There is something charming about games set in the suffering Middle Ages. Whether it’s the gloomy atmosphere or the contrast between harsh existence and dark humour, stories in this setting are always memorable.
Moreover, to capture the spirit of the era, such games do not necessarily have to be expensive projects like A Plague Tale: Innocence or Kingdom Come: Deliverance. On the contrary, as Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator and Pentiment have proven, even 2D art styles, long considered meme-worthy due to their absurdity, are quite capable of conveying the mood.
Mirthwood also looks like a whimsical medieval painting, and its canvas features mechanics that have long been familiar to the life simulation genre — farming, home improvement, hunting, and socialising.
Enemies burned down my home
Even in character creation mode, the game hints that there will be RPG elements in the story — the protagonist can choose their regional and class origin, as well as their specialisation. The latter will affect success in various activities: for example, an herbalist collects more resources for brewing potions, but takes more damage in combat.
However, the game does not explain that the backstory has no effect on the plot twists — in ten hours of gameplay, no one has said a word about my background. All it does is add extra ‘numbers’ to the character’s everyday life: for example, a peasant tires a little slower, but is bad at socialising. However, this does not qualitatively affect the gameplay, and there are many such good but poorly/crookedly implemented ideas in Mirthwood.
Where to find modern gambling games, here – a trusted free spins casino in the US all the juiciest new releases
According to an old medieval tradition, the main character is struck by grief — his hometown is engulfed in war, and so the poor fellow has to set out in search of a better life. Alone, without family, money or a roof over his head, he finds himself in a foreign country, where a suspicious stranger in a plague doctor’s costume offers him the documents for a long-abandoned house. Leaving the hero to put down roots and settle in, the unexpected saviour disappears — and this is where the story of our migrant begins.
Not a moment’s peace
The gifted house is full of holes inside and out, and nothing can be repaired with bare hands, so the hero has to visit the nearest town for help and at least some tools. As in any self-respecting life simulator, the local square is filled with people, but while in Stardew Valley or the My Time series the characters were so unique and charming that you wanted to befriend and romance each and every one of them, the locals here lack the charisma even for banal conversations about the weather. This is due to the interesting but poorly implemented conversation mechanics, reminiscent of The Sims.
Realising that socialising is for people, not roosters (and I couldn’t remember anyone anyway because of the characters’ facelessness), I decided to go on quests, of which there are plenty even in the starting town. One farmer asks you to find and beat his chickens with a stick (they’re his chickens; why he treats them that way is none of my business), another asks you to return a hammer, and on the contract board you can take on tasks to find people and kill particularly dangerous criminals or wild animals. Quests give you fame and morality — two more parameters that had little effect during my playthrough.