Lovingly staged RPG with a great story, an orchestral soundtrack and huge, chaotic battles.

Based on the successful fantasy-bestseller, written by author Markus Heitz, the homonymous videogame takes place in an action-rpg, focused on massive battles with orcs. The story is well told, but shortened in comparison to the book. The battles are fun to play for a while, but they’re lacking on AI- and pathfinding-issues. Moving the camera can be tricky too. The rpg-elements are minimalistic, there are no collectible weapons or gear and characters can be equipped with only five skills max. Your main character, the young dwarven-smith Tungdil will be accompanied with up to 14 companions, most of them well transformed from the book into the game. You’ll spend a lot of time in listening to many dialogues and to a well performing narrator, so in the end The Dwarves feels more like an interactive audio-book than an rpg.

For $40, I feel like THQ Nordic might have an idea on their hands. If there was to be an integrated loot system, updates to the movement system, and general bug tweaks, I would be open to playing the game more. I love single player games and was really excited to try this out. However, I feel a little underwhelmed. It’s fun, and it has opportunity, but right now I feel like I was left with a half empty plate.

The Dwarves boasts a strong story that's taken from a bestselling novel, and it generally honors that lineage with a cast of likable and ably voiced characters. It's a good foundation, but unfortunately it's not strong enough to make up for the deficiencies of its gameplay, which include unfulfilling RPG elements and a stubborn camera.

A great fantasy story with wonderful dialogues and well-crafted heroes is ruined by the most important aspect of a video game... gameplay.

A weak retelling of a mediocre fantasy book.

The Dwarves would like to achieve a better rating, but their own companions in the fight undercut this effort. Simple technical state is not always a recipe for a success. [Issue #271]