Parents' Guide to

Wildermyth

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Story-driven tales with great heroes, positive themes.

Game Windows 2021
Wildermyth Poster Image

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What’s It About?

WILDERMYTH is a turn-based role-playing game containing multiple stories, each with its own set of heroes out to rid the world of evil. As each story unfolds, players are gradually introduced to a set of quirky protagonists who become part of an adventuring party that sets out to take on great evils slowly crawling across the land. Players choose where their heroes go -- potentially breaking them into discrete parties to work on multiple tasks and missions simultaneously -- and decide whether to spend time doing things like fortifying territories and building bridges across rivers for easier travel. They also need to make personal decisions for each character that will change their trajectories and chances of fulfillment. They'll also make side story decisions that will affect how combat unfolds, bestowing advantages and disadvantages, such as stat perks and damage-inducing injuries. When combat starts, a grid of tiles is randomly generated with paper-craft heroes and enemies placed around it. Players take turns with the enemy, strategically moving characters into position to attack, defend, or aid other characters using a mix of weapons and abilities, the most unusual of which is the ability to "interfuse" with objects and transform them, potentially causing them to catch fire, burst into shrapnel, or even entwine and ensnare enemies. As time goes on and chapters pass, the heroes grow older, go through major life changes, and continue to fight on into their golden years.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

Filled with unusual play mechanics, eccentric heroes, and moving stories, this is an RPG for players who are looking for something a little different. Wildermyth is focused first and foremost on storytelling, spending the time to develop each of its many protagonists with distinct personalities and personal problems that they'll eventually need to confront. Its narrative is presented through simple comic book panels that provide opportunity for characters to visually emote and express themselves. Certain situations provide players with key choices -- such as whether a lovelorn hero should follow a strange but captivating merman into the forest -- that can lead to positive or negative outcomes. The writing is sharp and frequently funny, helping to create authentic bonds, rivalries, romances, and friendships between specific heroes. Players are bound to feel connected to many of the characters, becoming invested in their lives as they mature, grow old, and become legends of varying repute within their respective worlds.

Happily, the action is just as compelling as the storytelling. There's a sense of scale to the world, as events take place over seasons and years as the heroes move from territory to territory in their effort to thwart whatever evil forces they happen to face. When battles start, there's no shortage of strategic options available, as each character uses their unique and slowly growing collection of abilities to take on enemies that also evolve and become more powerful with the passage of time. Less experienced players can breeze through battles by choosing the easiest difficulty settings, but more advanced players can dive into sophisticated combat maneuvers that may include taking cover behind objects, lining up to create a defensive wall to deflect some damage, or interfusing with objects to attack enemies from almost any direction. It's a fairly straightforward yet surprisingly deep take on turn-based tactics. Wildermyth is charming, fun, and as challenging as you want it to be, a turn-based fantasy RPG most fans of the genre aren't likely to soon forget.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about sex, gender, and body image in games. Do the characters in Wildermyth represent a diverse range of body types, gender types, and sexual orientations? Is there any way the writers could have made the cast even more diverse?

  • Unlike many games, the characters in Wildermyth gradually grow old and sometimes even have kids of their own, who also grow to become heroes. This raises the question: Does the prospect of aging seem exciting or scary to you?

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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