Fantastic 90s style RPG with some incredibly immersive dungeon crawling.

First of all, the game is still under development, and as such it isn't very well optimised. I'd ONLY recommend getting the game if you have a pretty good gaming PC.

Graphics: Not state of the art by any means, but stay true to what exactly the developers are trying to achieve with this game.
For people with older/less expensive PCs there is a low detail mode, which I can't say I really like the look of, but at least it's there.

Sound: Fantastic music; especially the piece in the loading screens while waiting to enter towns. The sound effects also stay true to the feel of the game and sound similar to what you'd expect in the 90s. You'll hear monsters grunt and groan as you make your way through dungeons and it really adds to the atmposhere of the dungeons.

Gameplay: Turn based. Each map is marked by a squared grid. Each movement uses a turn. Pretty simplistic, and really easy to pick up and play.

Dungeons: By far the best part of the game; this is what the game is all about after all. The dungeons are dark and eerie, requiring a lit torch to see where you're going. They range from small narrow corridors with many twists and turns to great halls filled with pillars. The dungeons of Ahkranox are also incredibly dangerous. You're never too far from some sort of monster, or even worse, a trap!
Yes, traps play a big part in the dungeons. They range from explosion and poison traps to boulders and spikes, and if you're not careful, they just might be what kills you. When a trap is in your vicinity, your purple gem will glow and you can search by clicking in front of you and attempt to disarm it.
Monsters also require some thought as to how you'll approach them. You'll hear their groans and when you get close your green gem will glow. Whilst combat is simple, it still requires some thought. You know the monster is there, but can't always see whether it's only a little imp or a man stomping ogre.
Dungeons also have secret passages which are indicated by your red gem glowing. You just simply click the correct wall and it opens up.

Loot: There is tons of loot in this game. From new weapons to books to potions to troll pubes. (or something like that)
Loot can be found both outside dungeons and inside. It can be obtained from barrels, chests, crates, monsters, urns, tables, and so on. As for monsters, you'll often debate whether or not the loot is worth the risk.

Difficulty: Malevolence is an incredibly difficult game overall. However, it is only really as difficult as you make it for yourself.
Everything comes down to being prepared, forward thinking, being careful and knowing when you're beaten. You really are your own worst enemy in this game.

Permadeath and Leaderboards: By selecting permadeath, your save data is deleted when you die. (obviously) But when you play a permadeath character, there's a chance that if you can survive long enough to reach a certain level, that you'll make the leaderboards.

Land Claiming: Any time you find a new area you can hit f11 and see who who discovered the area first, or claim any already unclaimed land. The world is infinite, so there's always a chance that you can put your own name to something.

In short: If you're looking for an immersive, challenging dungeon crawler with a retro feel, this is it. It's already fantastic to play and can only get better with time. :)

EDIT: Please don't mark this review unhelpful just because you like the game. If you have a valid argument against what I say here, leave it in the comments. When you blindly mark reviews down it discredits reviews that would have otherwised helped somebody.


There was a TON of potential in this game, but the creator's vision is flawed. I'm walking through a town and I can't even see the wall at the end of an alleyway because the render distance is so small. They've said it needs to be that way in order to do this and that, but it really just ruins the immersion. They sacrificed many potential gameplay options in order to pay "homage to the 90s era FPRPGs."
Older RPGs are great. They have depth and variety, unlike the current games that pander to the lowest common denominator. The creators should have taken these great old things(which they did), and make a game with a current engine that could also support enhanced gameplay.
Long story short, there have been improvements and detriments to gaming, and I thought this game was going to take the great parts of both eras and make a game as deep as they used to be while improving by way of using modern technology.
btw- Most of the things they say they are missing because the game is "a homage," are actually missing because their engine(which runs poorly because they chose a larger world over improved gameplay) can't handle it. Or because they simply won't put in the time to implement them(and keep in mind this game got like 500+% of the funding they originally asked for, so that is an unacceptable excuse).


I wanted to like this very badly, but I just can't. If you want to play a game that plays and feels like it's from decades ago, get an actual one from decades ago(legitamate advice, those games are great). This (sometimes even intentionally)fails to improve on those ones, so there is no point in spending your money on it. This could have been great, had they put more effort into mixing in some modern technology and ideas.

Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox is worth buying if you like classic RPGs, rogue-likes with the ability to reload if you want, or if you just want to explore a huge world. The game is in a pretty early state, which is obvious from the graphics, but it can last you a very long time if what is already available interests you.

Video preview of Malevolence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGA0Z11A5gA

Follow my curator list for future early access game recommendations:
http://store.steampowered.com/curator/6856568-Should-You-Play-This-Game/

This is probably one of the most worth-while buys in a long time, that and Endless Legend. This game is an amazing hardcore/old-school RPG. Incorperating some of my favorite features, such as FPS view, grid-basedness among other things but adds new features too. Including a infinite procedureally-generated world, but that world stays persistent for everyone plays once its generated. I will warn though, for the niche gamer, not everyone. Do beware as the graphics and other things are out dated but that shouldn't matter too much if you dig it. But well worth it, I reccomend to RPG fanatics.

