dialogues are very good. Another thing that's awesome is the presence of third-person narrator that has it's own voice actor, which in my opinion is very rare in the RPGs as those usually fall into two categories: Those with voice acting but without narrator, or those without voice acting (written dialogues) but with narrator.

    The rest of the game seems unpolished. The combat system that includes friendly fire and a lot of AoE attacks combined together makes the combat really frustrating, not mentioning that because of that gameplay resembles more of a hack-and-slash game than RPG.    … Expand
  2. Rehgar
    Dec 10, 2016
    9
    Right off the bat, it is worth mentioning that this game is different from other isometric games such as Pillars of eternity, Baldur's gate, Neverwinter etc in terms of game mechanics and world exploration. Is it necessarily a bad thing? Well some people say that it's more of a visual audio book with RTS elements than an RPG game , while others might think that it introduces a breath ofRight off the bat, it is worth mentioning that this game is different from other isometric games such as Pillars of eternity, Baldur's gate, Neverwinter etc in terms of game mechanics and world exploration. Is it necessarily a bad thing? Well some people say that it's more of a visual audio book with RTS elements than an RPG game , while others might think that it introduces a breath of fresh air to the RPG genre such as myself. Ultimately it gets down to personal preference.

    Saying that, let's get down to business with a list of pro's n con's about this gem of a game:

    PROS:

    +The narration and dialogues gives of a soothing and cosy atmosphere to the game. Fully voiced which is always great! I was hooked from the start and did not loose interest nor clicked away any conversations.

    +The story and character development; As I advanced through this epic journey, I got more invested in the characters and their background stories. While being your standard RPG a la lord of the rings, the tale unfolded in an intriguing way, inviting some chuckle here and there, lots of smiles and a few sad events. The cut-scenes enhanced the experience even further.

    +Exploration of the world is approached via a worldmap with a vivid narration of events in which you sometimes had to make choices thus, to a certain extent, could influence the outcome.

    + Game mechanics; compared to other RPG you get to fight hordes upon hordes of orcs while using lots of AoE skills that could also cause friendly fire. Therefore, placing your characters and using the environment is a must to avoid being overrun by the mobs. Smash the orcs, knock em out then finish them or just push em off the cliff! Whatever you decide there is a great sense of satisfaction!

    CONS:

    - Oh camera, where art thou?? Why not let us freely scroll over the battlefield to plan even better strategies?!

    -The ending felt just a tad too rushed.

    - Some health potion bugs which in some situations were rather frustrating.    … Expand
  3. Archulysses
    Sep 27, 2017
    4
    Story - This game is very loyal to the novel of the same name it was based of in which it followed accurately the narrative, story and characters of the said novel. By doing this, I could say that it has a great and interesting story about an epic adventure of a Dwarf blacksmith named Tungdil together with his group of different race and people in order to defend Girdlegard against theStory - This game is very loyal to the novel of the same name it was based of in which it followed accurately the narrative, story and characters of the said novel. By doing this, I could say that it has a great and interesting story about an epic adventure of a Dwarf blacksmith named Tungdil together with his group of different race and people in order to defend Girdlegard against the corrupted Magi Nudlin and the attack and influence of the Perished land in addition on finding the mystery of our main characters origins and history of the dwarf kingdome. All the characters are interesting and fun in their own way even the minor ones as well as their interactions with each other. My minor complaint are in the pacing of the game's style of narration is good but kinda annoying that the subtitle of the narrator is included in the text box where the dialogue of the character is also written. It makes me confused sometimes who is talking or not. Thus, a good score of 9/10 deserves this part.

    Gameplay - This is the part which this game lacks. I don't understand if this is an Action game, Strategy game or a merged of them both because its confusing, it has its good parts but a lot of bad parts due to the bad execution of mixture of classic and modern rpg gameplay. The pro is how many enemies you could fight in every fight you encounter in the game as well ai allies who would help you in other parts of the game. ITS A LOT and looks really like a war kind of overhead fighting mechanic this game has. Next is how unique each and every character is, One is offensive, the other defensive while others are support or for stealth. Lastly, is how a felt a slight of Dragon Age: Origins in the game. However, on the con side, its a lot. The customization is very limited that each can only equip one kind of equipment, you could only take 4 of your companions (I would have liked at least 6 or 8 characters) and how it is a real time type of rpg game focusing on action more which in my opinion would look better if they focused on strategy. Some annoying glitch or bugs in game and how very plain the adventure aspect of the game by only using a dotted world map style of getting to places. and how the game overall is too short for an rpg game. Thus, a score of 3/10 in this part.

