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A promising game, but seriously needs a lot of work | Full Review - Somnolent: Action RPG Fantasy

694 View2023-05-17

Somnolent: Action RPG Fantasy

5.9

Action RPGRPGAdventureOpen World

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Somnolent: Action RPG Fantasy is a third person action RPG game set in a world where dreams exist and can be entered by warriors called dreamwalkers.

🟩Pros

+Good core gameplay idea

+Charming clay-looking graphics

+Unique premise and lore

🟥Cons

-Needs a lot of work

-Game breaking bugs

-Performance issues, crashes, and long loading times

-Clunky combat mechanics and flow

-Unresponsive controls

The eponymous Somnolent is a world called the dreamcatcher where the game is also set. It is a place where good dreams pass through, while bad dreams get stuck. In layman's terms, Somnolent functions as a filter for nightmares. This requires the dreamwalkers — warriors summoned to defend dreams — to constantly purge Somnolent of the bad dreams that get trapped in the lands and the nightmarish monsters spawned by them.

Somnolent feels high production from the first looks, and the gameplay format is something that would come out on consoles and PCs with its open world-esque design and third person view. The graphics have a distinct aesthetic, reminiscent of clay-built visuals and CGI from the 2000s that are now instead rendered into in-game graphics.

Our character is one of the newly summoned dreamwalkers, devoid of any memories from their past — which allows us to be immersed in that character. This narrative follows a common trope known as Isekai, often seen in many mobile games. However, the story itself holds its uniqueness, and the lore is compelling enough to drive the narrative forward. There is no voice-acting though, so while the game is really interesting, all the dialogue must be read.

The gameplay features a third-person action RPG perspective, where the character possesses basic attack, dodge, and jump abilities to navigate the environment, including subtle platforming elements.

Additionally, the player can utilize various skills that are determined by the equipped weapon type, effectively determining the character's class. These classes range from dual-wielding rogues to sword and shield wielding warriors, and even one-handed sword warriors. Switching classes is as straightforward as changing the equipped weapon set.

Furthermore, players have the option to upgrade their weapons and dismantle them for materials. They can also level up their character by defeating monsters throughout the game, and clearing bad dreams of nightmarish monsters one after the other.

After the introduction to the Somnolent village, the game presents us with some fetch quests that aid us in getting started, allowing us to familiarize ourselves with the mechanics and the flow of the game, gather materials, eliminate local fauna, and engage in conversations with the villagers.

The combat shows a lot of promise with its flashy special effects, third person action, and a diverse range of skills., but it currently needs a lot of work to be able to provide an enjoyable experience to the player.

Despite having sleek animations, the combat system feels clunky and unresponsive. Frequent stuns and staggering mechanics frustratingly impede movement, while the touch controls often lack responsiveness. Furthermore, the camera occasionally drifts to unintended directions for some reason, further hindering the overall combat experience.

Aside from the clunky combat, I have also encountered some bugs with the gameplay in general, such as broken quest progressions, monsters infinitely spawning and attacking characters in the middle of conversations, and quest markers that are outright broken — directing me to open a chest that doesn't exist, that even persists across game restarts.

Somnolent performed poorly on my 2018 flagship Android phone. Although there was a slight improvement in performance on my 2020 flagship tablet, it still fell significantly short compared to games of similar scope, also with occasional crashes and long loading times. It is safe to say that this game is probably best played — for now — on newer and more powerful devices to fully enjoy the experience.

I really want to enjoy Somnolent, the premise is great, the idea of the combat looks solid, but it is currently filled with many issues that hinder the overall experience. For now, it needs a lot of work.

Conclusion:

Somnolent: Action RPG Fantasy displays considerable potential with its intriguing lore, promising core gameplay, and charming graphics. These elements create a solid foundation for a potentially great game in the future. However, the current state of the game feels more like an early proof of concept build, with noticeable missing features, unstable performance, and unpolished gameplay mechanics that require further refinement.

Mentioned games

Somnolent: Action RPG Fantasy

5.9

Action RPGRPGAdventureOpen World

Get

Dreamwalk into bad dreams and fight nightmares | First Impressions - Somnolent: Action RPG Fantasy

The eponymous Somnolent is a world called the dreamcatcher where the game is also set. It is a place where good dreams pass through, while bad dreams get stuck. In layman's terms, Somnolent functions as a filter. This requires the dreamwalkers — warriors summoned to defend dreams — to constantly purge Somnolent of the bad dreams that get trapped in the lands and the nightmarish monsters spawned by them.

lyndonguitar3K2023-05-17