Islands of the Caliph
Schmidt Workshops · 2023 · Retro, Action RPG, Faith, Grid-Based Movement, Sailing
PC
Very Positive89% · 283
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About Islands of the Caliph
Features KEYBOARD ONLY input and other classic limitations to invoke that 1980s vibe. Please play the free demo to see if this is something you are interested in playing. Designed by solo developer Schmidt Workshops.
Islands of the Caliph imagines an ancient, seafaring civilization based on Middle Eastern folklore and Islamic spiritual traditions.
It is an action RPG inspired by classics like Might & Magic, Questron, Alternate Reality and more. It incorporates some of the gameplay elements of those older games, like grid based movement, and combines them with real-time combat to create a more immediate hybrid gameplay.
Numerous mythical and dangerous beasts lurk in waiting as you explore and discover new lands. From giant spiders and scorpions, to more supernatural beings like ghouls and jinn, Islands of the Caliph will introduce players to some of the creatures of folklore of Arab, Persian and African cultures among others.
Weapons include some familiar items along with those particular to the Middle East like scimitars, shamshirs and jambiyah among others.
As you explore, your map with be updated automatically. Use it to keep track of your location and to discover new routes of exploration. A small mini map appears in the corner of the screen while exploring, but you can open it to view the whole area when needed. There is also a world map that will help orient the player and assist in finding quest locations.
The player must explore this open world and discover the game's primary quest(s) for themselves. The game seeks to capture some of the open-endedness of some classic, RPGs allowing the player take a number of different possible paths to the end. Choices the player makes will set them on a course of action suited to their style of play. Some of these may allow players to reach new heights of spiritual awakening, while others may bring disaster down upon themselves or on all the Islands of the Caliph, it is your choice!
Islands of the Caliph imagines an ancient, seafaring civilization based on Middle Eastern folklore and Islamic spiritual traditions.
It is an action RPG inspired by classics like Might & Magic, Questron, Alternate Reality and more. It incorporates some of the gameplay elements of those older games, like grid based movement, and combines them with real-time combat to create a more immediate hybrid gameplay.
Numerous mythical and dangerous beasts lurk in waiting as you explore and discover new lands. From giant spiders and scorpions, to more supernatural beings like ghouls and jinn, Islands of the Caliph will introduce players to some of the creatures of folklore of Arab, Persian and African cultures among others.Weapons include some familiar items along with those particular to the Middle East like scimitars, shamshirs and jambiyah among others. As you explore, your map with be updated automatically. Use it to keep track of your location and to discover new routes of exploration. A small mini map appears in the corner of the screen while exploring, but you can open it to view the whole area when needed. There is also a world map that will help orient the player and assist in finding quest locations.The player must explore this open world and discover the game's primary quest(s) for themselves. The game seeks to capture some of the open-endedness of some classic, RPGs allowing the player take a number of different possible paths to the end. Choices the player makes will set them on a course of action suited to their style of play. Some of these may allow players to reach new heights of spiritual awakening, while others may bring disaster down upon themselves or on all the Islands of the Caliph, it is your choice!
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
A very well-designed retro RPG. The interlocking missions involve your character learning and practicing the tenets of Islam, picking up on a political quest to unite the islands, and handling lesser but still meaningful personal requests along the way. It's less about combat optimization than about problem solving, without resorting to artificial puzzles. The pacing, difficulty (not hard), and environment design were just right!2 found this helpful
very cool1 found this helpful
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…
Lightly recommended. Great retro RPG mechanics, it's just a little too difficult to know what to do sometimes or to find people and the Islamic teachings end up too heavy and central to the game's completion (I have to learn and practice what I know but don't believe in to complete the main quest in this fictional fantasy game?!).
beautifull game, really fun dungeon crawler.
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