A Dark Arthurian Epic with a Numb Noodle Sword?
Have you ever looked at Skyrim or Oblivion and thought to yourself “I see what you are trying to do here, Bethesda, but what I really want is this exact same game with a plot involving King Arthur?”
If so, you are somewhat odd, but luckily you are not alone: the fine folks over at Questline and Awaken Realms clearly have had a pint of the same stuff you have, and have come through for you.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, is pretty much as I described above, running as “a dark reimagination of Arthurian legends” which sounds suitably enticing.
A World of Desolation
Anything that is a “dark reimagining” will have a dark and brooding feel by definition, and here Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon scores. Imagine the look of an Elder Scrolls game, mixed with the atmosphere of Elden Ring, and you won’t be a million miles out.
The look of the game is quite nice, with a real desolate feel to the world that we encounter, and while there are a number of different places and areas to visit, the design language seems to be consistent throughout. The end of the world vibe is strong, and works really well, with run-down locations throughout. The people we can interact with are all a bit tired too.
Wyrdness and Wonder
Further, the enemies are pretty well designed, especially at night when the “Wyrdness” comes out to play. The first person perspective complements things nicely from there on out. That said, there is a third person perspective, but to be honest it feels like Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon was built around the first person perspective, so I stuck with that.
The sound of the game is also quite nice, with decent music and voice acting bringing the NPCs to life. In fact, conversations actually seem to have some weight, as choices you make can help decide which way the story goes, so think before you click! All things being equal, this is on a par with Oblivion, if not quite as expansive as Skyrim.
Arthurian Anarchy
The story is a bit of an odd one. King Arthur has, as long as I can remember, been a goodie: the Once and Future King who will come to save us when everything is going Pete Tong. However, here, not only is King Arthur (or rather, his soul) in bits and scattered around, he is also not the most popular person on the block. Arthur has come to live in our character, and the first thing someone tries to do is kill Arthur without killing us. Luckily, it fails on both aspects and we can then converse with the King whenever we rest at a bonfire, as well as use his power in combat.
Sounds like a good deal, right? Well, follow the story to see why that may not be too accurate…
Elder Scrolls Inspirations
The gameplay is the next thing I need to talk about, and if you have played an Elder Scrolls game before, you’ll have a good idea of what to expect here. The world is full of interesting locations and quests, along with a massive pile of additional side quests, and so there is never a shortage of things to do. Luckily, the world is a genuinely interesting place to be, so it is no hardship to go and action some bits and bobs along the way.
As in the other games I’ve mentioned, doing these side quests can certainly help you out, as getting stronger before attempting the main story quests makes them a bit easier. Obviously, as you explore, you find new gear to equip, and stronger gear makes fights easier, which makes you level up faster: these are the main tropes of any of these games, and they are all in place here.
The skill trees on offer are massive, and using a certain type of weapon or skill increases our proficiency in that weapon or skill. Jumping about increases agility, for instance, while whacking enemies with a broadsword increases the two handed skill. I’d say that the system has been lifted almost straight from Skyrim, but continues to work well here.
A Numb-Feeling Battle System
The last aspect of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is the weakest though – the combat. You know how in certain games, weapons really feel like they have a heft; hitting and being hit feels like it has consequences? Well, that is not the case here. I’m waving a two handed broadsword around like the blade is full of helium, and quite often the only time I know I’ve been hit is when the “Game Over” screen pops up! This numb feeling never goes away, no matter how you play, which is a bit of a let down, to be honest.
Of course, it is possible to counter this to some degree by keeping an eye on your health, but most fights turn into a knock down contest: the one who falls over first loses.
A Deep RPG with a Flawed Fight
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon does enough to get a recommendation. This is an extremely immersive game that sucks you into its world. Wandering about and exploring is good fun, but add in a plethora of quests and a massive amount of adjustment in the way you play, and this is almost a classic. If only it wasn’t for that numb combat…
Links
Dark Fantasy RPG Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Launches on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/dark-fantasy-rpg-tainted-grail-the-fall-of-avalon-launches-on-xbox-series-xs-ps5-pc/
Buy Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/tainted-grail-the-fall-of-avalon/9NNMH5ZRPQJZ/0010
The Supporter Edition is worth a look – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/tainted-grail-the-fall-of-avalon-supporter-edition/9MWP720QWCDX/0010
