Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

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raydude
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Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by raydude »

Has anyone else been playing Wildermyth? It just came out last month on Steam. It didn't register on my radar because I have a bias against fantasy RPGs (not my favorite RPG setting) and because I've been playing Neon Chrome (a cyberpunk roguelike). I first heard about Wildermyth on a Dungeons and Daddies podcast.

Anyway, Wildermyth is a character-driven, procedurally-generated tactical RPG where you get to build up your characters from young townsfolk into heroes of legend. Along the way, you get to see their conversations and make story choices that build and grow their relationships. Sounds like standard RPG fare, but the presentation is such that it feels more like a DnD session where the game is the Dungeon Master weaving together the story for you. And apparently, the stories are randomized so no two journeys are exactly alike.

As an example, here's the backstory for one of my heroes:
Image
I believe it's formed partly from some of the starting aspects that the game gave her.

Some of the game plays out on a big map, like so:
Image

Here you make decisions like which tile you will scout next, will you craft items on a certain tile, fortify it to withstand monster invasions, or assault a monster-held tile? Then after assaulting it, will you choose to pacify it so it gives you crafting items at the end of the story chapter and if so, will you choose to carefully inspect the tile (takes longer but you get an item) or burn stuff (work faster). All of these decisions cost time that is measured in days and the game lets you know how much time has passed since your adventure started (in years and seasons).

Why? Because there are certain timers (time to next calamity, or monster invasion) and your heroes will age. And grow and maybe choose to retire from the hero life.

Another reason why it feels like a DnD session is that during combat the scenery, heroes, and monsters are laid out as 2D cardboard stands on a grid. Movement shows the 2D stands hopping from grid square to grid square and even melee combat preserves that feel: your 2D stand lifts up, then tilts at an angle, much like how I would take a player figure and tilt it toward a monster while making sword slashing sounds.

In between combat and after you've made choices for your party there are these little comic strip stories that pop up. Some of them seem inconsequential, like a bit where a character gets a splinter on her toe and keeps mentioning it until my other character helps pull it out, to others with a little more consequence. One time, my "cowardly leader" Lyian

Image

lost her lucky coin, and found that it was stolen by a koala-looking animal who went into a cave. She decided to go in after it instead of calling for her friends and managed to retrieve the coin. This was a "pre-combat" strip. Later, after combat, another comic strip shows the rest of the party with Lyian and on seeing the creature Blithe took an instant liking to it. Of course, Lyian couldn't care less about it, and I was then given a choice to have the creature pick either Lyian or Blithe or have it run away. I picked Blithe and she ended up gaining a pet familiar.

Anyway, I'm having a blast with this game. I have my all-girl party - the game randomizer just happened to have the first 3 start as female, and my new recruit Starr Bad (also randomized) is also female - and our band, "The Merry Few" is making their mark on the land of Yondering.
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Malificent
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Malificent »

Playing it and loving it. There's something poetic about the stories per the game title. It really does feel like you're building a mythology - I grow really attached to these characters.
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Baroquen
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Baroquen »

I've read good things about it and have already put it on my wishlist. If I wasn't actively involved in some other game right now, I'd probably try it. As is, I'll wait for a sale, or the next bout of boredom to hit. But yeah - I'm looking forward to it.
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wonderpug
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by wonderpug »

Dang it. I really shouldn’t be buying another game right now but this looks really interesting. Thanks for the heads up!
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

Just firing this up. Will (intention = yes) report but it looks great so far.
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

Played a little last night and more tonight. I'm still figuring things out, tbh, but can say that this is a really good game. Story choices. Equipment choices. Tactical choices. I am surely making rookie mistakes meant to be corrected in coming gameplays but am enjoying, regardless.
More to come ...
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

I can only echo impressions to date and add my voice to its praise. Craft, care & depth of play are on full display.
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
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WYBaugh
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by WYBaugh »

1.1 patch

General
  • Years of Peace are no longer based on performance

    Retirement now grants 50% more XP

    Addition: New Theme Skins Added!

