"Solid dungeon loops, gutted by a day-one magic paywall"
About
RAIDBORN is a first-person fantasy RPG where you explore procedurally generated dungeons, fight enemies, and collect loot to strengthen your character and outpost. You customize difficulty settings across a spectrum from casual to roguelike, and craft or upgrade gear between expeditions. The game emphasizes replayability through varied dungeon layouts and quest structures that shift across playthroughs.
Verdict
RAIDBORN nails a satisfying first-person crawl with parry, kick and shield-bash rhythms that engaged players sink dozens of hours into. The dungeons run thin fast, and shipping the entire magic system as paid day-one DLC reads as content carved out of the base game rather than added to it.
You'll like it if …
- +timing-based melee where parry, kick and shield bash carry the fight appeals to you
- +you settle into a loot-and-upgrade loop for dozens of hours
- +you tune your own difficulty from casual to roguelike
You'll dislike it if …
- −you want combat that keeps opening into deeper layers
- −procedural dungeons that repeat and blur together wear on you
- −you expect core systems bundled in rather than sold separately
Breakdown
- +Combat reads simple but rewards timing: parry, kick enemies into spikes, shield bash
- +Attack, parry, kick, power attack loop is legible and satisfying to execute
- −No deeper layer beneath the core combat rhythm—the magic system that might have added one sits behind a paywall
- −Procedural generation is too shallow; caves blur into each other and empty stretches between fights kill momentum
- +The dungeon-crawl loop genuinely pulls engaged players past 30 hours
- +Difficulty customization across a spectrum from casual to roguelike supports varied playstyles
- −Four dungeons and recycled enemy factions wear out the procedural promise
- −Day-one magic DLC at half the base cost splits core progression systems into a separate purchase
- +Quests and voiced characters provide direction and motivation to move through dungeons
- −AI-generated voices undercut the atmospheric work the music and environment carry
- +Cohesive art direction and atmospheric music lift basic environments above their asset packs
- +Style holds together across recycled asset reuse better than the budget suggests
- −Save corruption and infinite loading screens brick entire playthroughs rather than minor annoyances
- −The town hub and outpost feel flat and sparse, unable to hide their instance-based limitations
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