This game is awesome! I get scared pretty easily while playing this game, a few times I've jumped from my seat, something about knowing that if you die its all over takes it to a whole new level. Nothing like sinking hours into a game, just to die at the hands of a hidden trap. When they say its infinite they mean it, MILLIONS of places to explore, everytime you play the game can be a new adventure, or you can choose to start out in the same area.

Infinite replayability, the game never ends, randomly generated towns, quests, an infinite world.

Very hard & good game. Recommended for dungeon crawler fans!

I cannot begin to quantify all the reasons this game appeals to me.

That being said, here are a few things I really enjoy:

It's obvious to me that the people behind this game, have put their heart and souls into it.

It's single character (which is a huge + in my book), First-person, 3D.

The world is persistant. This means if you find a cool location, you can tell others where it is. They'll be able to find, see and experience it themselves.

It is turn-based (huge + for those like me that suffer from tendonitis (carpal tunnel syndrome)).

The world is infinite -- really! No caps on level, and no 'end of the world' to fall off of or bump into.

It has permadeath - only way I play.

Very active developer, updates are released frequently, along with new features.

There are certainly more I have not listed here.

I highly recommend giving it a try

I've been playing Malevolence since the Kickstarter release and loving every minute of
it. I'm a great fan of RPG's and roguelikes and Malevolence definately scratches both
itches. I also love when games are unpredictable and you don't know what to expect on
each playthrough.

The game is very old school with some innovative modern touches, the world all
the players play in is truly infinte with each player adventuring in the same version
of the world but discovering areas other players haven't been to yet. When players
discover new areas with online functionality it's possible to claim locations so if other players adventure to the same place it will say who claimed the location. Other online functions are planned and the game has a great community sharing gameplay experiences and finds.

All the loot, quests, dungeons and the world are procedurally generated but the dungeons and world are the same for everyone once an area as been discovered so if players find really cool/difficult dungeons they can share the coordinates and challenge others to clear the dungeon.

Travel in such a vast world is by Griffon and once players have enough gold they can leave the starting area and explore freely going to places far away that have not been discovered by anyone else.

Something else I love about the game is the emergent nature, things just seem to happen to throw spanners in the works and problem solving is often required to complete a quest or dungeon.

The best way to play is permadeath with the gamma turned to zero so the dungeons are truly very dark and torches are essential. With the lights down low exploring can be very intense and I find myself getting drawn into the game. Permadeath also means your name is entered onto the leaderboard so others can see how your adventures are going.

Finally I have to mention the dev team who are the icing on an already delicious cake, updates come frequently and the forums are a hotbed of ideas and player posted challenges which will only grow as the games audience widens. I've seen the game progress from a basic dungeon crawl to something very special indeed and if you value fantastic gameplay and love retro rpg graphics and enjoyed the golden age of RPG gaming then perhaps Malevolence is for you.

I certainly recommend it and wish it all the luck in the world as it goes live on Steam.

Walked into the Dungeon of Anhus, slaughtered some orcs and goblins, fled from a minotaur, then promptly fell into a pit trap (instant death). I love this game!

Its challenging and fun and brings back all those old-school feels. Highly recommend!

Lots of fun, I've been playing this since the Kickstarter Beta. Wicked loot, infinite exploration and enemies that can be a real challenge. It's a game full of 'just one more': I'll do just one more dungeon level, I'll just find the next town, I'll just see what's over the next hill... and 2 hours later you're still going.

This game is freakin' EPIC! I am completely hooked. It is a really awesome nod to the old school RPGs that I used to play back in the day but brought into today with a modern slant. If you are looking for a game to lose several hours of your life without realising it, then grab this game.

Also? As a side note, there is something about it that really tickles my OCD. Anyone else find that?

Ok, not gonna hide the fact that im IN the game(which i paid for on kickstarter), nor will i hide that i was made a tester.

I am NOT a roguelike fan at all. In fact, i hate permadeath.

I play this game on high resolution, and gamma high to see whats coming at me.

ive ragequit this game numerous times........that means A ♥♥♥♥ING LOT.

It can be hard, it can be easy. BUT, its ALWAYS addicting.

even as a tester. I find myself playing the new tomb raider, borderlands, far cry 39(GOD LOVE THAT GAME)

but i always come back to malevolence in my spare time. *(and i pay for and love ESO but still play this more)

why you ask? risk and reward, plus sometimes i just tire of rt games.

and yes, the world is infinite, FOR REAL. how you ask? ♥♥♥♥ if i know, im not a programmer. I do know however, that over the almost 2 years that ive backed this game, ive seen it evolve and loved coming back to it.

