We are the Dwarves Missing the Mark?

When watching trailers and preview videos for We are the Dwarves on Steam, it was really hard not to get excited. It looked great, the game play was incredibly attractive, and despite a failed Kickstarter campaign, general hype was pretty high. So why then does it fall so flat? One of our reviewers spent considerable amounts of time with We are the Dwarves over the past week and a half, and pinpointed one major problem: and overtly steep and difficult learning curve.

The story line is neither good nor bad. You play as one of the last few dwarves alive, working on stopping the extinction of your people. You can play one of three dwarves, each with their own special ability. The Forcer excels at ranged attacks, which is beneficial when attempting to quietly sneak through tight areas. The Smashfist is – easily identified by the name – good at melee combat, and the Shadow character really is a mixture of the first two.

The strategic elements of this title is what really sets it apart form games that is really resembles, most predominantly Diablo 3. While it may look and sometimes feel like a Diablo game, utilizing a pause feature during battles really highlights what the developers were trying to accomplish: a strategic, fighting game. Not a hack and slash game, as those do not take loads of skill. This title? Ya, you better be ready.

We Are The Dwarves: Positives and Negatives

The game looks excellent, the camera angles are fantastic, and for a small team of developers, it runs very quick and feels polished. Quick reloads and fast transitions will be needed for the amount of time you’ll spend in reloading screens after dying for the 5th or 6th time.

This game is frustrating. Extremely frustrating. For the longest time, I didn’t even get passed the intro, and it wasn’t even close. It creates an intial frustrating that really is dissapointing. Player will see the potential, but many might not be able to reach it. Frustration could result in a “quick exit” from this title. The game throws you into the action head first with little explanation. Tutorial are meant to be simple, providing small tips as players progress. This is nonexistent in We are the Dwarves. Thankfully the game has quick reloading times to keep you in the action.

What is the game missing?

A tutorial that isn’t extremely difficult, something that slowly introduces you the depth of the characters and game mechanics, with less finicky game mechanics and the steep learning curve. There is no gradual progressions into We are the Dwarves; perhaps this is telling me this is a game for hardcore, strategic gamers. If that is the case, kudos to the team for attempting to appeal to a small audience. They will love you for it, while the general public will not.

Should I get it?

If you are into games with steep learning curves, extremely difficult levels, and sometimes finicky game mechanics, this is the game for you. As for me, I don’t play games to be frustrated, so I’m going to be waiting for a decent tutorial before I dive back into this one.