Group Admins
Hello everyone! Today, I’m excited to share a detailed first look at a game called WAA Solarbite. This fresh title recently landed on my radar thanks to the developers, who kindly provided a game key for an early preview. Alongside my friend Baltazar, who joined for this live experience, we dived into the world of Warborne without any prior expectations or deep knowledge. What follows is an honest, step-by-step look at what this game offers, from character creation to combat mechanics, atmosphere, and the overall feel of the game during our initial play session.
Getting Started: First Impressions and Setup
Warborne: Above Ashes greets players with a straightforward character creation screen. There are about ten avatars to choose from, each with distinct appearances but not much backstory or customization beyond name entry. This simplicity is refreshing in a market often saturated with overly complicated character builders.
Interestingly, the game seems to favor minimalist design at the start. The user interface is clean but somewhat bare, making it accessible even to those who prefer a low-fuss approach. However, the game requires a decent frame rate to enjoy smoothly—my experience hovered around 30 FPS, which is playable but a bit limiting, especially during action-heavy moments.
The sound design deserves a quick mention: there’s a soft background soundtrack that sets a mild atmospheric tone, though it didn’t strike me as particularly memorable during this early phase. Sound effects for actions like attacking and menu navigation are present but understated, suggesting the developers might focus more on gameplay depth than flashy audio-visuals.
Character Skills and Game Mechanics
Upon creating a character, the game offers some light RPG elements. You can choose specific bonuses such as increased damage against monsters, better loot drop rates, or improved resource gathering. This adds a bit of strategic depth to the otherwise simple starting setup.
Combat primarily revolves around a combination of ranged and melee attacks, with basic key bindings like ‘E’ for abilities and ‘A’ for regular attacks. You can quickly pick up arrows and other resources dropped by enemies, which hints at a survival mechanic woven into the gameplay. You even have bandaging skills to heal wounds in combat, indicating a degree of realism and tactical care needed to progress.
The combat flow felt a little clunky initially—there’s no complex combo system or flashy moveset, but rather a straightforward rhythm of attack, collect, and heal. This might appeal more to players who appreciate methodical combat rather than twitch reflex battles.
World and Environment
The game world appears to be a blend of tactical RPG elements with survival aspects. We spawned in a place called “Eclipse,” which seemed to be a training or tutorial zone. The environment feels somewhat sparse but functional, and the game hinted at larger areas like underground markets and trading houses—places where players can buy and sell gear.
In fact, the trading system reminded me of older MMORPGs like Metin2, where a marketplace serves as a hub for player interaction and item exchange. This could be a promising feature for those who enjoy economic gameplay alongside combat.
One challenge we faced was navigating the game’s maps and quests. The game offers a waypoint or navigation system, but it’s not fully intuitive yet. We found ourselves confused about where to go and how to join parties, as the multiplayer aspects weren’t fully fleshed out in this early preview.
Multiplayer and Community Features
Playing alongside Baltazar, we quickly noticed that Warborne’s multiplayer elements are still in development. There’s no easy way to team up or form a party to explore and fight together in real-time. Some players appeared in the underground market, but interactions seemed limited to trading rather than cooperative gameplay.
This could mean that the game is either focusing on a single-player or small-scale multiplayer experience for now or that these features will be expanded upon in later updates.
Progression and Loot System
One of the more engaging aspects of Warborne is its loot and gear progression. As we defeated enemies and completed tasks, we received items like bows, boots, and even poison-tipped arrows. Equipment has levels and rarity, which suggests a typical RPG progression system where upgrading gear is key to surviving tougher challenges.
There are also consumables and crafting-like elements—for example, tactical “moss biscuits” (which sound like healing items) that add a survival element to the combat encounters.
Completing missions rewarded us with gems and other valuable resources, which can be used in the trading house to buy better gear or potentially unlock other game features.
Visual and Audio Design
The visual design of Warborne is modest yet functional. It’s not a game that tries to impress with ultra-realistic graphics or high-end effects. Instead, it opts for clarity and simplicity, making sure players can focus on gameplay without distraction.
That said, the animations for attacking and using abilities are straightforward but could benefit from more polish. Sound effects are balanced but could use more variety to enhance immersion. The background music is pleasant, though somewhat generic, fitting the fantasy-survival vibe without drawing too much attention.
Challenges and Areas for Improvement
As a first look, Warborne: Above Ashes shows a lot of potential but also leaves some questions unanswered. Here are some key points for improvement and further development:
Frame Rate and Performance: The game could benefit from optimization to ensure smoother gameplay, especially for players on lower-end systems.
User Interface and Tutorials: Navigation and quest guidance need refinement to prevent confusion, especially for newcomers.
Multiplayer Integration: Expanding cooperative features and making party formation easier would greatly enhance the social aspect of the game.
Combat Depth: Adding more varied combat mechanics or skills could make fights feel more dynamic and rewarding.
Audio-Visual Enhancements: While the minimalist approach is nice, adding some unique music tracks and better sound effects would boost the overall atmosphere.
Final Thoughts
Warborne: Above Ashes is an intriguing tactical RPG with survival elements that offers a solid foundation but still requires further polish and development. The early access feel is present buy WAA Solarbite, and while it may not yet compete with big-budget RPGs, it brings a fresh approach with its simple UI, strategic skill choices, and trading house mechanics reminiscent of classic MMORPGs.
For players who enjoy tactical combat mixed with looting and survival, Warborne presents an interesting experience worth watching as it evolves. We’ll certainly keep an eye out for future updates and hope to revisit the game once its multiplayer and world-building features mature.
Summary
Game Type: Tactical RPG with survival and trading elements
Character Creation: Simple, with avatar selection and name entry
Combat: Methodical mix of ranged and melee attacks, bandaging for healing
Progression: Loot-based gear upgrades, consumables, and resources
Multiplayer: Limited in early preview, with trading but no party system yet
Graphics & Audio: Functional, minimalist design, with room for improvement
Overall Impression: Promising indie title with a solid base and room to grow