Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2024
Scarmonde
Developer Ephiam
8-Bit Styled dungeon-crawler wherein you assemble a party from 12 Classes to brave The Depths in search of the Dragon God's Sacred Treasures! From the Steam store page
79 reactions from 2 sources (Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 6, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
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No Data
Sentiment labels for these sources are still being hand-checked; no score yet.
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
79 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
228 of 232 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
A written summary appears once the title has a score.
Reactions
60 of 79 · most liked first👏It's #WishlistWednesday! What better day to hop on Scarmonde after it's JUST RECEIVED a massive patch to make the game even MORE enjoyable for players! ⚔️Choose from 12 unique Classes before dungeon crawling your way through The Depths below the titular town! store.steampowered.com/app/2769210/...
unlabelledView post →The fact that Scarmonde sells relatively well even at regular price has been a WONDERFUL thing! Even prior to the Steam Winter Sale, it raked in about 6+ sales a day. I have to thank all of you AMAZING people who bought Scarmonde and supported me in my game-making endeavors!❤️
unlabelledView post →Introduction I fondly recall playing Final Fantasy 1 on my grandma’s Nintendo. Years later, I was greatly impressed by the GBA version of it, after seeing all of the fixes, balance changes, and added QOL features. Ever since, if there was one thing I’ve always been on the lookout for, it would be “Final Fantasy 1, but improved upon”. With Scarmonde, I’ve finally found that game, and it’s amazing. Class Mechanics Like FF1, you start by choosing 4 heroes to make your party. Compared to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →🌟Scarmonde has received an update! In this juicy patch, players will find that several of the classes have received some much-needed ADDITIONAL loving! ...among many other wonderful changes! ⬇️Check the major updates in the post listed below:⬇️ store.steampowered.com/news/app/276...
unlabelledView post →The user Darkbeat over on the Steam Discussion Forums for Scarmonde did a Low Level Run of the game and beat it as... 🗡️a Thief at Level 2! 🤯 Read about his adventure and strategies over on the Discussion Page! steamcommunity.com/app/2769210/...
unlabelledView post →⁉️Want to jump into a game, slap a party together, & dig into some quality dungeon-delving and monster fighting? ✅SCARMONDE has your covered! ⚔️Choose from 12 Classes; go solo or bring 2+ characters as you explore The Depths! 🤔Need a quick fix? Try the Random Dungeon mode!
unlabelledView post →Sometimes, I forget to write a review because I'm writing a guide instead. It was so fun to dive into the game mechanics and get lost in equipment and passive and class comparisons that I ended up putting a huge amount of time into the guide. That is maybe the biggest compliment I can give any game. Scarmonde is packed with content and depth, but it still respects your time. This is a bravo.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scarmonde is a solid JRPG Dungeon Crawler. It's an ideal game for those who don't want to read through 30 hours of lame story and just wanna dive straight into the action. The biggest strength of this game is the huge variety of classes (each with their own passives) you can mess around with to build your party. On top of that, you can unlock subclasses, so you can tweak your team exactly how you want. I also love the way you learn new skills. The downside is the large number of enemies with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scarmonde is an interesting title. At surface, it looks like a heavily inspired FF1 riff, down to the side view combat with a line of low-detail characters facing up against packs of highly detailed pixel monsters. You pick your classes at the start and that's your roster, and you just start dungeon diving with a bunch of basic melee attacks and maybe 1-2 spell casts before your tank is empty. It's got an aggressively 8-bit look and feel to it and the early game is tremendously simplistic.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is a certain magic to many of the older JRPGs out there. Thing is, many games also try to recapture that magic, but only manage to skim the surface. Scarmonde manages to not only recapture it, but do so without relying on just throwing QoL improvements at the past. You're still exploring on your own, your maps are items you physically need to decipher like it's an old manual map back in the day. It's unapologetic in it's nostalgia, it's love of deep hidden mechanics, and it wants to show…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Final stats before beating the true final boss of Scarmonde. Experience gain stacking is insane, especially when you find out that Level 99 is not the level cap. Still highly recommend this game.
