Age of Decadence - Review

Shalashaskka reviewed The Age of Decadence

loading…

What do you get when you make a hardcore RPG set in a Roman post-apocalyptic society and emphasize storytelling and dialogue checks? You get The Age of Decadence, one of the finest indie RPGs I've played in a very long time.

More information.

If I hadn't played this game for 100+ hours I would have watched the entire review, but it's a bit late as the game came out several years ago now

I've only tried the demo. Good to see there is a lot more to be offered by the game than the combat. I've avoided this one because of the rumors around constantly dying and the demo was fairly bland. I should give it a chance.

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
…and the demo was fairly bland.

?!
chars

I have yet to spend any time on this…I tried one time and got in a fight almost right away and died….

Unlike most other RPGs, remember defense is important when creating your character in AoD.

5 hours for a complete play through ?

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
I've only tried the demo. Good to see there is a lot more to be offered by the game than the combat. I've avoided this one because of the rumors around constantly dying and the demo was fairly bland. I should give it a chance.

Combat is meant to be really difficult unless you have a gold understanding of it and a combat oriented character.

Happy to give some hints…

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by you
5 hours for a complete play through ?

Maybe but only if you play a merchant and don't read any of the text.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Pladio's hints would no doubt be helpful, but I found combat really challenging, even after many hours with the game going back through its development. I'd recommend hitting up the Iron Tower forums. It pays to get thorough advice on a build, since the equipment you choose directly relates to what style will work in combat.

It's honestly an undertaking to learn this stuff, but the payoff is equal to (or even better than) the challenge.

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
I've only tried the demo. Good to see there is a lot more to be offered by the game than the combat. I've avoided this one because of the rumors around constantly dying and the demo was fairly bland. I should give it a chance.

I'll save you the effort - the game is pure and utter shite.

Originally Posted by beldurax
I'll save you the effort - the game is pure and utter shite.

Another thoughtful critique…

Originally Posted by Capt. Huggy Face
Another thoughtful critique…

Beldurax thinks it is a Satanic game

I am about half way through dungeon rats (also finished dead state about a year ago) so I am hoping I will be proficient enough to not have to much trouble with the combat encounters.

I love this game - been through it twice - one time was nothing like the other.
It demands you stay "in character", so its only for those who enjoy playing a role. Violence can be mostly a last resort.

I finished it once and I was like "this is amazing!"
I finished it twice and I was like "OMFG this is amazing, almost as good as Fallout!"
I finished it thrice and I was like "best RPG ever, hands down."

Two years on, two playthroughs after the third, yes, still the best RPG ever made.

I played for a few hours with a spear fighter. Worked out pretty well and I had some nice fights.
Then a thief stole my money and ran away. I pursued and catched him and killed him and his partners. A few saves later the law in the form of 6 legionairs confronted me. They wanted me to pay an amount of money for the "murder" I did not have. So the only other option was to fight where I did not have a chance. I did not want to start from the beginning again and put the game on hold… where it still is.

Good RPG, but I do not know when or if I will come around to play it again. I also still have to play Dungeon Rats…

What a great game this is. Tough and memorable, I've only played it once so far but I'll be giving it another run sometime again soon.

Originally Posted by beldurax
I'll save you the effort - the game is pure and utter shite.

You never disappoint! You're like Joxer with his MMO phone games and Chien with his impenetrable battlements of prose, as predictable as you are baffling.

Originally Posted by screeg
Pladio's hints would no doubt be helpful, but I found combat really challenging, even after many hours with the game going back through its development. I'd recommend hitting up the Iron Tower forums. It pays to get thorough advice on a build, since the equipment you choose directly relates to what style will work in combat.

It's honestly an undertaking to learn this stuff, but the payoff is equal to (or even better than) the challenge.

My first (and only so far) play-through, I played a fully combat-focused char, and besides a few tricky fights towards the beginning, I didn't find it all that challenging. Yeah, it was harder than other RPGs today, but not excessively so. Although I didn't go in blind, I read up extensively on the character/combat system in advance (and had played the demos).

BTW, my playthrough was 23 hours according to Steam. (In reference to the 5 hour thing mentioned earlier)

The combat in Dungeon Rats, assuming you play on the highest difficulty (which I believe is supposed to be the AoD equivalent), is tons harder IMO. But I guess a large part of that is because you have to deal with pre-built companions that aren't built optimally when you pick them up.

Both of them are definitely among the greatest RPG's I've played in the last several years.