Roadwarden (Computer)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (NA): September 12, 2022
- Release Date (EU): September 12, 2022
- Publisher: Assemble Entertainment
- Developer: Moral Anxiety Studio
- Genres: Text-based adventure RPG
Game Features:
In a bid to expand its influence across the realm, the Merchant Guild has tasked you, Roadwarden, to tread forth into a mysterious peninsula and return with the information gathered. Embarking on this solitary journey with your trusty horse, what path will you take and what will you discover?
Well before 4K@60fps, AAA, open-world adventure titles were even a thing, adventure games had much humbler origins. They started off as lines of texts, popularised by the ‘70s MUD (multi-user dungeon) games. While not as visually glamorous as the current adventure titles, those computer games were rich in detailed text that stimulated the mind to fill in the visuals and were often coupled with dice-rolling mechanics for added interactivity.
The newly-released Roadwarden harkens to those predecessors and brings a text-based RPG game with a modern feel. Scenes, actions and emotions are eloquently described throughout the title to paint a vivid mental picture of its mediaeval fantasy universe filled with relatable characters as well as mythical creatures and the undead. Even simple actions like how the floor feels when you hit the hay or contemplating an inn are penned in such an articulate way that it feels as engrossing as reading a book. In this regard, Roadwarden feels like a visual novel and fantasy aficionados are in for a treat.
But unlike other visual novels like We Are OFK where the user interaction is restricted, Roadwarden ups the ante by integrating RPG mechanics. You’ll choose your character class from either as a warrior, mage or scholar to determine your initial stats. In addition, you’ll need to pay attention to your vitality and nourishment levels as your journey across the peninsula and replenish those with consumables and rest. The latter can be bought or, if you play your cards right, earned for free from newfound friends. Some encounters follow a dice roll which can deplete your vitals and armour and you’ll have to properly keep those at a decent level to go forward on your journey.
Moral Anxiety Studio also integrated an interesting ‘attitude system’ when interacting with NPCs. By choosing one of the five attitudes (friendly / playful / distanced / intimidating / vulnerable) when first striking a conversation with a character, you’ll be able to shape how the dialogue unfolds. This leads to a branching aspect of the narrative where some NPCs can let you in on some information while others can send you on quests with the promise of a reward.
Such interactions are also among the highlights of Roadwarden. Each character is well fleshed out with motivations and personalities of their own that livens up the game’s universe. They might not trust you or take you as a confidante right away, so you’ll need to earn their trust and slowly build a relationship with them (friendly or otherwise).
Should you wish to toggle it, there’s an in-game timer that gives your Roadwarden 40 in-game days to gather intel and return from their journey. This adds a welcome sense of urgency to your task and entices replays as you might not learn all of the peninsula’s tales and secrets by the end of the 40 days; and Roadwarden’s universe is full of those.
On the aesthetics side, Roadwarden divides the screen into three sections: a pixelated depiction of your surroundings; text + options; and menu + your stats. It’s a minimalist approach that looks and works well for a contemporary text-based title. The ambient soundtrack also adds to the overall atmosphere as you sink in the descriptive text.
However, there are some divisive aspects to the presentation given our traditional focus on visuals when it comes to games. For one, as you’ll spend dozens of minutes in one area conversing with NPCs and exploring the surroundings, this means that you’ll be staring at the same pixel art throughout that sequence. This sense of visual monotony could have been broken up with voice acting, changing backgrounds or pixelated character/action models. However, this might not be within the scope of a text-based adventure game and that’s understood.
In addition, as a text-based adventure, Roadwarden is a slow burn, even if the text is engrossing. You’ll spend a considerable amount of time at the same place just taking in - through the text - your surroundings and descriptions of NPCs and your conversations with them. I do enjoy a good, descriptive narrative and Roadwarden delivers on that but this might be divisive for others who’d prefer a more concise experience.
On the technical side though, there are certain points to raise. Even if the game features a handy option to choose between two font styles, you cannot increase the font size. This would have been a welcome feature for those playing on handheld PCs like I did.
On a related note, while Roadwarden apparently supports controller input, I I had a hard time navigating the options on the Anbernic Win600 (a great system to play this game on btw). I thus resorted to using the touchscreen or the mouse feature of the device instead but would have very much preferred having the game optimised with D-pad support.
While text-based adventures might not be as popular these days, Roadwarden crafts a compelling contemporary experience in this genre with its engrossing universe, blend of RPG mechanic and eloquent text.
Roadwarden | Release Trailer
Verdict
- Engrossing, eloquently detailed text-based adventure game
- Branching aspect of story based on in-game decisions
- Occasional pixel art sidebar
- Controls not optimised for controller input
- Slow-paced nature can be divisive
