Following in the footsteps of AAA titles like Baldur's Gate 3 is no easy feat. In my review, I'll be looking at how Zoria: Age of Shattering stacks up against some of the big names competing in the turn-based fantasy RPG arena.

I’ll admit I had my doubts about Zoria: Age of Shattering at first. Character creation gives you nine largely standard classes, followed by the obligatory visual choices, but that’s your lot. The graphics are also solid, if a little disappointing. You’re then pushed through a standard fantasy plot before arriving at a besieged castle.

What’s immediately apparent is that this is going to be a loot fest. I had over 50 items in my inventory before I went out for my first fight, and I’d already exhausted both cooking and alchemy crafting opportunities. That said, with an inventory that holds 280 slots and has no weight limit (yay!), there was plenty of room for more…

A nice touch is that you start at level 1 but immediately get a level 7 companion. This gives you insight into what’s to come, makes early fights more interesting, and allows you to experiment early. It’s a real learning curve as you discover aggro ranges, how real-time exploration transitions into turn-based combat, and rules like line-of-sight and attack ranges. But once you get the hang of it, the whole process is satisfying, stripping away a lot of the clutter while retaining the essentials that make a game fun.