I feel like I've played long enough to give a fair review now. So, here's my thoughts.

First of all: The environment. The mountain, towering up from the earth, and the temple on top. The bridge, spanning from said mountain to the archives on the other side - and of course, the newly added Archive itself. It's just stunning to look at. I've been staring at the environment far longer than I usually do in games. I hope to see many locations as beautiful as this with future patches.

The graphics are superb, too. Nothing to complain about there. The sounds are a bit generic, but as far as I know, devs are implementing sounds as the development progresses. The sounds will surely be better once the game is released.

What about gameplay? The combat is.. well. It's hard. It's fun and tactical, but it's hard. But then, I usually suck at combat in these types of games unfortunately. A suggestion: difficulty slider.
I have only tried magic on occasion, and never in fact tried fighting using it. There's an illumination spell which I fairly often use, and the magic system is pretty interesting. Instead of mana, you have something called Ikhor. Pile up enough of it, and you die. You gain Ikhor by using spells. It's like mana in most games - but instead of just running out of mana, you'd die. You also collect shards, which contain certain spells. There are equipped on your arms/gloves and makes you able to use said spells. Quite an interesting concept, and it works too.

As it is right now, you just resurrect at nearest bed/camp when you die. You don't lose anything(as far as I know), and that's just good for me, since I die like 10 times everytime I play the game.

Overall, I think this game is worth the 19 euro they ask for it. I won't give a score at this time since it's so early in development. I do recommend it if you like games like Skyrim, ie open-world RPGs.

Sorry if this review is muddy or something, I've been awake far too long. It should, though, get most of my points through.

I recommend this game... TO AN EXTENT. See below what I mean.

Fantasy RPG's are my FAVORITE kind of game, I go all out with them. Skyrim, Kingdoms of Amalur, etc. Tbh I generally pirate before I buy, so my hundreds of hours in KoA/Skyrim aren't recorded on Steam. However, with this being one of the only (if not THE ONLY) 3D open world fantasy RPG in Early Access, I decided to give it a shot.

You start out in this little shack, you've been washed ashore from battle and are miracously alive. (Kind of cliche, but whatever) The magic system for the game consists of shards, you can hold 2 shards (one in each hand) and these shards give different abilities. You can use these abilities along side your melee combat abilities.

As of this review there are the following things in the game...
- 3 Bosses
- Several Quests
- 2 medium sized "maps".

Now I rank early access games based on how early I feel they are in their development cycle.
- Pre-Planning ( This means the game has no direction and they should have figured it out before development )
- Early Development ( The idea is set for most of the game, they are working out details and framework )
- Tech Alpha ( Not many bugs, features, or really anything. Just a showcase of what the game could be. )
- Alpha ( Many features have been implemented, but still lack depth and are very early )
- Closed Beta ( The game is about 70-80% there, but mostly working out bugs )
- Open Beta ( Stress testing, bugs, etc. )

On this scale I rank this game as in the Tech Alpha stage.

So why a tech alpha?
There's enough here to classify this game as an early demo, but not really a game. Once you've bashed your head against the deathblood (the first boss), you'll move on to a single side quest. Once you complete that, you'll go to the valarian camp, aggro the second boss, but since he's too hard and you can't obtain gear ANYWHERE else to beat him except off him. You'll either use some sort of exploit or glitch to beat him and get his gear. Once you've done that, you'll move on to the tree boss. (Who is much much easier than the other 2 bosses in the game.) Where you'll get, basically, a free legendary sword for knowing how to dodge.
Then that's it, that's the game. It's fun while it lasts.

Pros:
The game is developed enough to find out whether you would enjoy something like this or not.
Showcases possibilities correctly.
Some unique features have already been implemented to show the thought process of the development team.