    Multiplayer: Added a Disconnect button to in-game menu for clients

    Legacy Campaigns now act more like normal campaigns:

    Players can now recruit from towns

    Characters can have children that join the party

    Legacy heroes are no longer granted between chapters
Gameplay Fixes
  • Defenses built now grant farmers improved defense

    Swift action now appears as a feather icon

    Option, resource, and calamity menus are more easily accessible

    Leftover Legacy Points can now be used to promote more heroes

    Added coins to show when others are viewing the same comic as you

    Coins indicate which player you're waiting on at the end of a comic

    Players can now pay legacy points to reroll ability upgrades

    Pressing escape now closes calamity window if none can be canceled

    Towns can now contain up to 10 legacy heroes. (Up from 6)

    Broadswipes+ now deals +2 damage instead of x2

    Ignite can now only be used once per turn

    Flashcone now deals damage equal to potency + spell damage

    Reduced difficulty of Cavernquarry keystone

    Adjusted Spawns for Enduring War first fight

    Cvawn: When overland fires start, time stops

    Adjusted Carved in Stone description

    Action Point indicators now hover, show swift actions

    Added interface option to turn on additional action point indicator

    Added message after Tutorial is completed in Ulstryx

    Cvawn can no longer be ensnared
Bug Fixes
  • Fix some crash bugs

    Fix bug where armor value on tooltip wouldn't account for shred

    Fix bug where Heroism prevented Wild Grasp from being Swift

    Fix bug where kill counter wouldn't update immediately

    Fix bug that caused sync error after mortal choice in some cases

    Fix bug where retiring heroes can grant other retirees XP

    Fix bug where Waterling Tiding would show wrong gender for waterling

    Fix bug where Darts would cower after being killed

    Fix bug where Engage could cause armor to go negative

    Fix bug where Elmish Jealousy ability remained after mortal choice

    Fix bug so Extinguish Fire job goes away if the tile is burnt

    Fix bug where volley of arrows wouldn't show cooldown

    Fix bug where Tier 0 Legacy heroes could be put into legacy again

    Fix bug where Hitch a Ride event would appear more than once a game

    Fix bug where saving in a Carved in Stone run could corrupt the save

    Fix bug where monsters could use swift actions after moving twice

    Fix bug where a placeholder recruit event would show

    Fix bug where knockback wouldn't effect monsters on the same tile

    Fix bug where Hammer item had no stats

    Fix bug where Ecthis Chapter 3 picked a hero who already had wings

    Fix bug where Mothwings could be granted twice

    Fix bug where prepared shot and vine limbs didn't do anything

    Fix bug where vigilance would still scale with potency

    Fix bug where size of >1280x720 would cause window to be uncentered

    Fix some typos

    Fix some backend text bugs
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

Just noticed that the storyboard vignettes give credit to the author. Very cool. Game reminds me of Dungeons of Dredmor for some strange, unplaced reason.

Enlarge Image
Last edited by Jolor on Thu Sep 02, 2021 4:16 pm, edited 4 times in total.
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
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Skinypupy
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Skinypupy »

It all looks really interesting, but I absolutely hate that "pop-up book" art style. It sounds like the gameplay and story might be strong enough to offset it, but I find it difficult to even watch the trailers because the style is so jarring.
When darkness veils the world, four Warriors of Light shall come.
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

The game is really fun but if you can't stand the graphics then that's likely a showstopper for you. If you're on the fence or tempted, I've found Steam's return policy pretty good as long as you stick to the terms.
May be worth more of a dice roll in the coming winter sale if you're still contemplating it then.

I couldn't find a demo, unfortunately.
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
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gbasden
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by gbasden »

I adore this game so far! I picked it up based on raydude's review and it's really grown on me. I really like the stories and the relationships between the characters. Yes, the graphics are definitely a love/hate style, but I've gotten fonder of them over time. And the tactical decisions and scenarios are really quite fun.
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

I really appreciate the storyboard transitions. The little things like having a new panel connect to the previous one.
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
Frost
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Frost »

I wish the combat involved a bit more strategy. Just seems a bit too straightforward and the battle maps seem small. otherwise it's been fun.
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

The game is getting some love. Nice to see.

So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
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Holman
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Holman »

The RPS review is pretty hyperbolic in its praise, but it sold me on the game.

