Ironcast Reviews
The story is a touch blandly presented, but hardly an important factor in the scheme of the game. It's completely novel, and that's a rare thing to say about any game, and even rarer to conclude it succeeds in its originality.
Ironcast is a small game that manages to integrate some very cool mechanics in engaging ways and the fact that, at its core, it embraces the impact of dying associated with rogue-like titles makes each campaign unique.
Fans of mechs and match three will find a lot to like in Ironcast, but even they will eventually tire of the repeating missions and random nature of the game.
Like most roguelikes, though, the true game is about fighting back against the randomness, and you do this with each lesson you learn about the sorts of augmentations to prioritise, and each trick you uncover for minimising battle scars and maximising scrap. If you've got the stomach for the learning curve, you can probably cut it in this army. And if you can, you'll discover a game that's tense and personable and clever.
Ironcast is a wonderous puzzle game that blends perfectly with other genres to create a stunning experience.
Despite these issues, Ironcast is a very solid game and worthy of putting a good few hours into. It mixes genres nicely, but it has other features that really work to dampen the enthusiasm that even the most ardent RPG fan might have for it.
Ironcast is an esoteric little package with a lot to offer. The levels vary in difficulty and really do need you to keep your head in the game, despite it looking like a simplistic match-3. If match-3 and strategy are your thing, then this is a perfect game for you.
The presentation could be better, but the mechanics are so solid that most players won't mind the flat appearance and audio. For those looking for a punishing version of Puzzle Quest, Ironcast is it.
Ironcast is a surprisingly strategic and complex game, while will hold your interest for quite a while. There's enough randomisation for the title to feel fresh for a long time, and every battle is one of tension and risky moves, with each action really meaning something. Winning a skirmish feels very satisfying, with the rewards after feeling even better, and though the difficulty may put people off, those who can grin and bear the painful defeats will be treated like un prince.
Ironcast is a neatly compiled amalgamation of various video game genres and is fairly intuitive to boot. It's easy enough to boot up and jump straight in without much handholding.
Ironcast has a fascinatingly complex base game, filled with myriad details to keep track of and a brilliant sense of strategy. Unfortunately, while serious tacticians will find themselves enjoying the nightmarish difficulty, anyone looking for a lighter challenge will be left in the dust, as permadeath and a merciless RNG slow progress to an unsatisfying crawl. That may seem like a personal problem rather than a serious criticism, but there is so much richness here that a lot of players will probably never get to see — repeating the same missions over and over again is only fun for so long, and "so long" is exactly what I said to Dreadbit's fiendish genre-blend.
The steampunk artstyle is a nice approach but it hasn't been pulled off to well coming across more bland than enticing. The gameplay more than makes up for it though, kept fresh by procedurally generated missions and rewards it ensures that no two playthroughs are ever the same. Ironcast offers up plenty strategic possibilities for players to mess around with but be warned that luck plays a heavy role in progressing to the later stages.
Ironcast is a must play for match-three puzzle fans! I may have lost to the first boss every time I've faced him (like 10 times), but I'm not discouraged to try again. The rogue-like approach to purchasing boosters and upgrades through Commendations keeps your heart in it for the long haul. I know with enough time my Ironcast will become over-powered in comparison to my wimpy-wimpy Ironcast I'm currently using, and I will not be seeing anymore of these screens.
Ironcast is a solid strategy game, easy mechanics and a deep level of customisation makes it worth coming back to.
Ironcast is the very definition of the saying "easy to pick up, difficult to master". The world, the characters and the art style are all top notch and really serve to draw you in, and once you are in, the compulsion to just have one more go is almost irresistible. The gameplay is balanced very nicely and we can't not recommend it, with only the freezes and crashes to really report as drawbacks. If you are looking for a puzzle game for your Xbox One, look no further than this. Picking it up would be a capital idea, what what?
Ultimately, Ironcast stands tall as a much more innovative and deep game than I initially expected. A steep difficulty and solid strategy-first combat system take some getting used to, but intuitive controls and a smooth gameplay experience make it easy to get the hang of on a rudimentary level.
I haven't had the chance to play it on the PC, so I am going into this with a fresh open mind.
Having to re-start the game after every death can be absolutely soul crushing but the satisfaction you get from winning an exhausting battle against an enemy Ironcast is remarkably satisfying.
Ironcast can be brutally difficult, but typically it is from poor strategic choices and not due to the lack of certain resources in the matching portion of the game. The inclusion of the Commendation Marks adds to the replay value of the game, as you can experience new content with each consecutive playthrough.