I'll list cons and go into detail why these are currently cons.
Cons:
Animations and clunky combat.
Viewing Distance.
Armor/Spell Balance

In melee combat you have three defensive options. Block, Parry, and Dodge. All of these use a resource called "Stamina", this resource is also used when you swing your weapon. Due to the input lag and animation time, parry is basically useless. Blocking is difficult unless you already have the key pressed down seconds before the attack. YOU CANNOT BLOCK IN BETWEEN ENEMY ATTACKS, IT WILL FAIL THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME. What really irritates me about this is it doesn't matter how fast YOU are, your character will still be very slow in reacting. At first I thought this was because I didn't have a certain stat or skill up, but that's just the way it is right now. The majority of your time in combat won't be actually fighting, it will be dodging/kiting/blocking. Even if you have the absolute best weapon and armors in the game. Combat feels clunky in the respect that you can't try to defend yourself mid combat, you have to back out and get ready to strike again. (Dodge back, strike, dodge back, strike, dodge back, strike, dodge back, strike, etc.) Spells such as tremor which knock the enemy back, animation lock you for so long by the time you get out of the lock, the enemy is already attacking you again.

Viewing distance. Grass and other objects don't render until you get REALLY REALLY close to them. Right now, there's no option to change this. Things "popping" into existance constantly tends to give me a bad headache, which excludes me from playing this game for lengthy periods of time. Those of you that played Kingdoms of Amalur will recognize this popping, except in TME, it's 10x worse.

Armor/Spell balance, right now spells don't really rank up with you or have different shards. So the healing spells you start out with, will no longer be useful an hour down the line. You'll be forced to use potions, find food, or wait constantly for your health to regenerate. After lengthy periods of playing, since nothing respawns until you die or logout, it can get frustrating. The item set in the game right now is limited, which means the bandits you fought in the starting zone drop the same gear as the bandits in the second map, even though they're 10x harder.


"So... It sounds like you're pretty negative about the game, why the recommendation?"
The game is going in the right direction, the developers are active, and they've displayed enough here to say.. "Hey, we won't waste your money." Maybe this isn't something you may enjoy in it's current state, but if you enjoyed any of the Elder Scrolls games or Kingdoms of Amalur, this is something you'll enjoy when it's in a more complete state. However, to get to that complete state, the developers need funding. That's primarily the reason for my recommendation, I had a lot of fun with the games current content, but it falls short. With more content and funding, it can be a great game.

I have owned this game for a while, but have hardly played it because my video card was not sufficient enough to make the game enjoyable. I upgraded my video card and the game has also been updated. Now it runs smoothly and looks beautiful.

I have not played too far into the story, but so far the game play is excellent. It is a cryengine game and it shows. The graphics are beautiful, the action silky smooth.

At this point, I would say that if you are a fan of the elder scrolls games or the Gothic series of games, this game is worthy of your attention. The only question left in my mind is not "will this be a good game when finished?" Instead the only question I am left with is will this game be merely very good when finished? Or will it be an indie classic? The potential is there.

This game is Early Access.

Early Access. Pre-Alpha. I might even go so far as to say its just post-Prototype. This is not simply playing a game, for now it is mainly just testing the game systems and giving feedback and reporting bugs. The main quest only recently got implemented because they ugraded to a newer version of CryEngine, which honestly has made the lighting effects and general graphics of the game much more beautiful than its earlier version.

This game is Early Access.

The game is challenging, enemies hit hard, you have to roll and block. Hacking-and-Slashing will get you dead. There are only 2 spells in the game currently, a heal spell and a light spell, however I believe the developers have said that spells will be receiving attention sometime within the next month.

This game is Early Access.

There are framerate problems and certain things still need to be balanced. Animations are meh. However, they update this game consistently every other week, in fact, its more common for them to provide an update of some sort EVERY week. This is a team of maybe 3 to 5 people and its clear that they are working hard.

This game is Early Access.

Please do not buy this game if you are going to clutter the forums with complaints about how its in an early state. Its advertised as being in an early state, it says Early Access in bright blue all over the reviews and the page. There are features that haven't been implemented yet, such as Co-op.

Please DO buy this game if you want to support an indie developer in making a beautiful, third-person, open-world, Co-op RPG and you want to offer suggestions and feedback.

TL;DR This game is Early Access.