Pretty much the only game ive been a part of and keep playing. (btw i also reviewed rift for a professional game site and was involved in alpha of bioware the old republic, not to be a name dropper lol) cant say that for other ones. (looking at you SoTA_)

So overall, i love this game. Turn based games with this much heart and effort are impossible to come by.

TAKE MY MONEY.

Having been a long-time follower of Malevolence and one of the first backers on Kickstarter, I am very excited to finally see this game take it's place on Steam.

Malevolence is a blend of old-school RPG-style difficulty blended with modern systems; for example the various online elements. While you will never see another person in the game with you, if you are online while playing the game you will be able to interact with other players in a number of ways, for example the permadeath ladder where you can compete against other permadeath players, the claiming system where each major part of the world (Such as cities, dungeons and so on) can be claimed, and upon other players visiting that spot, they will see that you were there first.
Some online functionality is even a bit more secretive and should be discovered in-game.

The combat is turn based and gives the player the option of using melee, bows or spells, or mixing them to make a more balanced character.
The equipment is procedurally generated, not just the looks of weapons but also effects and values of armor, weapons and spells.

Aside from that there is an array of quest types (The quest system is still being expanded upon), special epic loot for those that brave the deepest of dungeons and take on the dungeon boss, various guilds to join and much else.

I died, it was fun.

I tried again, I died again, it was even more fun.

Sometimes I think Alex (the Dev) is punishing me, other times I know it!

The game is a work in progress, but even in its 'Beta' state at the moment it is far more enjoyable then pretty much any game I have played for a very long time. Don't be fooled by the 'early access' the game is a complete product, The main things to come or only bonus extras (more tilesets/monsters/spells etc.) and tidying up what is already there. If you want an old time, retro experience then this is the game for you. Be warned, if you have no experience of the RPG's of the mid to late 90's you may find this a bit of a shock, there are no holds barred, the game wants you dead, at it will get its wish in the end.

I've revised my review. For a Beta game there is a lot of content here. I think this game has alot of potential. I didn't realize that you would start at pretty much ground zero in each new dungeon you go into. I like to grind it's a way to veg out, You can constantly improve your character, but it seems like as soon as you finish one dungeon and are slaughtering everything the next one kills you with ease. I like to progress my character in game I want a powerful character not one constantly getting beat up by goblins. I'll recommend it just for the time I've played it.

This game scratches that itch. I grew up playing the old ones- I think the first might have been Wizardry 1 on my Apple IIc iirc. Malevolence has the feel of those games but it really isn't one of those games. Ultimately, for me at least, the core being of Malevolence is that it is infinite and has an infinite number of ways to kill you. In almost all cases I abhor scaling in RPG's but it works for Malevolence- in fact there is really no other way it could work that I can think of.

I heartily recommend this game for anyone who relishes a challenge that could potentially never end. I really, really like this game despite some of the bugs that exist now (none of them show stopping for me). Alex has done a tremendous job and continues to develop and support a labor of love.

This is not a 'AAA' title and that is for the best. So if you are looking for infinite Oblivion/Skyrim this is not it. Malevolence is it's own beast and doesn't make any allusions to being something it is not.

Prost!

At first I didn't like this game. That was until I found out I was playing it all wrong! It is not a dungeon crawler but instead it is a game where you really have to pick your battles (wisely at that). I suggest this game to anyone who has the patience to think about their actions ahead of time. As a side note keep an eye on the jewels on the bottom they are very important which I had not know until I watched a video for beginners. Very fun game!

I just bought this game. Whilst the graphics aren't great; the gameplay is fun and brings back the feel of the old rpgs of the past... the good ones like Eye of the Beholder, Dungeon Master, Wizardry and Might and Magic.

This game is hard. I played for maybe 5 mins. Found a dungeon. Went in and within 3 mins had fallen in a pit trap cause I wasn't paying attention to the gems at the bottom. Does that turn me off to the game? Heck no! I love it and will be playing it for some time in the future.

Purchase this if you want to re-live the RPGs of yesteryear including graphics and difficulty. I personally love it!

I heard about this game on a forum regarding rogue-like games, it said that this game was infinite so I looked it up and bought it. That was around 2 years ago and I gotta say that this game has made incredible progress in that time. The game is in a finished beta state, fully playable and totally infinitely huge, actually beyond huge, there is no limit. There are unlimited locations to explore, no level cap, I cannot express how much I really enjoy this game. And to think it was thought up and created by one man, with help from a select bunch of testers. The game is amazing and definately worth the money, if in doubt try the demo first. Now this isnt graphically superior, or story rich, but it is definately engaging and will keep one playing a lifetime if they wish. Currently I just bought the Steam version of the game and it displays something like 12 hours played, but that is in 2 days. I have easilly spent 200+ hours since my initial purchace and I am not ever bored, level up, re-gear, go fight more mobs. There is a difficulty scaling and certain dungeons are just more difficult than others, too tough? Go fight a different place. There is no lack of dungeons. My grade for this game is 95% which is very excellent. Try it today!