Islands of the Caliph (2023)

Developer: Schmidt Workshops
Platforms: Windows
Genres: Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG
Rating: 4.4 of 5, 281 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 5.5 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Navigating this world feels like stepping into a dusty 1980s dungeon: grid by grid, every move matters, and the real-time combat forces you to stay sharp without modern handholding.

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What players say

Players praise the authentic Islamic low-fantasy setting, but warn newcomers about cryptic quests, heavy backtracking and no modern QoL features. Combat is not very difficult, the game focuses more on exploration and navigation. Some players report motion sickness and a stability issue that kept the game from starting a second time.

Screenshots

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More by Schmidt Workshops

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.