Joe Dever's Lone Wolf

 Switch
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Feb 20, 2018
    85
    Lone Wolf only gets better the further into the game you get. The writing is superb, from the terrific pacing of the story to the interactions between the characters you meet along the way. Spending half of your time reading text on a screen doesn’t sound like the most fun until you realize just how engaging the story is. It’s a shame that Joe Dever passed a little over a year ago as I would have loved to have seen more Lone Wolf titles on the Switch. Instead, I will continue to thoroughly enjoy his final game, and make sure to read the work he left behind.
  2. Nintendo Insider
    May 7, 2018
    80
    It is the fantasy world that you tread in Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf that makes it such a thrill to exist in. Steeped in lore and with the chance to determine your own destiny, the game soon proves to be a compelling and engaging experience that stands proudly apart from anything else on the Nintendo eShop.
  3. Switch Player
    Mar 9, 2018
    80
    The blend of visual novel-esque storytelling combined with surprisingly deep RPG based combat result in an engaging and substantial fantasy adventure. A great execution of the old school choose your own adventure games and a perfect fit for the Switch.
  5. Eurogamer Italy
    Mar 2, 2018
    80
    Lone Wolf has found his new lair on the Nintendo Switch. Eternal glory to GameBooks. Eternal glory to Joe Dever.
  6. Multiplayer.it
    Feb 19, 2018
    80
    Joe Dever's Lone Wolf didn't lose its charm as it delivers a rich, engaging RPG experience on Nintendo Switch.
  7. Nintendo Life
    Feb 16, 2018
    80
    A unique combination of interactive fiction and involving RPG mechanics, Joe Dever's Lone Wolf is quite unlike anything else on the Switch eShop. Some occasionally fiddly controls betray the game's provenance, but those after a fresh adventure with a rich fantasy story will find a lot to like here.
  8. Everyeye.it
    Feb 16, 2018
    78
    More than an interesting title.
  9. SpazioGames
    Mar 5, 2018
    75
    Joe Dever's Lone Wolf is a good experience for fans of the gamebook series, but its repetitive gameplay holds it far away from greatness.
  10. Nintenderos
    Feb 28, 2018
    75
    The combat is simple but deep at the same time due to the amount of actions that Lone Wolf can perform and about which the player will always need to be careful in order to react to the QTEs in time. All of this is complemented by minigames which makes this into a good deal for any lover of literature and video games.
  11. FNintendo
    Mar 17, 2018
    70
    Featuring an interesting premise and a rich, dynamic plot, Lone Wolf could improve its control system, which doesn't fully use the console's capacities, and often feels too close to its original version made for mobile devices than to a game designed for a dedicated console.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. TheFlannelFox
    Feb 19, 2018
    6
    Lone Wolf is an interactive choose your own adventure book with turn based battles peppered throughout.

    As the lone wolf you begin the    Lone Wolf is an interactive choose your own adventure book with turn based battles peppered throughout.

    As the lone wolf you begin the story by choosing some traits about yourself that will accompany you throughout your journey. Are you the passionate warrior that rushes into battle or cool and calculating before making your first move, the choices you make with affect the options that you have to choose from later on. The interactive story that you are reading will pose different situations, giving you different choices to solve them. From mind magic, to sneaky passed enemies or all out battle the choices reflect the kind of lone wolf you aim to me.

    The action in Lone Wolf consists of turn-based battles with action ques similar to Xenoblade Chronicles 2. To perform a proper heavy attack you'll have to swing your left joystick at just the right moment, to use your throwing knives hitting the Y button three times perfectly with ensure all three knives are thrown. When in a normal turn-based battle you select your choice and sit back to take in the outcome, in lone wolf that’s just when the fun begins. If you miss your action of button que you could miss the attack or to counterattack. If you still play your cards right and go on the defensive for the enemies turn you are given the opportunity to dodge all incoming attacks, if you move out of the way at the right time.

    There is also a time limit for each of your turns, making you quickly select which actions you will perform. Unfortunately when fighting you can’t see what each of the attacks will do. While I remembered the locations of the heavy, quicky, and combined attacks. Shortly after the tutorial I forgot what all of the buffs and debuffs did, but eventually you begin to learn the attacks and can breeze through the motions when in the heat of battle.

    As you play through the story which is all read in book form, the battles appear in little sections, unfortunately feeling like two different experiences rather than one solid game. The story is quite well written and if i was in the mood for a book, I would honestly just rather read a book. When reading through interactions in the story I wished I was exploring the world, as the picture painted by the author seems like it would be fantastic to explore. However, the only parts of the game that you control the main character are during combat and brief skyrim like lockpicking moments.

    Joe Dever’s Lone Wolf is a unique experience on the Nintendo Switch and any fan of pen and paper RPGs will certainly have a good time with this sort of adventure. However for me a lot of the game experience is lost when most of that experience is an ebook. Lone Wolf ends up feeling like a string of repetitive turn based battles rather than a cohesive story where you are fighting to save the lands you rule.

    Be sure to watch my video review at my YouTube channel TheFlannelFox    … Full Review »
  2. UpSideUpFlower
    Aug 4, 2020
    10
    JOE! THE VISIONARY! MY KING! MY GOD! JOE IS TRULY THE GREATEST OF OUR TIME. HE WAS ABANDONED, MANY YEARS AGO, IN NORWICH!! BUT WHILE HE WASJOE! THE VISIONARY! MY KING! MY GOD! JOE IS TRULY THE GREATEST OF OUR TIME. HE WAS ABANDONED, MANY YEARS AGO, IN NORWICH!! BUT WHILE HE WAS THERE,IT CAME TO HIM. A POWER!! NEVER SEEN BEFORE!! HE GOT OUT OF THAT DITCH!! HE WAS LEFT THERE AS MERELY A MORTAL. AND CAME OUT. A GOD!! HE BATTLED MANY DANGEROUS BEINGS!! SUCH AS THE FEROCIOUS DANIAL SMELLIOTT!! JSN!! HE ATE DOMINOS PIZZA, LIKE NO ONE HAS EVER BEFORE!! WITH A RECORD OF TWO LARGE SPICY PEPPERONI PIZZAS IN 2 SECONDS!! HIS VISIONARY POWERS ALLOW HIM TO SEE INTO THE FUTURE!! THIS SKILL IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL IN SMASH BROS!! AS HE!! CAN SEE!! AND COUNTER ALL OF HIS OPPONENTS MOVES 5 SECONDS BEFORE THEY USE THEM!! HE HAS WON THE TITLE, THE JUDO KING!! WITH HIS MANY FIGHTING TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS TOMAHAWK GRAB, ULTRA DISARMAMENT, SUPER SUCKER PUNCH, AND HIS SPECIAL MOVE!! THE SCHOFIELD FINGER!! WHERE HE CRUSHES HIS OPPONENTS WITH JUST HIS FINGERS!! JOE IS THE ONLY THING ON PAR WITH ZOMBILLIE, BECAUSE HE TRANSCENDS REALITY!! e… Full Review »
See all user reviews »