    Graphics - This is the worst part of the game. Graphics is awful. Hell, even the obvious inspiration this game adapted namely Dragon Age: Origins still has better graphics than this game and it was released since 2010! A whole lot of fps drops and screen tearing both in the cutscenes and in the battle parts which could either annoy or affect your game. Characters all look like comic characters which you could see the edges of a square or whatever shapes you could see in the characters. I literally never liked the artwork nor anything related to this part. It is so outdated in today's standards. Therefore, my worst score of 0/10 for this part.

    Sound/Music - In terms of voices, I loved it. All of their voices (especially Boindil) are a match of their characters, though I have some reservations on Tungdil's voice actor. I could still say they did still do a pretty good job in his character over all. As to sound, I like their main OST as well as the epic music that comes at various parts of the game (I won't spoil.) A pretty decent overall job in this aspect. Thus, a good score of 8/10.

    Fun factor - This is a new part of my review I would be including which states my personal enjoyment and experience I felt during my playtime of this game. In my opinion, I was one of the person hyped on the ideas the developers showed in their trailers in the game. I was expecting to fight monstrous numbers of enemies and using different tactics and combo to beat them. However, upon playing it, was very dissapointed that it was limited, some areas are too small, some are too big while others are more irritating to actually enjoy. In addition, how you can only take 4 of your allies in battle when as a whole you can get more than 10 overall to recruit in the game. I would have liked for you take more of your allies in battles. The only thing i really enjoyed are its characters and their interactions. Thus, my fun factor in this game is only 3/10. It had potential, but it goes to waste due to bad execution.

    Overall - 4.6    … Expand
  4. Veska
    Dec 7, 2016
    8
    It is just "game" book in 1:1. And if you read 1st part of The Dwarves and remember story, it would be maybe sometimes easier to check right answer etc. This game has simple H&D RPG system in fights and really good story, wonderfull graphic and for me, one of the best sountrack and voices, that i ever heard in games.
  5. Hirsch
    Dec 4, 2016
    8
    +Great story and characters. +Good voice acting. +Combat requires tactics and feels different from copy/paste arpg. -Not so much rpg. -Controls are not intuitive.
  6. Anachor
    Dec 2, 2016
    7
    Not bad the game overall, just that I find no way to move the camera to the keyboard. Doing everything with the mouse, it becomes very fast! Difficult yet for me to evaluate the game, I hope that they will add the modification of the controls of the keys in a patch eventually, for now it is worth no more than 7/10, rather nice graphic, rather well optimized and A touch of humor on theNot bad the game overall, just that I find no way to move the camera to the keyboard. Doing everything with the mouse, it becomes very fast! Difficult yet for me to evaluate the game, I hope that they will add the modification of the controls of the keys in a patch eventually, for now it is worth no more than 7/10, rather nice graphic, rather well optimized and A touch of humor on the charism of the dwarf class.… Expand
  7. Zordriak
    Dec 11, 2016
    10
    For a small studio , its a good game they did make.

    pro: -good story, charismatic characters -fast paced RTS with a good bits of stategies to apply to win - battle are long - You can choose your path on world map and find random/hidden events - good mystical ambiance - nice skills usage Con: - Micromanagement is a must. Leave a character alone and he will get mobbed -    For a small studio , its a good game they did make.

    pro:

    -good story, charismatic characters
    -fast paced RTS with a good bits of stategies to apply to win
    - battle are long
    - You can choose your path on world map and find random/hidden events
    - good mystical ambiance
    - nice skills usage

    Con:

    - Micromanagement is a must. Leave a character alone and he will get mobbed
    - Migth be difficult for a newbie on RTS
    - seem to be only 8-10 lvl on characters
    - Have to rotate the camera (ended up seeing a big tree on screen) often to see battlefield/item on map

    Overall, i have a great time playing it. If you like dwarf like in DnD or Tolkien setting, you will like this    … Expand
  8. NexusTsunami
    Jan 12, 2017
    4
    Nach Abschluss des Spiels bin ich ziemlich ernüchtert.

    Das Spiel hetzt meines Erachtens zu schnell durch die Story, Ereignisse wirken viel zu oft willkürlich und die Möglichkeiten der Characterentwicklung sind lächerlich. Auch bei den Massenschlachten bzw. dem Kampfsystem fehlt noch einiges an Feintuning und Balancing. Zwar zeichnet sich hier hier ein kleines Entwicklerstudio für das    Nach Abschluss des Spiels bin ich ziemlich ernüchtert.