unlabelledView post →A member of my Discord Server (Kite) has done the UNTHINKABLE, and completed Scarmonde in its entirety in under 3 hours! INCLUDING POST-GAME! 😱 www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNaV...
unlabelledView post →I can't remember which of you folks recommended Scarmonde. I just finished the demo. Wishlisted this for when I have money/time again. This plays like if an 8-bit FF game decided to lean more into the Wizardry influences. But with balanced difficulty. store.steampowered.com/app/2769210/...
unlabelledView post →Scarmonde - An RPG that evokes a classic look, just a great bite-sized (compared to most other of its genre) game, lots of fun experimentation with classes and unlocking skills. Enjoyed the battles, even if some of the later ones can be a bit drawn out. Glad I picked it up.
unlabelledView post →It might be time to reinstall Scarmonde. New post-game content is arriving in less than a month. #indiegames
unlabelledView post →When I saw this game suggested to me, I thought "cool, but why would I pay $14 for a dressed-up version of Final Fantasy 1 when that game already exists?" But this game is not that. Sure, you start off choosing fixed character classes and exploring dungeons. But there are major differences. Gear: As you progress, more of the gear you find will be sidegrades that sometimes come with radical changes. You can tailor individual characters with certain priorities in mind (turn priority, raw…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →named party after 2 of my closest friends and my girlfriend. played through most the game making combat and gearing decisions exactly as they would with her watching the whole time. struggled through the optional boss in the third act. beat game, started post game content. girlfriend ended up being a lying cheating ♥♥♥♥♥. game was good enough for me to come back and finish the post game content regardless. bonus points for being able to rename characters. play it. very good classic JRPG…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is both fun and the most painful grind ever. If you like everything to be hard mode and feel like an old 8-bit RPG, play this. It has a lot of game and it's done pretty well. The class system is really nice because it allows you to make a character pretty much anything you want by the end of the game. Items don't really trump just gaining levels, both are really important to progress. Levels go above 99, so you can become super overpowered if you wanted to grind a lot. You get items…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very impressive by a solo dev and very well worth your time. It doesn't unnecessarily info-dump you and very much expects you to pick up mechanics as you go along and learn about the story (if you care) by talking to the NPCs out of your own free will! The pixel art is mostly very good with the highlights being the character portraits and the lows being some of the world tilesets. It really isn't as scuffed as an initial view of the steam screenshots might suggest. At the very start of the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →For us nerds from the 80s, this is a Final Fantasty/Dragon Warrior game with so many QOL improvements and deep class mechanics. Great game for anyone looking for some old school fun, runs great on steam deck as well.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Played this after seeing it reccomended by St. Rev. Really liked it. * Playthrough 1: Got to immolis with paladin, thief, sage and duskar. Rekt. * Playthrough 2: Thought through mechanics more with pal, thief, sage & hunter. Got all the way to post game boss at around levels 80-60. Rekt. * Playthrough 3: Dancer. Named her Myria. Enjoyed the best Breath of Fire game with 100% evade and wrecked absolutely everything with ludicrous EXP boosts. Won post-game at level 190 Feels good man, 69 hours…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →After completing both main- and post-game with a full party (Paladin, Thief, Bard, Mage) and solo run (Warrior), I can say I like this one a lot it's real good.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There is one more negative review. It is english but for some reason you have to click All Languages to see it? Idk. It feels like maybe 80% of a game is here. The story is very minimal, which would be fine if the gameplay was very good but it's just normal RPG fare. I wish there was more to say about it... It feels like it was going to be run focused with build variety like Soul Survivor... but it's a story based RPG I thought it would be pure gameplay with lots of customization like Siralim…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scarmonde has much in common with Final Fantasy I: it's a plot-light RPG where you choose a party and then get straight to exploration and dungeon crawling. Scarmonde makes party-building even more satisfying with 12 classes, self-directed resource-based skill progression, and subclassing opportunities in the mid- to late-game. As with all his games, Ephiam has infused Scarmonde with his signature brilliance: a broad assortment of equipment side-grades for interesting tradeoffs, and status…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's an extremely faithful 8-bit JRPG in the vein of Final Fantasy 1, and not the over the top anime garbage that has infiltrated this genre through the years. Great combat, just enough story, rewarding exploration, lots of different class/party composition possibilities. What else do you need? BUY IT!