You'll notice a lot of the negative reviews are from a while ago and don't really reflect what this game has evolved into. The devs have really been hitting the updates hard and the game has made tremendous strides. The graphics alone are breathtaking and the combat and gameplay are really starting to come along. Currently, there is a lot to do and explore in the game and it's fun to just lose yourself in the beautiful world they created. I honestly see great potential in this game as it moves forward and I'm excited to see what each new updated brings.

What's great about this early access games is the devs are really involved. They update the game regularly and take feedback from the community. Just go to the discussions and you see the devs interacting with the players and taking their suggestions and implementing some of them in the game. I don't get the feeling that this is some fly-by-night group, and they seem to care about their product. Overall I am satisfied with my purchase and I highly recommend this game to open world RPG enthusiasts.

This game looks better than some triple A games currently out, which is kind of saying something for an indie group. It reminds me of Skyrim with the feel of farcry. I could see this being a game where after you gain an intimate knowledge of the layout of the terrain it gains a sort of nostalgic quality. Maybe because it has this appeal to kind of wander around and explore, AND since its more vibrant than Skyrim it has a minimal copypasta feel to it.

The combat mechanics are a good mix of RPG and action elements. And I'm happy to see this game has an asymetrical magic system that is different from the typical kind of system where players get a fire spell and an ice spell and the only difference is the color. My main qualm with a lot of other games with action and RPG elements is that they usually tend to gravitate to RPG or Action, whereas here we see a true blending. The formula looks like it has deeper potential than even Skyrim or Oblivion. In fact its like they took the best lessons from Skyrim and Dark Souls and are blending them in a hardcore fashion.

Clearly it looks far from finished though which isn't a bad thing (because its obviously already beautiful), it means there is a lot of room for growth. I think its worthing buying as is, and definately worth buying just to see what it becomes.

One last thought to expand on my first comment: Most indie games sacrifice great graphics in favor of faster development cycles and thoroughly fleshed out game mechanics. Almost all 2d platformers, Minecraft, terraria, Don't Starve, FTL: Faster than light etc. are some examples. Therefore I have to give major props to this team for attempting to sacrifice nothing for a great gaming experience. Its a huge challenge. I develop software professionaly too in a non-game industry and I'm aware that a lot of triple A games will have entire teams of guys dedicated to graphics alone, teams probably larger than this entire dev team who also is doing all the different aspects involved in coding a game not just the graphics. It means too that since they have accomplished so much already I can see that they have majorly invested themselves in finishing. Now or later this game is going to be a finished bomb-shell and people are going to wonder how it snuck up on them.

This is already a great game and all indications show it will only get better. Progression is very natural. This is not a game that will hold your hand. Combat and magic systems are well founded. Updates are regular.

I havven't played much of this game yet. At first I was a bit skeptical, that is, when I bought the game a few months ago, there were a lot of bugs and the game didn't have a lot of updates. Then many great updates started coming out and the game started to improve siginificantly. It is obvious that the developers are working really hard to make this an epic game, and, from what I see, they are actually doing it. The game has been through some major improvements, and the developers don't stop, frequent updates and improvements have made this a must have. I'd recommend this to anyone, mainly because the developers are putting so much hard work into making this game awesome. Thanks a lot for doing this!

I have been playing this game since the earliest alpha testing. The best part of this game is to see how far it has come. Its obvious that Liminial Games is commited to continually updating and improving their game. The environment is beautiful, which makes it enjoyable to explore every aspect of the map. The combat system keeps on improving and they keep adding more spells and items. I also like that there is no traditional leveling system. The only way to improve a skill is to use it. They more you use each skill the better your character becomes at it. This is a game you want to get early because it just keeps getting better!

well... you can't get naked in this game!
let it be that this is coming from a person who never approved or even liked the idea of Early Access and only purchased 2 early access games proven to have a good hard working dev teams behind them - the Long Dark, the Forest - while never played them, this game fits in my simple concept of supporting a Dev Team. the game has potentials supported by constant updates and I'm hoping to see it done, God knows we need more Action RPG games..
so
if you here to play the game I will say it's too early for that, though I enjoyed the environment and the charming Ambient Lighting the game in whole it reeks of unflushed mechanics and lacks more features than it delivers.
but it's 20$ to support the Game, so make a decision,

right now
hurry up I'm waiting :P

When thinking about whether or not you want to purchase this game, keep in mind the following:

• Do you hate paying for DLC and would rather enjoy free content updates in a game? Check!
  