    Das Spiel hetzt meines Erachtens zu schnell durch die Story, Ereignisse wirken viel zu oft willkürlich und die Möglichkeiten der Characterentwicklung sind lächerlich. Auch bei den Massenschlachten bzw. dem Kampfsystem fehlt noch einiges an Feintuning und Balancing. Zwar zeichnet sich hier hier ein kleines Entwicklerstudio für das Spiel verantwortlich, dennoch finde ich den gebotenen Content leider unsaugereift.    … Expand
  9. Hellish069
    Dec 5, 2016
    8
    For a small studio , its a good game they did make.

    pro: -good story, charismatic characters -fast paced RTS with a good bits of stategies to apply to win - battle are long - You can choose your path on world map and find random/hidden events - good mystical ambiance - nice skills usage Con: - Micromanagement is a must. Leave a character alone and he will get mobbed -    For a small studio , its a good game they did make.

    pro:

    -good story, charismatic characters
    -fast paced RTS with a good bits of stategies to apply to win
    - battle are long
    - You can choose your path on world map and find random/hidden events
    - good mystical ambiance
    - nice skills usage

    Con:

    - Micromanagement is a must. Leave a character alone and he will get mobbed
    - Migth be difficult for a newbie on RTS
    - seem to be only 8-10 lvl on characters
    - Have to rotate the camera (ended up seeing a big tree on screen) often to see battlefield/item on map

    Overall, i have a great time playing it. If you like dwarf like in DnD or Tolkien setting, you will like this.    … Expand
  10. TheFrog
    Nov 4, 2020
    5
    Strangely likable little game. A brief, RPGish story of heroism and courage with battles based on a team of up to four heroes against wave after wave of enemy grunts or, occasionally, boss enemies.
    The graphics are good, if very simple. At least, I like the overall design and most characters (apart from the female mage, whose visage is involuntarily more deformed than the evil, monstrous    Strangely likable little game. A brief, RPGish story of heroism and courage with battles based on a team of up to four heroes against wave after wave of enemy grunts or, occasionally, boss enemies.
    The graphics are good, if very simple. At least, I like the overall design and most characters (apart from the female mage, whose visage is involuntarily more deformed than the evil, monstrous opponent's).
    The story is ok, if not breathtaking and the game is pretty short, but that's also fine because I never found the gameplay very satisfying, I would have probably abandoned it if it had been much longer. Different characters have different special moves and here we already have a negative note. A lot of abilities seem to do very little, not to mention that the charging time often means they miss on frantic, fast-moving battlefields. On the other hand, two-handed weapon wielding characters have an attack that sweeps enemy away and makes them fall, ripe for a one shot kill. Place one such character on a chokepoint, and the battle is won.
    Worse than this is the camera. You cannot pan over the battlefield, the camera is centered on the character you have currently selected. Unfortunately, if he's next to a wall, this means you can only see the floor around him/her, as the camera rises up and looks directly down. There are a lot of other situations where you are fighting it more than you are the enemy, and that's a shame.
    Then characters bump into each other when moving, so it's really a complete pain controlling them in narrow spaces, of which there's a lot. It would even make sense, but they still seem unable to move in large, open spaces without trying to move their companions instead of just avoiding them.
    Finally, some characters have wide attacks that also hit allies standing nearby. The lack of a "Hold position" command means that you spend half the time positioning the other heroes away from the wide-hitting ones, since they obey your order and then immediately move back to the place they were before. It's maddening. Add to this that inventory is ultra-super simplified and there is very little actual variety in battles.
    I was actually happy to see the end titles appear, after a dragged-on final sequence of battles, and that's not a good sign. You could have some fun on this cute game, but it's difficult to recommend spending more than a handful of euros or dollars, when there are games out there that are much better refined, easily offer 50 times the material and by now also cost very little.
    Oh, I really really liked the end song by Blind Guardian, "Children Of The Smith".    … Expand
  11. AthanasiosT
    Jan 21, 2017
    8
    Mix of RPG and RTS with dwarves smashing lots of orc heads. Decent graphics and good sound/music. Great combats with lots of enemies and strategic thinking required. The ability trees could do with some enrichment and please do something with the camera view, which in some cases was a bit frustrating. I would also like some more character stories/adventures. In general it is a veryMix of RPG and RTS with dwarves smashing lots of orc heads. Decent graphics and good sound/music. Great combats with lots of enemies and strategic thinking required. The ability trees could do with some enrichment and please do something with the camera view, which in some cases was a bit frustrating. I would also like some more character stories/adventures. In general it is a very enjoyable game that could do with a bit of improvements for it's possible second part.… Expand
  12. Wiseus
    Dec 6, 2016
    8
    The great achievement of a small team - a really good game.

    I like this game very much, mostly, because it brings an entirely new game experience within the classical party rpg setting. That is a rare feeling for an old RPG fan. And this new experience is of course the combat: innovative, challenging, brutal, epic and satisfying almost as action-rpg. Well, we may say that it is party    The great achievement of a small team - a really good game.

    I like this game very much, mostly, because it brings an entirely new game experience within the classical party rpg setting. That is a rare feeling for an old RPG fan.

