Wildermyth is a tactical RPG that combines procedurally-generated worldbuilding with character-centered storytelling. Developed by indie studio Worldwalker Games LLC and published in tandem with WhisperGames, Wildermyth allows players to take the reins of their own fantasy roleplaying campaign in a papercraft-inspired love letter to tabletop RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons.
Players take control of a party of randomly generated characters, which can then be customized in everything from appearance to personality, and play their way through a series of campaigns. The game offers a selection of pre-written stories, but beyond that, the adventures are procedurally generated, a formula that only just barely manages to avoid falling into the trap of repetitiveness. Each event along the way is impacted in part by character personality and random chance; success is at times determined by the roll of a dice. Injuries, relationships, and transformations, all of which are encountered spontaneously while exploring the map, can have just as much of an impact as player decisions.
The five pre-written campaigns are lore-filled and thoroughly fleshed-out, effectively weaving player characters in with NPCs in a way that could be compared to any number of more traditional fantasy role-playing games. While the procedurally generated stories leave more to be desired, Wildermyth comes with editing tools included so that players can create their own events and adventures with relative ease. Most of the game's framework is available to delve into, making Wildermyth a uniquely customizable experience from top to bottom. Old characters can even be carried into new campaigns via the game's Legacy feature, allowing each player to create their own unique world.
When not engaging in story events, players will spend the majority of their time split between the overworld map and the grid-based combat levels of the game, both of which are likewise procedurally generated. In the overworld, time and party members are both a valuable resource; groups of less than three adventurers have a chance to be ambushed, and building defenses or searching for items will give enemies time to strengthen their numbers. Wildermyth's strategy elements come more from managing the map segments of the game than combat. These are also the slowest part of the game by far, and it's easy to fall into a pattern of scouting new tiles, clearing out infestations, and setting up bases with little notable progression of the overarching story.
There are three primary classes to choose from when creating a new party member - the warrior, archer, and mage archetypes - though each can then be further customized as characters gain levels and learn new skills. Each skill interacts with the world differently in combat. Mages can draw power from objects around them, destroying trees in a shower of splinters or stealing fire from a forge. Archers can take cover behind boulders, or warriors could destroy them to make an easier path across the map. Each item serves a purpose; no space is wasted, and Wildermyth's hand-drawn papercraft graphics create a compelling storybook world that encourages players to consider each element of their surroundings.
Wildermyth's multiplayer is also unique, allowing all of its players to share one game instance and necessitating cooperation to make decisions. Communication is a must, as players can easily find themselves stepping on one another's toes during the game's turn-based combat otherwise. The implementation isn't always seamless, and gameplay sometimes doesn't sync up properly and it's unfortunately simple for players to skip through important information or otherwise make a decision that impacts the whole party.
Overall, Wildermyth borrows elements from well-known tabletop games, and for all its stumbles, implements them with relative sophistication. It's an ambitious delve into an engaging fantasy world and a player-driven series of stories at its core, creating a customizable framework with almost endless potential. It's worthwhile to dive into for any player looking to find an online alternative to D&D, and thoroughly captivating whether playing alone or with a group.
Wildermyth is available on PC. A digital Steam copy was provided to Screen Rant for the purposes of this review.