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Review
The Sword of Voldiir is a D&D inspired text adventure made in Twine, where you play as a mercenary with the task of recovering the eponymous sword for riches and reputation. Like in true D&D fashion, your quest is not without trials and tribulations: what seems to be a quick and easy task turns into an ambush that almost leaves you in your breaches, and a series of fights to recover what was stolen. And this is where the demo ends (about halfway through the story, looking at the word count - which is also where I stopped).
The D&D influences are obvious in this one, from how you create your character, to the turn-based combat, and the general flow of the story (aka get together, agree on a plan, try to execute it, something goes wrong, and repeat until you succeed). Though it streamlines the more obtuse rules of the game: you don't need to worry about your walking abilities, or spell slots. Which is awesome, because D&D combat can be pretty tedious.
However, it might be a bit too simplistic: at the start of a fight, you only pick your weapon and hope for the best. Even though the fight itself is turn-based, and you see the health bar tick away as you hit your enemies, you can't change your weapon or develop a strategy between turn. I think it's a bit of a shame, because variety in actions make combat fun! Even if you end up only smashing your sword, the option to have a choice is what makes it interesting.
Story-wise, it also felt a bit rushed at times, especially outside of the "beat" moments (going from one scene to the next). I think it makes sense when playing a campaign when playing with other people because scenes can drag on and on and on, and you don't want to linger on the side of the road when the big baddie still need to be defeated (and we're already 5 sessions in and nothing of note has happened). But in this context, I think it removed a bit of the charm of the adventure.
What about an encounter on your way to the city after being robbed for a meal and a listening ear? Maybe even letting you borrow their rusty sword because the forest you need to cross can be treacherous (and BAM tiny combat)?
Or between Act II and Act III, during the week before getting the sword back, why not getting your affairs in order, maybe buying equipment or scouting the building? Similarly to getting information around the city when tracking the woman who robbed you.
While it wasn't really my cup of tea, I can see some solid bones inside. I think it needs a bit more muscles on it, like adding more player agency (in the combat, during the story), so the player isn't just strung along, but an active participant of the story, or fleshing out some "down" moments, to make the combat/action/exploration more energetic (like the meal scene in the inn). Dare I say... maybe a puzzle?
Just a final point for dark mode users, the palette is not super accessible.