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scarmonde is what happens with you take Final Fantasy 1 and integrate the game design decisions and lessons learned over almost 30 years of RPG design. Party Composition is important to consider, but allows for excellent min/maxing as well as just throwing a team together and seeing what happens. The jobs all feel unique in either their roles or passive boons. Gear and trinkets always have a use case. Status effect magic is useful - nigh critical - for many standard enemy fights and boss…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Thoughts after 60 hours: I love it. An FF1-style RPG that feels really unique thanks to its mysterious/engrossing world and modern approach to mechanical depth. The battle system is still turn-based but incorporates things like aggro and procs, and emphasizes buffs/debuffs, status effects, resistances, and misc modifiers. Equipment stats aren't randomized, and almost every item and piece of gear has its use even through the postgame. Your characters level up and you also spend orbs to purchase…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very cool game - reminiscent of FF1-3 and early DQ games with a dash of Etrian Odyssey. Class system and gear is done very well. Only complaints are that I desperately wish there was a speed-up option for the random encounters. Recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's been months since I last streamed Scarmonde, and I am itching to get back into the game right now!! Let's hope I remember where I last left off, lol... #Vtuber #ENVtuber #Scarmonde #JRPG #indiegame www.twitch.tv/hypersoldier...
unlabelledView post →At it's heart, Scarmonde is a modern DRPG wearing Final Fantasy I's skin. It's a mechanics-first turn-based game with depth, customizability, real challenge, and an understated horror fantasy narrative that worms its way to the forefront by the game's two climaxes. The first ending (which you get an achievement for) I reached at 34 hours, and the second (which happens at the end of an "optional postgame" that the dev has added due to the game's growing popularity) I reached at roughly 45. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A relatively simple game that harkens back to the times of older jRPGs like Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy. You build a party of 4, choosing from 12 distinct classes, then go on to fight and explore in the world. There isn't much of a story and your characters are complete blank slates, but what little is there is satisfying enough to drive you forward to discover more. Progression follows a simple pattern: you go through a linear dungeon, then into an open region to collect a bunch of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game just has the 'it' factor. Even though I'm not really a JRPG guy, never played through a final fantasy or dragon quest game, something about the style and music and art of this game was calling to me and I'm so glad I answered the call. The build flexibility and focus on combat is a standout feature of Scarmonde. The weird ass world and characters you meet along the way add so much flavor. Exploration is another highlight, and unlike other similar games I find that your time is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 Cool retro style dungeon crawler RPG that hurts itself by having horrible menus, which affect everything including combat. I think the pros do slightly outweigh the cons here though, especially since many of these types of games force characters and classes on you whether you want them or not. The choice and subclasses here are a plus. Pros: - Great party building options, overall. Apparently you get subclasses later and can even load up multiple subclasses on a main class - Music…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →TL;DR: Scarmonde is a good dungeon crawler with some flaws that will likely determine whether you enjoy it or not. The concept is solid - choose your party from 12 classes, delve into a giant, multi-part dungeon, and round out your builds with subclasses later in the game. The writing is OK for a game like this, although most impressive to me is that it seems like every NPC has a unique portrait, which I did not expect. Similarly, there are multiple 'overworld' areas that function as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Obviously inspired by FF1 but with much much more customization for your team. Does not have the feel of RPGmaker
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I feel like the only game I can nominate for GOTY is Caves of Qud, Skald, Scarmonde and Monsters of Mican. They're the games released this year that I played.
