With Undecember, a new action RPG launched on Steam as well as for Android and iOS with a Free2Play model on October 12, 2022. Before that, a demo version was available, the title gathered many fans and became known as an insider tip. Shortly after the full release, opinions shifted – on Steam, the game received a lot of criticism.
What kind of game is this? Undecember calls itself a hack & slash action RPG and has a lot of Diablo feeling – a dark setting with demonic figures.
However, the title goes a step further with its MMO features, offering many activities for multiplayer groups. Additionally, it is a “mobile game”, also appearing on Android and iOS, and offers cross-platform support. Here are some key facts:
- Free2Play
- Isometric perspective (angled from above)
- Story to play through
- Social areas/hubs for chatting and trading as well as guilds
- Classless character system with extensive skill tree
- A rune system for your active skills
- Dungeons, raids, and PvP
- Endless grind for the best equipment
With the demo, Undecember managed to gather many positive points and players compared the new action RPG with the giants of the genre: Diablo, Path of Exile, and Lost Ark. However, after the release, the reviews on Steam do not look good at all. MeinMMO shows you the first reactions.
If you want to get an impression of the gameplay, we are embedding a combat system trailer here:
Undecember: “The prices in the cash shop are outrageous”
Why is it being torn apart after the release? On Steam, just a few hours after the release, there are already 470 reviews for the game with a clear verdict of “Mostly Negative”, with only 27% of the ratings being positive. And the culprit is the cash shop in the game.
Undecember is a mobile game with a PC port and players are disappointed that this is noticeable in the title. As was the case a few months ago with Diablo Immortal, especially PC players find the offered monetization to be terrible to the point of being a scam. Added to this are other mobile features such as auto-play.
The “most helpful comment” on the Steam page at the time of the article is as follows:
The prices in the cash shop are outrageous. You can buy 3 rows of comfort slots in your inventory for $45. You get much more in Path of Exile for $20. The game constantly tries to make you buy stuff. There are a million login rewards with useless items, so you feel like your inventory is too small.
Then you can get a pet for auto-looting and auto-destructing (so you don’t have to return to town every 5 seconds due to the small inventory). You “rent” the pet for $10 a month.
A large part of the negative reviews focuses on the pay-to-win aspect of the game. There are dozens of currencies, you can buy almost all items in the game for real money and level up your character with the necessary cash.
What do positive voices say? Many reviews already refer to the negative comments from other players and contradict them quite clearly. One says, for example, “Much better than Diablo: Immortal”.
Many compare the gameplay more to Lost Ark and see less Diablo. The graphics are also praised for an actual “mobile game”. Stability and the state of Undecember are also well received. It runs smoothly and is fun.
The pay-to-win aspect is not viewed as critically in the positive reviews. Here, many are also pointing to Lost Ark and its extensive possibilities for spending money in the game. Undecember is not worse, rather better in this regard.
However, even among the positive comments, there is criticism: the character editor is too simple and does not offer enough customization options.
What do you think of Undecember? Have you checked it out, do you want to check it out? Do the pay-to-win accusations deter you or do you prefer to form your own opinion? Leave a comment on the topic.
In 2023, Diablo 4 will finally be released, the sequel to the genre prime. If you are looking for genre representatives until then to pass the time, check it out here: New hack ‘n’ slays 2022 while you wait for Diablo 4
