Last Updated on Apr 14, 2026 @ 15:27:21 PM.
Before its early access release on Steam, I had the opportunity to try out the upcoming sandbox RPG Valorborn as I explored the game’s vast world, took part in the rather in-depth base building to create a camp for my various characters, and also chose what path my characters would take as they ventured through the world in an effort to survive in the harsh lands.
A big part of Valorborn is simply down to the idea that the entire story is up for your choosing, as you can decide what kind of character you will be, where you will go, what you want to explore, and so much more, so throughout my time with Valorborn, I attempted to explore all that I could within the game and try out as much as I could.
The World of Valorborn is Vast and Full of Exploration Opportunities
Often, when a game boasts an open world for the player to explore, there are limitations within the game world that do not allow the player to explore everything they want to. However, when it comes to Valorborn, the entire game world is yours to explore with no limitations whatsoever.
The reason behind this is because the developers have worked tirelessly to ensure that anything you find within the game world is explorable if you so wish, so this means that if you find a cave and have a pathway to access it, you can; if you want to explore every house in a village, feel free; as every door is openable, and every crevice/cave is a challenge awaiting to be conquered.
Even though Valorborn is still in the early access stages, the developers have done a really good job of fleshing out the game world and making it feel as alive as possible, as even when I didn’t take part in certain situations throughout the game, the world continued to move on without me and acted on its own.
This, for me, was a very unique and interesting gameplay mechanic, as exploring the world brought with it its own challenges and alterations that kept the gameplay loop fresh and fun for me during my adventure.
For me, during my time with Valorborn, I had a lot of fun exploring the game world, as I never knew what I was going to come across as I ventured between each point of interest while also being afraid of the various threats that could await me between these different locations.
To add to the fun of exploring the game world, it was also a rather detailed world full of mystery and wonder, as each location was entirely unique to the last, while also being filled with life, whether it be the NPCs you can meet, who each had their own schedules they would follow, or the items left around the world that could be plundered and bartered.
Even though Valorborn has a more top-down style to the game’s camera, the developers were still able to make the game feel quite lively and full, with each location being full of detail and color that it just felt incredibly fun to explore while also being kind to the eyes, making you feel as though you are wandering through the medieval times yourself and not just within a game.
Managing Numerous Characters and Battling the Game’s Various Mechanics is Not an Easy Feat
A big part of Valorborn is that, as the player, you have the choice to control a plethora of characters throughout your adventure or explore the game world on your own. During my time with Valorborn, I focused more on exploring the game world with a collection of different characters so that I could get the most out of the game while also seeing all that I could within the game’s various mechanics.
As someone who has played a lot of RPG games that require me to manage various characters, this wasn’t overly a big problem for me, as I was constantly able to make sure that each character had adequate gear, their inventory was being used in an effective way, and just overall maintaining these characters so that they were busy but healthy at the same time.
However, this wasn’t without its problems, as keeping an eye on each of these characters did prove to be an issue if they began to venture too far from one another as they attempted to fill their roles within the group. For example, once you set a character to a task, say hunting, that character will constantly look for animals to hunt and will not stop until either every animal is dead or they are dead.
Now, in a strategic sense, this makes complete sense, as it is down to me to ensure that these characters are not overdoing it, and that as they are beginning to take on more than they can, I would cancel their action and return them to camp, so to speak, but sadly, as time would go on, these three characters would slowly drift apart from one another, making it harder to find each character and ensure their well-being at all times.
Although there is a bar at the bottom of the screen that allows me to see the state of the different characters, this did not allow me to see what they were doing or how they were handling it; instead, I had to track the character down to see what they were up to and if they were handling the situation at hand.
This especially became a lot harder as I found more and more characters to join my merry band, as more characters to control means more plates for me to spin, so I was often overwhelmed and tended to focus on sending one or two characters out at a time so that I could keep an eye on them with ease while also getting enough work done, which thanks to the way the gameplay mechanics have been designed was a breeze to do.