    And this new experience is of course the combat: innovative, challenging, brutal, epic and satisfying almost as action-rpg. Well, we may say that it is party based action-rpg. And, what is most important, is that it is party based action-rpg made with soul and careful attention to the details.

    Animation, graphics, voice-acting and soundtrack are very good. Stroy and characters are pleasurable. What else do you need for having a good time?

    Maybe, ignore some cons, that are the following:
    - game is qute short, just around 10-15 hours, depends on your success in the combat.
    - due that shortness some parts of the story seems to be not as well connected as they could be.
    - lack of cinematic scenes, that are there and that are good, but, could be more.
    - poor leveling system
    - clunky animations of enemies (maybe that was done by purpose)

    So, The Dwarves is a good game, that has also a great potential of further development, as well as a story to continue. Hence, I'll be looking fowrard to the sequel and recommending the game to all my firends.    … Expand
  13. Endarfin
    May 2, 2018
    10
    Its a beautiful loveletter to people who love baldurs gate shadows of ahmn, well made, aside from some minor bugs,
    Its not as long as i would've wanted it to be, but i think that depends on if you go straight through ( wich i did)
    Lots of fun conversations, And of course Blind Guardian !
  14. destinyfan1
    Jan 30, 2017
    7
    its something i don't saw in a while. truely its very good with (yeah some rts elements) but thats not always bad .per example in this game, because its fit good in it . the graphics are descent but not stunning and voice acting is well either . Only its not always as good as other moments with repetive moments and the camera is also not very descent aswell
    But very good for fantasy or    its something i don't saw in a while. truely its very good with (yeah some rts elements) but thats not always bad .per example in this game, because its fit good in it . the graphics are descent but not stunning and voice acting is well either . Only its not always as good as other moments with repetive moments and the camera is also not very descent aswell
    But very good for fantasy or whatever you are fan of    … Expand
  15. Hyperactivebuff
    Feb 3, 2019
    7
    The story of "The Dwarves" is good. It rushes in places, and some characters are left undeveloped, but you can't really ask for much more than we get in a RTS, which is what this is. It is not really an RPG, though I think it would have been better if they embraced RPG more and RTS less. The voice acting is solid. The sound effects in general are satisfying. The score is good.

    Gameplay    The story of "The Dwarves" is good. It rushes in places, and some characters are left undeveloped, but you can't really ask for much more than we get in a RTS, which is what this is. It is not really an RPG, though I think it would have been better if they embraced RPG more and RTS less. The voice acting is solid. The sound effects in general are satisfying. The score is good.

    Gameplay is meh. Pathfinding bugs get annoying, general Quality of Life observances are lacking, and having to restart a mission because your character inexplicably flew off a cliff is annoying. There are some strong bones here, but the delivery was too flawed to be called a 'good' game. There was a lot of promise though, and I look forward to more from the devs.    … Expand
  16. PenetratorGod
    Aug 26, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Dwarves is a tactical RPG. Game was developed by the German studio KING Art Games, creator of about 40 projects, including a series of adventure games called The Book of Unwrite Tales. This game is based on the first book in the saga of fantasy novels Dwarves, written by Markus Heitz, who also helped develop the game as a consultant.

    Player is taken to the world of Girdlegard, where he takes on the role of the dwarf Tungdil, who participates in a fantastic adventure. In addition to providing familiar plots and characters from the book, the developers have diversified the game with new interactions that allow players to participate in new activities and meet new people.

    World of The Dwarves is divided into smaller regions where the player's main task is to fight orcs. Before each fight, the user chooses a team of four characters. There are twelve heroes to choose from and each of them has unique story backgrounds and abilities Fights with enemies utilize the Crowd-Combat system where up to 100 characters can participate in the fight.

    Physics is important and can affect the outcome of the battle. For example, a powerful hammer attack can knock back enemies who will fall on their allies, and if the battle takes place on a bridge, some of them are very likely to fall.

    Game was released on December 1st, 2016. It offers an average of 8-10 hours of gameplay. The game was originally planned to be a trilogy. But since it sold below expectations, the idea of sequels was shelved. I guess it's a game that will never come in a series, but at least it can be tried on discounts.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

64
#64 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
61

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 6, 2017
    40
    The Dwarves would like to achieve a better rating, but their own companions in the fight undercut this effort. Simple technical state is not always a recipe for a success. [Issue #271]
  2. Games.cz
    Feb 6, 2017
    60
    The promise of "game about dwarves" is fulfilled only from a half. Written story is accompanied by physical engine in the battles, but those are confused just like sleepy dwarf, unfortunately.
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  3. Riot Pixels
    Jan 26, 2017
    56
    A weak retelling of a mediocre fantasy book.
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