unlabelledView post →I've been sick the last few days and decided to pick up Scarmonde on a fever-addled whim. Turned out to be a good choice. It's a modern RPGmaker game styled after the old late 80s NES and Gameboy RPGs. You start out with character selection, picking 4 classes from 12 to form your party, much like an expanded version of Final Fantasy 1. From there, you are dropped in a town on top of a massive dungeon. This dungeon feels a lot like the tower in the original SaGa game -- some floors are full…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great time waster for people that enjoy the Loop that Final Fantasy 1 introduced. These days Scarmonde has to compete with a few other games that offer similar experiences. It's definitely not as good as Artifact Adventure for a balance between depth and time commitment, but it is stronger for giving a more distilled offering, especially comparing it to the ludicrous scope of the Last Dream games. The narrative is interesting if not a little wordy and impersonal at times. As the tin says…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scarmonde is both a throwback to the NES classics of yore and a response to their many problems, lifting wholesale the positive and gratifying elements while culling or reducing their more laborious aspects, excavating from their remains what I consider to be their soul: adventurer(s) embarking into a world where you are given very little and expected to make discoveries wholly off the momentum of your own curiosity. Pros: +Excellent audiovisual recreation of 'the vibe' of Final Fantasy,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I did play a game recently that did this quite well (albeit with NES-style art) called Scarmonde. it's clearly taking influence from 8-bit RPGs right down to having FF1's "select classes at the start of the game" system but it does have very nice portraits and enemy sprites with this sort of variety
unlabelledView post →Somewhere in between Final Fantasy 1 and the gameboy Final Fantasies, it's an 8-bit dungeon crawler that wants you to get into the meat of customizing your stats and ability loadout within that format. Gear isn't always a straight upgrade. There's multiple ways to build each class. You get a huge selection of classes right out of the gate. The overall difficulty level is modest if you're used to NES rpgs and maybe a bit hard if you're not. It's a very particular type of game done well,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very well made turn-based rpg maker game that honestly doesn't feel like one (though credits says it was made in mv so i'll take it's word for it). Some key takeaways: - Kind of structured like a rogue-like (but isn't) where you make a party of 'up to' 4 from 12 available classes and then dive into the dungeon in the middle of the starting town. - Battles outside of the town are random (except in areas where it's not), Some areas have no encounters and roaming enemies where touching them…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent game overall. A classic JRPG, in the style of early Final Fantasies. Pick a party of four from twelve classes. Explore strange vistas, find treasure and battle monsters. The advancement is excellent, each character is incrementally customized via permanent ability purchases, where you have an incredible breadth of choices, keeping you thinking about your next choice through the whole game. Same with the gearing. Throughout the game you will find a vast supply of gear, as…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really great old-school rpg, especially for fans of games with deep and complex mechanics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who isn't the biggest fan of JRPG's as a rule, this one was a great and compelling time! The combat system was nuanced and the complex ways of building your characters was certainly interesting to think about, but for me (as with most of my games) the real attraction was the story, and while I didn't expect much, I got much more than expected! True, the storytelling style is a fairly minimal one - you can't read books on tables for lore or anything like that - but for the tale it is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →WOW... OK This may look like a basic or free game but its nothing of the sort... this is a lesson in DESIGN and simplicity with great music and a wonderful vibe. It has a another reviewer put it that "it" factor... The simple look and graphics are a ruse and its fun time exploring and figuring out this take on Jrpg meets Crpgs. Its like Baldur's Gate and Final fantasy on NES had a kid on PC engine CD. OK maybe that only makes sense to me BUT its a good thing...Download the FREE demo and feel…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scarmonde is super fun if you're looking for a game that cuts right to the chase. You assemble a party of 4 from 12 cool classes and instantly find yourself in the titular town of Scarmonde, where you have some money to equip your new party and get right to exploring dangerous mazes. The game is definitely a gameplay-focused experience, but that's not to say that there are no stakes nor that experiencing what this world has to offer is pointless. There is an interesting and mysterious story…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I’ve got Scarmonde wishlisted on Steam, actually! It looks neat, and as a big FF1 fan I’m intrigued to try a game so clearly inspired by it in particular
unlabelledView post →i picked up a game called Scarmonde and just like False Skies before it, if you give me four people with free class selection I will be doing the same terrible mistake I always do. in someone's words, 'They gave Meri a vast array of foods and sauces and Meri has made four plates of chicken nuggets'
unlabelledView post →Really fun campaign and a good class system with some interesting choices (some of which aren't immediately apparent). The game has some flaws (dungeon's lack meaningful puzzle elements, open world is a disappointment), but there are flashes of brilliance and it's short enough that you can see it through to the end.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scarmonde if you want a JRPG with good mechanics. Rocket Knight might be solid for an old Sega game.