  
• Are you like me who wants to explore and conquer a gorgeous and ever growing open world universe? Check!
  
  
• Isn't it great when the Devs actually respond to your feedback on the forums? Check!
  
  
• Would YOU like to help shape an Open World RPG universe? Check!
  
  
• Isn't it satisfying when your play style wasn't given the short end of the stick? Check!
  
  
• Do you enjoy games with deep combat systems which gives you a real sense of dynamism and strategy? Check!
  
  
• Would you like it if no effort you put into your character will be wasted? Whatever you do will improve some aspect about you! Check!

The following features are currently being developed:

• Want to be take part in guilds to earn the top title to wield influence over others? Check!
  
  
• Want to be part of a modding community for the game? Check!
  
  
• Do you like crafting and mining to create new and exciting equipment? Check!
  
  
• Want a multiplayer experience where you can play alongside or against your friends and other players? Check!
  
  
• This and so much more is just waiting for your support!

My time with The Memory of Eldurim has been a satisfying and rewarding early access game experience that would satisfy any serious gamer with a patient eye for epic role-playing games. It’s obvious that the team at Liminal Games are passionate and talented developers who are committed to making this game the absolute best it can be. Their commitment to this game is proven by the frequent quality updates like this: improving upon already existing features; adding in new and exciting ones; updating their placeholder animations with professionally created ones; and also by adding new HUGE and beautiful areas to explore and conquer. It’s always exciting to see what future updates will bring us!

It's great to know that these guys are serious about delivering us the best experience possible. You know that you're getting your moneys worth when you buy this game, and the piece of mind that they'll continue to pump out great content as they have been!

Or in the words of Bryan, a developer of MOE:

"We don't have any reason to right now [stop developing] we have every reason to continue." (hear for yourself)

I highly recommend you support this great game now and not wait to buy it!

I think this game shows a lot of promise. The developers do early access right. They communicate well and update often. I think the idea is solid and the game looks beautiful. These guys deserve your support!

Wow, impressive for only an EA game. The visuals are phenomenal and has really solid game-play. I didn't encounter any major bugs at all. You can tell it's a really well done game when playing. I was able to fight with swords, axes, maces, and a spear. I hear bows are going to be part of the game in the near future. If you like to be a mage, there were plenty of really cool spells to choose from with a really unique and interesting way to manage your mana that I haven't seen before. So far it's looking really great, and I haven't even seen or done everything yet!

If you like like oblivion or skyrim, this game could easily be the next big RPG!

So fun! Keep the updates coming!

I'm definitely going to keep playing this one, you should too :)

4 out of 5 stars

This is a fun and visualy pleasing game. I like the originality of the blood shard system for magic and the way the skill system is set up.

This is early access as it was meant to be. The Devs are very involved with the community and are always open to feedback.

The game has tons of potential, it's challenging and fun to play right now, and will be so much more in the future.

Beautiful game, wish it had key bindings.

What I love about this game is the realism and attention to detail that it has. I love that what you do is what you get better at. The loot is very fun, and makes the game more exciting. I watch my library for updates to see what new fun is in store for me.

if your going to review a game in early access be ready to re review it as updates come out. As it says things will change and its a work in progress. As the game stands now its very playable and looks great. I would recomend getting this game and helping then make it into somthing Great it has all the core elements to be just that.

With more updates this game will be amazing. I really want to believe. It has great potential I feel.

A couple of important points...

-Amazingly responsive devs and frequent updates, this really is Early Access done right.

-If you like use-based progress systems this is one of the very few options out there... Helps that it's also a great game for its stage of development and on a very promising path for the future.