So I Tried… MythRealm

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never played before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time around, I clambered to victory in the magical world of MythRealm.

What I thought it was

Whenever Steam Next Fest rolls around, I try my best to try out a wide selection of demos and previews to peek into what wonderful titles I (and GameGrin) should be keeping an eye out for. It was during one of these forays that I ran into MythRealm. The game is portrayed as a soulslike dungeon crawler with a colourful and cartoony vibe, which seemed like just the combination I needed!

Without delving deeper into the Steam page, the game seemed to be a third-person action adventure, where we played an adventurer or mage of some description, on a quest to save Wizards and fight Goblins, which seemed interesting, if pretty basic. There seemed to be a worrying emphasis on platforming, as combining the soulslike genre with anything close to precise platforming is often a recipe bound for ruin. Regardless, I put on my cloak and hopped in!

What it actually is

The game takes place in the magical world of Aloria, which used to be protected by the Wizards of Zelanar, a cavalcade of powerful practitioners keeping evil and darkness at bay. Said magicians have since disappeared, allowing deadly creatures to prey on the common people. We find ourselves in the shoes of Alaris, an adventurer finding herself in a dim cavern and being called by some kind of magical force further in.

Now, to be fair, the game doesn’t actually start off in the cave. Instead, we are first treated to a short tutorial section going through the basics of combat and movement. When faced with the prospect of battle, we can wield our sword for melee blows, or we can attack from a distance with either arrows or magic. If an enemy is getting a bit too close, we can dodge out of the way, and we can also use the environment to our advantage by climbing onto objects or diving behind them for cover. As we battle, we gain experience, which we can then spend to learn new skills and develop our build.

The combat is interesting, as it is both complex and simple, depending on how you want to approach it. You can, if you so wish, charge blindly ahead and swing your sword until either you or your enemies are dead on the floor, but you can also affect the direction of your strikes by moving the mouse in different directions as you attack. Similarly, you play it smart and use your environment to gain an advantage, using higher ground to get some pot shots in.

As you explore the aforementioned cave, you may find giant runic crystals to rest at, which act as checkpoints. Exploration is encouraged, as many nooks and crannies contain mundane or magical loot to nab or equip — your gear is visible on your character, which I appreciate. Something I was not expecting from the game, however, was how much it seemed to emphasise the platforming element.

In the starting cave, your route forward seems pretty linear, with a clear path leading you deeper. However, after a bit of climbing and combat, I found myself at a very steep wall with no clear way forward! I thought maybe the current build ended there, but upon looking up, I saw that there were very clear platforms to be explored. While the platforming is serviceable, I did feel like I was going the wrong way or doing something wrong, as the small routes and landings I found were quite difficult to navigate!

If this kind of spelunking is the intended experience, my respect for MythRealm is definitely going up a few notches; not many games have this kind of natural exploration built in. I’m also very happy to see the dreaded yellow paint is nowhere to be seen. However, if I am supposed to be scaling cliffs and walking over narrow bridges, I would like to either have a way to save myself if I drop, or have more checkpoints. In the current model, if you drop, it’s pretty much a one-way ticket back to the nearest crystal, which can be aggravating, as they are not exactly abundant.

Will I keep playing

MythRealm is an interesting concept and definitely one I am going to keep an eye on. However, the strict platforming and long stretches of distance between checkpoints did get on my nerves eventually, making it less enticing to go back to. As such, I’d not keep playing the current build, though I’d be up for a return if the game added some built-in shortcuts or other QoL increases! I do also think MythRealm is worth a look, as it does have some unique ideas on exploration other games could benefit from.