It looks like Epicmafia's days are numbered. While perusing reddit, I came across and ad for a new game inspired by the mafia/werewolf genre: Throne of Lies.
"We're the first 3D social deduction game and Town of Salem's only true competitor - we're both inspired by the 1986 werewolf/mafia genre, only ToS is almost identical and we're branched off quite a lot: Similar to comparing DotA 1 vs League of Legends."
The game has full 3D graphics and will be sold at the mere price of $9.99, a steal for a game that required nothing more than a chatroom in the past. I fear that this game will end up stealing what few players remain on our site, so I think all we can do it countdown the days until this competitor overtakes us.
6. Devs and Updates - I've only played for a couple weeks and I've already noticed so many constant large game-changing updates and buxfixes. It is very apparent that the devs are passioniate about making the game the best they can. They put the game at just 9 dollars to give you constant updates and constant accessability. I've also noticed there is no stupidly pointless dlc. All the skins and weapons can be bought with in-game currency which is SO much easier to gain than in Town of Salem. In Town of salem, you have to pay an absurd amount for executions, skins, pets, etc. They are milking players for all they got. Especially when their game has remained static it amazes me that they can still do this. The throne of lies developers could have doubled the price of the game, they could have added pointless dlc, they could have turned this entire game into a cash grab, but they didnt.
Why did I make this review? So that Throne of Lies can get the larger player base it deserves.
4. No Metagaming - The most frustrating thing for me in town of salem was being asked to post my role's objective in jail to the jailor. That isn't how the game is intended to be played. I'm not expected to post my role's objective to you. You are expected to find my role with clues and anaylsis, not by worthless metagaming lul. Another example is spychecking spies, adding names in will for disguisor, random voting when blackmailed, the list just goes on and on. Town of Salem is riddled with meta gaming which ruins the game immensely. In Throne of lies, I have not seen any cases of metagaming which ruin the game for me. The game is really well designed and makes it extremely difficult to do so. You will really appreciate that this game is won more so with analysis than ridiculous cheating.
5. Community - Another huge point for Town of Salem players. Town of Salem is a FREE game. That means any child on the internet can make an account and plague your games. Especially since Town of Salem is a team-reliant game where half the town roles only have 1 ability and they must communicate to get anything done. This make the game UNBEARABLY frustrating and can honestly convert level-headed players to toxic players in no time at all. Throne of Lies has a 9 dollar paywall to enter the game. 9 dollars is not much all, but it will block those damned little kids out. The current Throne of Lies community consists of olders players who have played town of salem and epicmafia long ago, or are just trying something new. The players are welcoming and patient. Everyone is learning! Toxicity is limited in this game simply because the game is designed so much better. Better players will win their games single-handedly, they aren't reliant on the team since every player's role has so much power.
2.Shorter Timers- God bless these devs for implementing shorter timers. In town of Salem, the timers are unbearably long once you learn the game. There is no need for so much time to do 1 generic ability at night or 5 entire minutes to execute a confirmed baddie. When the game drags out and nothing happens, the game feels stale fast, town of salem has had this problem for a while, If you are coming from town of salem, you will really love the shorter timers in throne of lies. The game feels fast-paced.
3. The King - The King is just another element added to the game that increases the complexity of the game. He can be good, neutral or evil. You really can't tell right away, but he holds a lot of voting and executing power, as well as the ability to guard himself and other players and can even investigate others. There is 1 king in every single game. The evil guys, the neutral players, and the good guys don't know the king's faction. Every single players has to deduce the king's faction through his actions/attitude in the game. The king is a very powerful player who can tip the game to either side if he survives till the end. Killing or keeping him alive makes or breaks the game for your faction. What does this mean? Not only do you have to kill everyone in the opposing faction and do your best to complete your role's objective, you have to keep tabs on the king!
1.Role Complexity- Every single role has 3-4 different abilities as opposed to town of salem where each role has 1 ability. Why does this matter? Every single player has the capability to win the game on their own with deception and skill. Town of Salem can be so frustrating where you feel powerless as a spy in a game with no whispers, or as lookout with no results. Even the neutral roles contains so many abilities. These extra abilities add much more thinking to the game. You aren't just a survivor who vests 4 times in this game. The alchemist(survivor equivalent of throne of lies) who also just has to survive till the end of the game, has 2 kill potions, 3 vests, and infinite healing capability. You have to really think who should I heal and keep alive? Should I kill the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ who is accusing me of being unseen? Should I vest(stone-skin potion) since I'm being accused tonight. The point is you have to actually think when you use your ablitites, it isn't just monotonous, clicking one button every night. With this much power, any player can win with skill, you just have to play smart and you will be rewarded. In town of salem, survivors do literally the same thing every game. put 4 vests and pray town won't execute you and mafia won't kill you, lol. The alchemist is just 1 example of an improved role from town of salem. The entire game can be considered an improvement from town of salem which fixes every problem that game had.
The majority of people who will come reading these reviews will probably be those who have experience with town of salem and epicmafia but are still on the fence if Throne of lies is worth 10 bucks for the same experience.
Let me start off this review by making the audacious claim that Throne of Lies is a much more complex, engaging, and entertaining game than Town of Salem will ever be. If you have 9 dollars to spare, YOU SHOULD BUY THRONE OF LIES and stop wasting your time with town of salem. Here is why.
Imperium42 Game Studio [author] 21 Nov @ 12:30pm Town of Salem is also inspired by the 1986 original genre - so we should have similarities! Consider.... ToS is like DotA 1, and we are League of Legends. Similar, yet very different :D
So what now , Epic Mafia is what?
We were before Town of Salem so this makes us what?
