Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves Review
A few rough edges don't keep Sang-Froid's unique werewolf slaughterfest from being a howling good time.
The Good
- Great setting and supernatural theme
- Satisfying blend of tower defense planning and action
- RPG elements bridge the gap between distinct phases.
The Bad
- Core combat is thin
- Some unimpressive visual elements.
When you're in the remote wilderness of werewolf country, hunkering down and chopping up all manner of horrific beasts night after night doesn't seem like the smartest alternative to simply running like hell, but Canadian lumberjack brothers Jacques and Joseph are made of tougher, more stubborn stock. Their quest to save their sister from the demonic fanged beings of the night in Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves requires careful planning during the daylight hours and precise execution when the sun goes down. All of the neat ideas at play in this distinct tower defense/third-person brawler hybrid ultimately keep the rough edges at bay long enough to let the cyclical blend of strategizing and action take hold.
Set in the dark, wintry forests of Canada, Sang-Froid revolves around an ill-fated region beset by all manner of lupine kinfolk. Even the devil himself has a hand in things. The aforementioned brothers begrudgingly band together in an effort to shore up their defenses as their seemingly possessed sister recovers from a supernatural ailment. Meanwhile, the forest's unruly and unholy creatures are growing in number and variety, adding ample diversity to the nightly attacks on your meager fortifications. Throw in some shamanism, a touch of Native American mojo, and some good old-fashioned woodsman's whisky, and you've got a wild ride. It's a great setup in a fresh, original setting.
Unfortunately, some of that excellent vibe is sapped by weak production. The awkward story dialogue sequences are horribly slapdash looking, though decently voiced, and the overall visual quality falls short both in-game and during cutscenes. Things don't get much better in battle, either, which frequently plays out across dimly lit, sparsely detailed snowfields surrounded by woods. Despite its promising setting, Sang-Froid is a rather ugly beast at times on the visual front.
Looks aren't everything, of course, and an abundance of thoughtful gameplay nuances do help ease some of the game's less visually stunning moments. Sang-Froid's tower defense strategizing hinges on keeping the scattered structures under your control from getting razed by the local demonic nightlife. The fact that each round is divided into two different phases helps keep things interesting. Foes attack in waves from different points on the map, and the daytime portion of each stage has you spending from your accumulated cash and a limited pool of action points to lay down traps in an effort to railroad and stamp out your foes before they rip your home to shreds.
All of this happens on a top-down map screen that gives you lots of control over how you plan out your defenses before locking into a specific arrangement. Once they appear, creatures follow a set route to their target building unless they're diverted or rerouted. Laying down crushing traps, spiked strips, flame barriers, unholy wards, fast-travel zip-lines, and other defensive elements provides a diverse means to strategize prior to the actual assault. It's cool that you can take different approaches to victory, though failure isn't entirely punitive, since you can start each level from scratch or resume your strategic tinkering right before nightfall to subtly tweak your plans.
17 comments
1 Like I've heard a lot of people pronounce the name of this game wrong- Froid isn't pronounced like "Sigmund Freud" is - it's pronounce in French like "Fwa"
Sang Froid is French for "Cold Blood"
@grey_fox1984 Sang pronounced similar to "song", Froid pronounced "fwa", or if you prefer "frwad".
2 Like I was not expecting Gamespot to be the first to the party on this one. On a side note I don't feel that criticizing an indie games graphics to that degree is necessary, if it was in the hands of a AAA team, then yeah, I'd understand, but here it's unwarranted.
2 Like @TheThoughtless1 So we shouldn't compare AAA games to indie games in terms of innovation, gameplay and ideas as well then, if we can't compare graphics? They are all in the same market. Two way street...
@aovannor @TheThoughtless1 AAA games have millions of dollars in funding and dozens if not hundreds of people working on them...Indie games not so much. So how could you possible even consider comparing graphics when the funds and manpower aren't there? Just silly
I'm sorry, but i'll have to agree with aovannor. We shouldn't be watching if the makers of the game have a lot of money, or nothing at all. The best game is a game with superb graphics, gameplay, isn't overpriced and story. Just because it's indie and has superb gameplay and story doesn't mean it's better than an AAA game with superb gameplay, not overpriced, story and superb graphics.
The best game is the best game, no handicaps :)
ontopic: i liked the game, can't wait for more:)
@aovannor I like when sites break a game down by graphics, story, re-playability, etc. and give each a seperate score then tally it up for the total score.
At the end of the day you know what kind of gamer you are...if graphics matter to you, you might ignore indie games. I for one enjoy good graphics but would rather have a good story even if it meant below par graphics (part of the reason games like Baldur's Gate still hold up for me even with the VERY dated graphic system)
I think it's fair for a site to breakdown indie games from big developer games (such as Blizzard, EA, etc.) just have a separate section for them, don't lump them in together. I also never expect an Indie game to ever get a "10" for a score only because they will never be able to compete with the graphical part of it. As long as the review is broken down into parts where they may get a 9-10 in other areas (if warranted) and a 5-6 in graphics...I'd be fine with it.
I will say that an Indie game with below par graphics getting a 7.5 I'm good with. Even if it goes up against a AAA game with amazing graphics but is below par everyplace else.