unlabelledView post →This is a perfect little game for when you don't want to think too much and you just want to dive into some oldschool, turn-based JRPG action. Very little in the way of hand-holding save for some early advice, and then suddenly there's way more options than you were planning for. A bunch of different classes to put into your party, or you can go it solo -- and oh yeah, there's a random version of the game that it doesn't even tell you exists that you can just... go into, instead of the main…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To say Scarmonde is a good game is an understatement. I feel like this game is a great game, with it's aesthetics calling back to the old days of NES/SNES JRPGs. I don't mean that just visually though. This game has a lot of great pixel art from the tiling to the monsters. Reminding you of the old days playing the first Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior. The music combines with this where it's got a retro feel to it and at some parts goes harder than expected with the chiptune sound. I'm still…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A true gem of a dungeon crawling RPG that calls to mind Final Fantasy (3 and 5 in particular), SaGa, and Wizardry while still having its own identity. Like most games in the genre, the plot is secondary to gameplay, but I was pleasantly surprised at the unexpected turns the story takes as the game progresses; it's minimalist but well-executed. I particularly enjoyed the progression mechanics. While you have the typical leveling up via experience points accumulated from defeating enemies, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game that's easy to play at your own pace. The main notes -Works great on the Steam Deck -Allows you to save literally anywhere, which makes pick up and play very easy (and while some battles can be a bit drawn out pending on your party/skill selection, it is turn based so easy to take breaks there as well). -You'll hear the same music a fair amount of times, but I enjoyed most of the themes, mileage may vary -The class system with passives / skill selection gives you a lot of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →FF1 but actually good
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The last four games I played. Journey to the Savage Planet would have been on here, too, but an update to Scarmonde caused issues with Proton on my Steam Deck, so I jumped over to another @ephiam.bsky.social game, Venaitura (Ephiam fixed the Scarmonde issue within hours)
unlabelledView post →A love letter and homage to the 8bit era of JRPGs. I definitely expected this game to be shorter, but my first playthrough took 25 hours! And there was free post game added. If you love the older style of classic JRPGs, get this. With 12 classes AND sub-classing, this game has an insane replay potential. It's probably the closest game to recreate the experience of my beloved Final Fantasy III.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Schedule time! On YT, we wrap up A Normal Lost Phone this week (part 5 is already up!) and then start up Hylics, a super quirky RPG Maker game! Over in Twitchland we continue (and finish?) Scarmonde! Hope to see you around! twitch.tv/mikeyblighe youtube.com/@mikeyblighe
unlabelledView post →If Final Fantasy were actually the final fantasy, it would be Scarmonde. If Final Fantasy were a nation, it would be Finland, right? Of course not. That's Scarmonde. But "Fin" is in the name? Look, I don't make the rules. One last try then, I'm tired. If Final Fantasy were the basis for a sequel, that sequel would be the second in the trilogy, Scarmonde. The third? It either hasn't come out yet, or it's Fear And Hunger. Hope that helps. If it didn't, I guess some things just can't be helped.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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