Wildermyth review

Need to know

What is it? A tactical RPG combining scripted and dynamic narratives to unique effect.
Expect to pay $25/£19.49
Developer Worldwalker Games LLC
Publisher Worldwalker Games LLC, WhisperGames
Reviewed on AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3400G 3.70GHz, Radeon RX 590, 24GB RAM
Multiplayer? Experimental co-op mode
Link Official site (opens in new tab)

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If you’re interested in narrative, there’s a theoretical game you’ve already dreamed about. It’s an impossible fusion of deliberately crafted stories and pure systems-driven anecdotes, all lending themselves to stories of your own like procedurally generated bricks.

Wildermyth is that game. It is real. And it is wonderful. This tactical RPG imbues your every fantasy adventurer with life, turning dynamic character hooks and subplots into people you recognise and cherish. Funny and thoughtful and painfully mortal people.

Campaigns start with a few randomised heroes defending their home. They’ll mean nothing to you at first, in their opening fight. Just a jumble of pieces, an old police composite. But soon things will start to happen. While travelling to the next encounter, they’ll rescue a chicken. Your hunter will refuse to enter a village, and a prompt will ask if you want to press them. You’ll notice two of your party have formed a rivalry, and are getting bonuses to their critical hit (“stunting”, a far better term) chance as they one-up each other. 

(Image credit: Worldwalker Games)

It pains me, then, to report that Wildermyth still has frustrating parts. Campaigns and battles alike can reach a point of no hope with everyone so fragile. Some of the chapter finales border on trial and error, which is a horrible shame after you’ve won a beautifully tense victory on your first go in the last one. Incursion defences, maddeningly, give no control over where your people start even after a month of fortifying the map. And it desperately needs an order confirmation option. I cannot believe how often I have to say this in 2021.

But I am utterly in love with Wildermyth. With this full release bringing it to five main campaigns and fleshing out endless generic ones, it will satisfy your RPG craving like nothing else.

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