Islands of the Caliph

Grid based movement + first person view? Count me in. A new favorite! Not an easy game compared with others in the same genre such as Might & Magic X or Legend of Grimrock. Sometimes you need to read the books collected to understand what to do next, for example, how to deal with the evil spirit in the lamp, or how to open the door in Ka'ba. You also need to remember island and city names because you will be traveling a lot, and ships from each port only go to one destination. All of the islands are open from the beginning, you do not need to complete quests to unlock them, though exploring freely is fun, but certain events and dialogue will not happen unless you speak to the right people. The intended order is taking quests from Sultan Ahmed in the palace, delivering his letters for other kings and helping them solve their problems. The maps are fun to explore and rewarding. On the first island there is a treasure chest by the shore containing a good blade with Speed 4 and solid damage. It is reliable and better than most of the weapons sold by merchants in early islands, so you can save money for other essentials including a torch for light and burning cobwebs, an axe for cut…

very cool

Don't use the Jinn, it will ruin your progress. It will leave you with no items or money and the cities will be burning. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ aspect of the game. All that time lost to some crappy "feature".

Awesome, Grand

Developed and published by Schmidt Workshops, Islands of the Caliph is a nostalgic first-person role-playing game that pays tribute to the formative years of PC RPGs while presenting a fantasy world rooted in Middle Eastern culture instead of the traditional Western medieval setting. Inspired by the exploration-driven adventures of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the game delivers an experience centered on curiosity, discovery, and player freedom rather than cinematic storytelling or streamlined mechanics. Its unique blend of Arab, Persian, and African folklore gives the world a distinctive identity, making it feel fresh even while embracing old-school design principles. Rather than following current RPG trends, the game confidently commits to a classic formula that rewards patience and careful exploration. The core gameplay revolves around traversing an interconnected world of islands filled with towns, hidden ruins, dangerous dungeons, and mysterious landmarks. Exploration is the primary attraction, encouraging players to chart unfamiliar territory, uncover secrets, and piece together the larger narrative at their own pace. The movement system follows a grid-based structure remi…

A good retro Dungeon Crawler game with an interesting religious touch. First of all I loved the art style and the music in this game. All very atmospheric. The different islands and the dungeons are well built and make you want to explore. For me the keyboard only controls also worked fine, even though for me mouse support would have been nicer. At least we get an automap, yay! Now for the mechanics I do have some more mixed feelings. On the positive side there are a few quests that change whole parts of the game depending on your decisions, which I liked very much! But most quests are very simple and all characters only talk some sentences, so I never really connected with the world and its people. Then a lot of backtracking is necessary and the design of (real) fast travel is just bad in my eyes (tuna anyone?). The religious part was interesting in the beginning, but quite tough in the end. You have to get an expert on everything the world tells you (or look it up online if you don't). Doing it yourself, it is crucial to take notes (locked doors, people you meet, information you get, etc.) to be able to find everything later in a reasonable time again. Clues are mostly very gene…