Thronefall | 111h played | 100% Achievements
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A solid indie game that pulls you in at first, ...
but the deeper you go, the more its mechanical limitations start to show.
It is a one-time journey, and for its price, that is just enough.

I understand this is an indie game, and I want to be fair while still comparing it to what else is out there.

Was it worth it? Every game's longevity depends on replayability.
After 100% completion, I would not return to Thronefall at all. There is nothing I'll be missing.
Many have already covered what works and what is fun, so I will focus on what does not work and what can be genuinely frustrating. Keep in mind the game can be discounted but still I want to fair across all genres and other developers.

I understand that criticism is not always well received, but we have to embrace failure, learn from it, and use it to improve and grow.

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⚔ DIFFICULTY
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I enjoy difficult games and love adding challenges. However, the Mutators make the game harder in a technical sense rather than a mechanical one. The core concept stays the same throughout, and difficulty should be paired with creativity. The number of final bosses is overwhelmingly small.

Enemy patterns are always fixed, you can predict what is coming and plan accordingly, but that also removes any surprise or tension. Take Dark Souls as an example: imagine always knowing what is waiting behind a fog gate.
Every game should play different and I don't see why the developers removed the idea of a randomizer which could have added a better nuance to the game. The only thing that makes the game harder is by using Mutators, later I'll go deeper why.

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🏗 BUILDING
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You can choose what to build and when, but all building slots are fixed. There is no room for creativity in placing structures at a specific position or range, which severely limits strategic possibilities.

Once you have completed two maps, everything becomes repetitive. Your only real choice is timing, and that alone is not enough. Certain building spots go unused entirely because enemies either always come from one direction or never do.

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🧠 ENEMY AI
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Enemy groups follow fixed priorities, targeting your hero, units, farms, or towers in a set order.
There is no reason this pattern could not change. Adding a randomizer to surprise the player and make waves more dynamic would have created far more memorable and challenging scenarios.
Once you know what enemies are going for, it is easy to adapt and play on autopilot.

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✨ PERKS & MUTATORS
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Perks are the heart of this game (sadly), they shape each run with boosts and nerfs.
However, the variety feels limited. I would have liked a system where using fewer perks grants higher bonuses, and taking more than five gradually reduces them. Some Mutator combinations also become completely broken when chasing high scores (e.g. 30K+ points), making the game feel unplayable. That is because people do not understand how to make a game hard/challenging so they add specific "Mutators" to make it harder instead of improving the core concept of the game.

You have many options on paper, but in practice only a small percentage of combinations actually work for 100% completion. You are often forced to prioritize two or three factors simply because of what enemies appear, leaving you with no meaningful choice. Perks should complement the game, not define and constrain it.

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📖 STORY
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Not every game needs a story, and that is fine. But some dynamic storytelling through dialogue text boxes would have built tension and made certain moments more unforgettable. I enjoyed the sea monster and the bosses, but more cutscenes and plot twists in between would have elevated the experience significantly.
Imagine a second phase or a 10% chance the Boss will come back as an undead version with the remaining Buildings/Units and Health you have.

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🗺 MAP LAYOUT
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The game is very linear, you must complete specific maps to advance. Giving the player more freedom to roam and discover would have been a great addition. Choosing a harder map at low level for bonus EXP, unlocking weapons by finding chests in the world, or having side objectives while defending at night, these ideas would have added real depth and agency.

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VERDICT
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Many of my criticisms may simply be beyond the scope of a small development team, and I respect that.
But reducing the game in scope, making individual moments more remarkable, adding a boss to every map, and giving players more creative freedom would have been a much stronger direction.

Cut the maps in half and make it more creative and engaging would have been a better fit.

I enjoyed my time with Thronefall, but with its pricing and the technical possibilities that clearly exist, I expected more.

👎 Not Recommended, unless you are looking for a casual one-time experience.
Would I play the game again? Simply not. That's why I rated the game as it is.

Let's see what Thronefall 2 brings.