1 Like @kellian1 I can not believe my first sentence was "It's not some kind of sports league" and then you start talking about how game development should be treated like a sports league lol!
You kind of have point about people with different tastes in games; there definately are people that don't care about graphics.. but how do you suggest we tackle it? Have a review on every site from every kind of gamer so that we get a wide variety of opinion based reviews and we pick to read the review by the reviewer that is most like us in gaming style? In an ideal world it would be nice, but we know that isn't going to happen.
Isn't it easier for those people who don't care about graphics to ignore any comments about graphics in the first place? Since it isn't supposed to matter to them?
2 Like @aovannor No they aren't competing for the same pool. That's a very silly, imature way of looking at it. Some people will ONLY buy games with amazing graphics that are FPS games. Other people don't play FPS games and would rather play an RPG game, while others would rather play games like the Sims and could care less about graphics.
So you're wrong about there being one "game"pool" that everyone is competing for. Also, using your example, we can look at baseball...I guess teams like the Yankees should be compared to the Pirates because they are all going after the same pool...baseball fans?
Of course they can't be compared...as one can spend endless amounts while another has to do more with less. In this case an Indie developer puts their money into story and gameplay and has very little if any left over to make "innovations" in graphics.
3 Like @kellian1 It's not some kind of sports league they are competing in here with lesser divisions for lesser teams. They ALL want our money. Neither is it a charity, where we should just 'do them a favor' because they arn't fortunate.. because all they want is our money not our kindness (unless the kindness gets them more money *ahem* kickstarter).
Let me ask you something, do you have a seperate stash of your disposable income that you reserve and only ever spend on indie games and a stash you only spend on AAA games? If you don't, like most normal people, then all devs are competing for the same money. Damn right they should all be compared to each other because it's the only way we can determine which we should spend the money they are all fighting for on. If they want the same prize, they are in the same league.
1 Like You say that the game and i quote '' is absolutely worth possessing--demonically or otherwise.'' And yet you give it a poor 7.5 i mean something ABSOLUTELY worth possessing is more than that no ? I want to play this coop so they have to sell tons to make a 2 and your not helping. It's clear the graphics are not AAA standards but it's far from being game breaking. Combat style works just fine for me cuz i feel they intended it clumsy and all for you to not rely that much on it, this aint a Hack n slash remember ? There's plenty of new mechanics in there i mean are we to give the best note for graphics and linear triple A games or for intelligent new game desing ? Giving that kind of score to indie devs who makes that kind of brilliant game is going to kill them in the egg. This is a 8 at least...
2 Like @Bobbafet3 People like you are stupid. Think back to high school, a 7.5 is a %75, where you ever like "Are you kidding me? Look at how much potential I had on my essay, and all I get is a 75? I deserve at least an %80", probably not.
@clookoo213Im stupid ? Completly avoiding the questions that i raise and making a cheap comparison dont make you the genius of the year... 2 out of 10 on your comment sir. But seriously, childish small talk aside, the true problem lies whitin the fact that this ''critic'' punish a brilliant indie game for it's lack of polished graphic while AAA tilte like Bioshock get's a big 9 out of 10 cuz you know they included a graplin this time and yo it's cool AND the graphics are awesome.... That's, right there, the problem of gaming industries right now. Putting all the money in superb graphic and evrything that matters, like the GAMEplay of the GAME, comes second. So im gonna ask my question again ''are we to give the best note for graphics and linear triple A games or for intelligent new game desing ? Giving that kind of score to indie devs who makes that kind of brilliant game is going to kill them in the egg. This is a 8 at least...''
Big up
1 Like @Bobbafet3 @JustPlainLucas @clookoo213
First of all, you have no idea what criteria GS use for their score, imo indie games should have their own ranking system, but thats another story. You just cant compare AAA and Indie games, they have different price and production values. Also that quote '' is absolutely worth possessing--demonically or otherwise.'' game doesnt need to have 10 to be worth buying especially when the game costs 13,99 ?, its not like a 60 ? AAA title.
@JustPlainLucas @Bobbafet3 @clookoo213 Well scores can be the life or death of a game especially indie one. I aint one who underestimate scores. All i was pointing out is that Sang-Froid deserved better and if he got a bad score it was about the polishing of the game and not the game itself, so the question i asked earlier is still relevant. But you guys dont want to argue on the stuff ive pointed out, your just shooting the messenger, intellectual honesty where are you when we need you ? Keep your graplin and ill stick to my zipline. So long ''Ziiiiiiiiiiiiip''
@Bobbafet3 @clookoo213 I'm going to have to agree with @clookoo213 here. It's pretty pathetic to complain about a 7.5 being "poor". The problem is that too many people like you can't seem to figure out that the rating system starts at 1, not 7.5. Every game, indie or AAA, cannot automatically score an 8+. 7.5 is a good score, and far from poor. Even a five is far from poor. Five is average, and this game is well above that. Please stop taking scores so seriously.
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Game Emblems
The Good
Masterpiece of an indie game, epic atmosphere, great gameplay, good immersion, good music and hilarious comedy.
Sang-Froid: Tales of Werewolves
Not Following
- Publisher(s): Artifice Studio
- Genre: Action
- Release:
- ESRB: RP
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