I've only got about an hour in so far, but I'm very impressed. (It's best to approach it in comparison to Darkest Dungeon rather than, say, Baldur's Gate.) Because this is my first campaign, I haven't noticed the limits of the procedural engine, but it really does feel like a fun light D&D campaign being DM'd by the game engine.

I agree with the point above that the battle maps seem a little small. Do they become larger as powers/enemies/stakes increase?
Much prefer my Nazis Nuremberged.
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

I agree with the point above that the battle maps seem a little small. Do they become larger as powers/enemies/stakes increase?
They do indeed as your party levels up.
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
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Baroquen
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Baroquen »

I really thought I was going to like this, as the reviews were strong, and the game play is right up my alley. But I really didn't take to it. So strongly that I got a refund. I didn't like the characters, or the mechanics much at all. Was very strange.

And then, when I saw it on sale again this week, I doubted myself and almost re-bought it. Maybe I'll try it again somewhere down the line as I'm still perplexed why it's not working for me.
infinitelurker
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by infinitelurker »

I have had just the opposite experience. I really thought I wouldn't like it, as I generally don't like an extraordinary amount of reading in my games (if I want to read a book, I'll do just that!). I took a chance on it, and have really been enjoying it. It really isn't as much reading as I had feared. The writing, art and the comic strip-like approach is easy to digest, and I've actually had some laugh out loud moments with some of the stories and facial expressions in the art.

I think it's a bit of a gem and deserves the praise it's been receiving... Just to give another viewpoint in case people want to grab it on the Steam sale and try it out...
-something witty-
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Archinerd
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Archinerd »

I despise the writing style. A first I thought it was ESL, which I can forgive. That doesn't seem to be the case though. Instead, the writer's idea of good prose seems to be based on liberal use of a random number generator and a thesaurus.

Despite that, I'm really enjoying the game. Finished up the first campaign with more 3 original characters and have become quite attached.
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AWS260
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by AWS260 »

I picked this up last week and have been really enjoying it. The procedural storytelling is well done, with a nice sense of humor peeking through now and then. The tactical combat isn't particularly challenging, but I'm not looking for it to be.

I love that characters age and retire. It provides a nice sense of closure to their arcs, and makes it easier to say goodbye to your most valued party members.
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baelthazar
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by baelthazar »

AWS260 wrote: Mon Jan 24, 2022 1:52 am I love that characters age and retire. It provides a nice sense of closure to their arcs, and makes it easier to say goodbye to your most valued party members.
The legacy mechanic means that your favorite characters are never really truly gone. But you can decide just how much you want them to be a part of each new adventure.
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Jolor
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Re: Wildermyth - PC RPG Steam

Post by Jolor »

I haven't played this for a while but I see an update is available. For those interested:
The Sunswallower's Wake is a three chapter campaign for legacy heroes, focused on Vulta, an ancient enemy of the Yondering Lands. This story is unlocked by an existing event and follows the consequences of releasing Vulta from their gem-prison. We've been working on this for a while and are super excited to finally show it off!

Also some good bugfixes, including a memory leak fix that should improve performance for long sessions, and improvements to lighting when point light limit is low.

1.5+389 The Sunswallower's Wake
New Campaign! A three chapter legacy story
Can now click unscouted tile to build bridge/pass
Night Altar map updated
Lifeforge Keystone map updated
Hook Proud update
Offhand poison now applies 2 poison to weapons
Credit snapshots now in sepia tone
Point light improvements
Split incursions are now half the size of full ones
Broken legacy heroes can be fixed by reloading their campaign
Fix a multiplayer bug where events would repeat
Fix a bug where percentages didn't appear for Jigsaw event
Fix a bug with hook quests
Fix a multiplayer bug with some legacy hero recruit events
Fix a bug where ranged attack animations would cut off
Fix a bug where skeleton would get age-based tiding
Fixed memory leaks that caused lag and crashes over time
Fix a bug where Ecthis ch4 event wouldn't occur
Fix a bug where stat buffs from history lines weren't correct
Fix some credits comics that could show dead heroes
Fix some typos
Tools: Added auto-match option to comic editor, for testing
So sayeth the wise Alaundo.
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