Fit check
Is The Harrowed worth it for you?
We tell you who should skip it, too.
Play it if you…
Good fit- RPG players who prefer a contained 4–6 hour story
- Players who want to control a party of six distinct heroes
- Players who prefer selecting visible encounters over random battles
Skip it if you…
Saves you a refund- Players seeking a long campaign may reach the end of the 4–6 hour story quickly
- Players who dislike managing cooldowns and spell mana may hit a wall in combat
- Players looking for a large open world may find the adventure's scope limited to a focused journey through Ulm
Our take on The Harrowed
The bounce point is combat management: players must track ability cooldowns and spell mana while directing six heroes. Those seeking a simpler battle system may hit the wall as soon as encounters require coordinating the party's different abilities.
What is The Harrowed?
The Harrowed is a story-driven RPG set in Ulm, a land damaged by a centuries-old magical cataclysm.
Six outsiders are drawn into defending Elkshire, a logging village threatened by witches, spirits, shape-shifting fiends, and Worgen. The party includes a nun, soldiers, a scout, a tribesman, and an elf. Battles use character abilities with cooldowns alongside spell mana. Players manage the strengths of all six heroes, collect Harrowed Shards, and use them to create Shardborne Artifacts. Enemies appear on the map rather than through random encounters, allowing fights to be selected. The campaign is presented as a 4–6 hour journey through Ulm, with original pixel art depicting its creatures and characters.
How The Harrowed plays
- 01Cooldown-based combat
- Fights require managing ability timers together with spell mana.
- 02Six playable heroes
- The party combines six characters with different backgrounds and abilities.
- 03Visible enemy encounters
- Enemies appear on the map, so battles can be chosen instead of triggered randomly.
- 04Shardborne crafting
- Collected Harrowed Shards can be used to make Shardborne Artifacts.
- 05Pixel-art world
- The setting and its haunted inhabitants are presented through original pixel art.
The Harrowed compared to similar games
The Harrowed offers a short, story-focused RPG with six heroes, cooldown-and-mana combat, visible enemies, and shard-based crafting. Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition centers on an unconventional story, characters, and exploration, while Back to the Dawn focuses on prison survival, investigation, and escape. Ghost of a Tale combines action-RPG play with stealth, disguises, conversations, and exploration.
The Harrowed: platforms & release
Is The Harrowed worth it?
It is worth it if: RPG players who prefer a contained 4–6 hour story. Skip it if: players seeking a long campaign may reach the end of the 4–6 hour story quickly.
Where can I download The Harrowed?
Use the Download Now button on this page: it opens The Harrowed's store page, where you can choose how to get it.
What platforms is The Harrowed on?
Windows and macOS.
