Ironcast Reviews
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.
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.
All told, Ironcast is one of the most in-depth and engaging match three puzzlers that we've seen. The game's pitch is a bit of a tough sell — it's clearly trying to juggle a lot of different genre elements — but Ironcast somehow manages to pull it all off in a way that is uniquely innovative and frustratingly addicting. The various elements being fused here make for a game that is endlessly replayable, but not at the cost of becoming repetitive or boring. We would strongly recommend that you pick up Ironcast if you're looking for a game that can be a good time sink, but can also be comfortably played in short bursts. Do yourself a favour and try this one out.
Ironcast is a solid strategy game, easy mechanics and a deep level of customisation makes it worth coming back to.
A decent strategy puzzle-RPG that displays all the good bits and mitigates the bad ones, pip pip.
The system's portability is also a great fit for the game, as I could easily knock out one or two missions while on the go. It reminded me of puzzle games from the heyday of Xbox Live Arcade such as Peggle and Puzzle Quest, and makes me hopeful that the Nintendo Switch will be a similarly great platform for smaller, outside the box indie games such as Ironcast.
Ironcast is a smart and funny game that perfectly fit the Nintendo Switch library. Its roguelike mechanics, otherwise, are a bit dull.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ironcast will attract players who are into carefully selecting their elements before stepping into combat. Thanks to its interesting and well implemented mechanics, this is a game that can easily turn into an addictive experience. It should also be noted that Ironcast could use more variety and that its random components can have a disproportionate weight on the game's difficulty.
Review in Portuguese |
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.
In the end, Ironcast is easily a fun game that you can get caught up in while playing. It keeps you engaged and planning, but not to the point where it becomes a chore.
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.
Ironcast is a fun game with great mechanics, set in an interesting world. The game really does not reflect the time frame, but is enjoyable none the less when you move past some of the story and setup elements. Game is a bit short but for the price tag, it's worth picking up.
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 wonderous puzzle game that blends perfectly with other genres to create a stunning experience.
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.