Wildermyth Gameplay Preview – Like XCOM mashed with a dungeons and dragons session

Wildermyth combines a lot of genres to create a well crafted and engaging product. The game looks like a diorama, plays like a turn based strategy game (such as XCOM), and feels like a light dungeons and dragons session.

Wildermyth manages to pull all aspects off very well. The graphics look charming and fit the theme. The turn based mechanics are actually well thought out and are fun to use. The game doesn’t change the turn based formula drastically but rather aims to provide a polished experience. Layered on top of all of this is a loose narrative structure that may feel a bit disjointed at first but overtime creates a rich tapestry of small events that add to the experience.

The game does a great job of creating an immersive experience and pulling you in, granted you enjoy turn based combat. The main draw for me personally was the narrative structure of the game. The turn based combat is already very solid and engaging but Wildermyth takes the extra step with some excellent writing. There are small random encounters that basically boil down to taking a greater risk for a greater reward such as in games like Darkest Dungeon. They spared no effort in creating some rich lore for such a small portion of the game.

For example, there was one encounter where one of your characters come across a doppelganger that shares your memories and dreams. You can choose to talk to them, run away, or fight them. I chose the option of talking it out and a short but hilarious conversation ensued where you became friends with your own doppelganger. One decides to return to the party and continue the quest to save the world while the other ventured forth to make their dreams come true for the both of them.

This small scenario actually has very little impact on the game but it does a fantastic job of creating a more immersive experience for a genre that usually only focuses on game play and the narrative is oftentimes just an afterthought. The narrative charmed me in a way I was not expecting.

Overall, Wildermyth is an excellent and well crafted turn based strategy game. Every aspect is well polished and the well written narrative bits tie everything together into an attractive package