Regions of Ruin Review (Switch)

Review Code Used Many Thanks to JanduSoft

Regions of Ruin by developers Vox Games is a 2D side scrolling hack and slash with RPG and settlement building elements.

The Dwarfs take centre stage: Gimli will be pleased

The story centres on Dwarfs who are completely fed up with the on-going war between Centaurs and Humans. They have dug deep into their mountain kingdom and sealed the entrance behind them keeping it firmly shut for centuries.

When they finally prise open the door they find that neither the Centaurs or the Humans ruled. Instead, roaming the land are Goblins, Orcs and the undead. The Dwarfs kingdom is suddenly overrun by these new threats, with some of the dwarfs captured and the rest driven from their homes and scattered throughout the lands.

You play as one of the surviving dwarfs with a mission to explore the world, take back land from the new invaders and rescue and reunite as many of the fellow dwarfs as you can. Oh and while you doing all that you can rebuild the kingdom as well.

“We dwarves are natural sprinters”

As you set off across the map exploring new areas you will encounter a lot of different environments from forests to caves and old ruins. You’ll  meet new dwarfs who you can recruit to help rebuild the new kingdom.  Some dwarfs will need convincing of your determination before they will help you and they will send you on a quest. For other dwarfs it’s just a matter of freeing them from their captors, of course, you first have to kill their captors.

Your dwarf has three attack types: quick, heavy and throwing. He can also jump, sneak and block with his shield and most importantly dash as he walks rather slowly. Any of theses actions require stamina which does recharge and takes a bit of time to do so. Your dwarf is going to need those attacks as the land is packed with goblins and orcs and all sorts of nasties.

It might be a good idea to not get crowded by your foe as your stamina disappears quickly. So axe throwing from a distance is an option to use.

“Keep breathing. That’s the key. Breathe.”

During combat there is a running list of status elements on screen as your dwarf takes damage from the enemy and your stamina is decreasing. I found that they make quite humorous reading while you’re fighting. Your poor dwarf suffers from a contused upper back (Ouch) and a lacerated right side among many other ailments, who knew dwarfs where so resilient!

You’ll discover some areas on the map will have important supplies in them such as wood or stone  And once you have cleared the area of goblins or which ever nasty is roaming around, you then gain access to that areas resource. You can send off the dwarf workers you have found in another level who are willing to join your settlement to gather resources from these areas.

Resources are used to build and upgrade the buildings in your settlement. It’s your home base where you can level up your hero dwarf, craft equipment, repair items and heal. It’s also the place where you will find merchants to purchase new equipment and you can talk  to your fellow dwarfs and hear some lore and  rumours of where you might go next.

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Controlling your hero dwarf in the side scrolling world of  Regions of Ruin is done via the joy-cons and works fine, their pixelated world is bright and colourful even if it is full of nasty orcs and goblins.

Sound effect are spot on and it’s amusing to hear a satisfying crunch as you wallop a wooden crate apart to find the goodies inside or a clang when you hit an enemy’s metal shield.

Regions of Ruin is a refreshing and different take on the usual setting of fantasy and lore. For once the dwarfs take centre stage and for an indie game there is certainly plenty of hours worth of great gameplay. It will keep you interested enough to continue playing it.

I didn’t encounter any problems with the gameplay other than when your firing an axe at an enemy your visual of the axe moving through the air can get lost in the background of the area. And then there’s my own personal bear bug: the size of the writing could be bigger in my opinion.

It’s certainly entertaining and fun value for money. So if you’re a fan of 2D side scrolling RPG with settlement building elements maybe it should have a home on your Nintendo Switch.

Final Verdict: I Like It A Lot.