In terms of gameplay, the devs behind Valorborn have done a rather good job, as the menus are very easy to navigate through while also providing plenty of information to help those who are unfamiliar with these types of games, especially within the tutorial, as that was very detailed and helped me to gather the skills necessary to play the game in the most effective way possible.
For me, I didn’t find the mechanics themselves to be overly complicated, as they were broken down very simply so that I could understand them by the devs, as the devs provided different modes for the player to see the world through, one of which was a foraging mode that allowed the player to see important materials that they would need to collect in order to survive and a building mode that allowed the player to create their camp and form a base of operation.
You Write and Shape Your Own Story Within Valorborn
The most fun part for me while playing Valorborn was the ability to have complete freedom over how my story played out throughout the game, bar the tutorial, which follows a specific path to teach you the ropes. Once you enter the full game, you, as the player, have complete and total control over how you play the game, starting from character creation to the end.
This, for me, was quite a nice change of pace within a game, as I had complete and total control over how my time in Valorborn was spent, which I personally chose to try and spend my time hunting and doing work for the various citizens that I found on my travels while also attempting to avoid any form of legality that I could, but sometimes needs must.
What made playing Valorborn so fun for me was how the game world was constantly changing around me, making me feel as though my actions had an impact while also being able to sit back and watch the world move on without me. Something as simple as that is what makes Valorborn such a fun game to experience, as there is no one true playthrough and each session is entirely random, meaning that no matter what you do, there will always be a surprise waiting for you.
Due to the ability of being able to have multiple characters in my party, I was able to try out various playstyles for my characters to see what they would play like and what the consequences of my actions would be, and I will say I was pleasantly surprised by my experiences.
As I said above, during my playthrough, I tried out some of the different professions available to me, and as a relatively good conscience player, I often found myself trying to do right and stick to a good, honest day’s work. For me, this took the form of working as a hunter or as a sellsword, as the game would put it, throughout the world to make coin and protect the different people within the game world.
For me, this was a very simple life within the game and very fun, providing me with different options of gameplay and the freedom to explore the game world and see how my actions would change things. For example, acting as a sellsword, I would often be sent out to deal with vagabonds and threats lurking around certain locations to try and make them safe again.
In terms of gameplay, this was very fun, as I essentially felt like a hero saving the lives of many while ridding the world of evil, and this was portrayed in the game very well, as I was able to see a change in the background of the world in a sense, as my actions would ripple out, creating potential new threats for me to face down the line.
Although I didn’t always see the aftereffects of my actions due to the game being a vast open world with each decision affecting various things, it was clear that the game world was a living, breathing world as the devs had intended, as there was always something new to do, something changing due to either my actions or the lack of action taken by me.
Overall, the ability to determine how my story played out, the actions I would take, the path I followed, and the interactions I had was a lot of fun, as each step was my own; there wasn’t an invisible force pushing me towards a set path, nor an overarching story that required me to save the world, but instead I was just able to survive and do what I wanted when I wanted, and that is something not many games do at the moment and was a lot of fun to experience.
Valorborn
Summary
For me, Valorborn has been a fun experience as the open world is rather vast and full of life, whether it be the animals to hunt, the characters to meet, or the monsters lurking in the ruins, there is plenty to do.
In terms of gameplay, the mechanics are very simple to understand with very good tutorials to help new players come to terms with said mechanics, while also being, in general, a fun gameplay loop that is always fresh.
When it comes to the story, the fact that the player has complete control over their fate is a very interesting idea and was a lot of fun to see in action.
HOURS PLAYED: 10
PLAYED ON: PC
- The game world is a lot of fun to explore with so many details to uncover.
- The ability to create your own story is a lot of fun.
- The various mechanics are easy to get to grips with.
- Can be overwhelming with too many characters acting at once.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our review of GRIDbeat! or check out our hands-on preview of Everwind.
Liam is a Senior Editor, Writer, and Critic for Thumb Wars and has been working with the team since day one. Liam is a big fan of all things gaming, as you will catch him playing all of the new releases from every genre you can imagine. Whether you find Liam gaming just for fun or spending his free time streaming, you will always find a smile on his face when it comes to all things gaming.
