Recent reviews by zhoziv

It seems easier to sculpt the team you want compared the first game, especially since rerolls also refresh shop inventory and events consequences being more consistently clear (albeit losing some suspense; unknowns are mostly preserved by way of RNG). Love the gadgets and that skills linked to items are in addition to your max of four. There's more chaos in the arena, and the fact that party members dying isn't as punishing makes it fun to relish in.

I am a little unsure of the racial balancing - some skills seem way better than others, and those that are more incidental don't really set the variety of fantastical beings apart. It might've been cool to have a way to evolve racial abilities through level up.

My favorite part so far has been conjuring a storm of barrels and tornadoes for the enemy to flounder in and then chain fishing them out to be finished one by one. Haven't yet ventured into the harder difficulties and figuring out what's optimal, but the game at its price is already worth it for the variety and fun times you can get out of a few runs.

Background: I love this game, and I'm happy to see all the positive reviews it has received over the years. This could be seen as a typical "10000 hrs, wouldn't recommend" review. I'm a Forsburn only player highest rank achieved online being... 60ish? With all the time I've put into the game it feels really bad giving a not recommended review, but there's a huge caveat that I haven't seen highlighted in the game's admittedly small community or the other steam reviews. Also, I haven't experienced anything in the workshop that works as elegantly as the main cast's designs, so if getting the game to play Obama vs Ronald McDonald is enough for you then this review isn't for you, more power to you.

So I feel like it needs to be said, despite all the ROLLBACK changes from a couple years ago - the online is incredibly janky and it's difficult to know how I've progressed in skill when the *game plays differently depending on the connection,* and will often cut out due to "memory leak issues." There's some discussion on the forums as to why this could be happening, with suggestions on how to fix it, and I've tried reinstalling and verifying the game files to no avail. (If I'm missing something and deserve egg on my face, please let me know.) Lag is going to be a potential problem with any online game, but the online problems I've encountered in this game go beyond that - *the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ physics change.* The game will speed up or slow down for you or the other player, hitboxes seem to not properly register or they're bigger than usual. The game can be spammy enough, but sometimes endlag will completely evaporate allowing you to throw out several moves and a parry in quick succession that definitely wouldn't fly in the local engine. Situations where you could've tech rolled find you instead just sliding along the ground/platform completely vulnerable for the duration. There are people you'll come across who seem accustomed to a weird, gatling gun speed physics and everything they do has priority (you can hardly trade hits with them,) yet when playing against someone of a similar high rank *and different connection* on the same character the physics are actually reasonable/what you'd expect. I can actually time a tech chase, and my opponent can't hit me out of invincibility frames. I might still get crushed, but it's akin to maybe a dark souls way of "yes I see the mistake I've made." Even more disappointing is that if I start trying to replicate the playstyle of the gatling gun player by just spamming and throwing out moves without normal timing, the connection seems to have a chance to start to favor me if I get a hit... but regardless, the game seems to have a much higher chance of crashing.

This jankiness leads to a weird situation where regardless of whether I'm playing better or worse, I may win or lose matches based on its rng. I've played people who had the jankiness advantage in the first match, destroy me, and then suddenly the next two games are laughably easy as the physics favor me instead. I've played people generally much better than me that fall to pieces to what I assume is an unfavorable effect on their end. I've adapted to endure this physics RNG, but that's because the game has become more about doing my best or trying crazy things in each match while listening to fun music, but this isn't an experience I'd recommend to another person. As a result of the online conditioning, I also believe I'd flounder locally because my timings/combos/ideas must be terribly lazy and inconsistent as a result. Some of those gatling pace games just become a clown fiesta of jumping around randomly trying to get a hit so you can have advantage.

So, with that out of the way, here's my caveat for this "not recommended" review. I was originally drawn to the game for the small cast size as it seems a wise choice in making a balanced competitive fighting game vs. things like Smash Ultimate or League of Legends. A small cast makes balancing easier and avoids design overlap for the characters you do have to really feel more unique/specialized. I'd definitely recommend developers to give it a whirl and absorb the ideas presented in the tools each character has (except Wrastor >:(, and maybe some of the DLC characters. I'm not bitter, promise.) From Kragg pillar/rock to Ranno bubble/tongue, the interplay of these bold tools makes for beautiful, interesting fighting. The game is also easier on the hands than Super Smash Bros Melee. It's the first video game that I enjoyed enough that the road of hell through learning by people destroying me was bearable and interesting. For me, it was a great change from League of Legends in that the matches are fast and you're just relying on yourself. Also, there aren't new champions added all the time, changing the meta and how useful the characters are comparatively. (Also, it certainly helps that Forsburn is the coolest fighting design - smoke and clone will never get old for me.) I wish I had gotten involved in a local scene, as playing locally I assume is much more satisfying than online, but I have since moved away from anything that was in my vicinity. Though it will never take over something like Smash, I'm glad the game has love and life (laughter?) in local scenes. though if you're like me and can only play online, then this review is for you. In conclusion, "I love it! No, I don't recommend it." I'm hoping the lack of support for the game now is because focus is on Rivals 2, looking forward to that. No pressure and thank you Dan Fornace.

Mortal Glory is a fantastically fun little game where you manage a team of gladiators in a fantasy setting, competing to achieve the glory of victory and appease the Emperor and masses alike. The gameplay follows a simple but addicting structure:
1) Hiring gladiators
2) Equip/upgrade your team with items, skills, and training
3) Go forth into glorious battle
4) Encounter a random town event which may aid or debilitate you for the following match

Within this structure, the player focuses on economic/team management and battle strategy used in other turn-based tactics games. A lot of the fun comes from making decisions about who to hire and what to buy with your limited resources. Perhaps you focus on beefing up one gladiator that can take on multiple foes and then save money to hire stronger allies. Maybe you are able to buy a fantastic item that offsets a cheap gladiator's weaknesses. Before entering the arena, you can also see the stats of the foe you're about to face, so you can plan accordingly. As your team develops, you may have different members specialize into classic roles, (tank, mage, etc.) or create hybrids to deal with multiple situations.

Battle is turn-based tactics combat with the initiative being decided by a coin flip. Turns follow the order of your roster, interspersed by the enemy team. Everyone only gets one move per round, though, so numbers have the advantage. You have your allotted movement based on your agility score, and then most but not all skills end your turn once you use them. Meteor-strike the back line with a fire ball, keep your distance with a javelin throw, or chuck an enemy against a pillar for collision damage with a mighty swing of your hammer. Just make sure what you're doing is appeasing the Emperor's demands - or he will curse you from his mighty thrown with damage or debilitating effects. If you please his desires for carnage, he will reward you with extra coin.

A note: The game is also a bit of an RNG gamble. Critical hit and dodge chance can be incredibly frustrating. There are times in you first match that the enemy will score a lucky crit and you'll be screwed and have to start over. Dodge chance is capped at 80%, critical chance can go 100%+, and on higher difficulties or on endless mode you will eventually progress to matches where it's simply a series of swinging and missing to see where the dice lands for a OHKO. For normal levels of play, it's an exciting aspect that makes you feel like you're in a deadly arena. There's a sense that no one is safe, and at times where every turn counts, a key hit or dodge can change the momentum of a fight. Gambling is also a prevalent feature of the between match random events, and can make or break a run sometimes at your own risk. The fact that the game is short, sweet, and simple makes this aspect less of a headache.

Overall, I have very much enjoyed Mortal Glory as a way to escape and pass time during the corona virus lock-down, and very much recommend it.