The Necromancer's Tale

I went into this game pretty blind, and it wasn't really what I was expecting. Genre-wise, this is more of an adventure game, with multiple paths to solving most of the puzzles. It also includes some turn based battles. It is an RPG, but more in the sense that the (very old) Quest for Glory titles are RPGs. The main strength of this game is the writing. Everything below is spoiler free, and for that reason, occasionally vague. For a game about a necromancer, you spend a lot of time without knowing any necromancy. However, this time is well spent, as the game shows, rather than tells you how your old friends are doing and how the city that is the setting of the game is faring. Although there isn't too much in the way of a branching narrative, there are choices to be made in how the objectives of each chapter are achieved, and those choices have later consequences. Later in the game a lot of those branches collapse down to a few select paths, but it's unrealistic that a game made with what is obviously a fairly limited budget should have the branching reactivity that Baldur's Gate 3 had, and I think it would be unfair to A Necromancer's Tale to compare it to Baldur's Gate 3. I enjoyed the story, and there are different endings (although the ending you receive is decided by player choice very late into the game and not set as a consequence of your early actions). If your character is more reluctant to become a necromancer, then there may be some dissonance in some dialogue options that are offered late in the game. Overall, it's quite well written, and there is a significant reactivity. Some, but not much of the dialogue is voiced. Weaknesses: Obviously, the art for this game was made on a budget. It's fine for what it is, although it does look pretty bad if you run it in 4k resolution. The combat is not particularly strong. There is a decent, if simple, foundation, but once you are able to raise necromantic minions, it's possible to overwhelm all the combat encounters where you can safely use your minions. (Tip for anyone having difficulty with the combat - GIVE YOUR MINIONS WEAPONS. They'll use their sad little fists if they are not wielding weapons.) However, this does contribute to the story, as you really do get a sense by the end of the game of your growing undead horde. Other things worth mentioning: This game uses a rather unique take on a skill system. You have dots in 9 different attributes. There is no level-up system. There are (very few) limited opportunities to gain or lose dots during the course of the game, but generally you're going to finish the game with what you started with. You do not make attribute/skill rolls. Rather sometimes the game will check a certain attribute, and you have to pay from a limited pool of points every chapter (including 0 if your attribute meets the required check) to meet a check that his higher than your attributes. The game very much punishes 'dumping' stats. If you want to maximize your choices, I would recommend you go through the narrative character building exercise, but then modify your stats to have a minimum of 2 in every attribute you want to realistically be able to use. As a side effect, I'd recommend making a new save slot at the beginning of each chapter, so if you deplete your pool of points, you can reload to a point before you've used them and make different decisions. (AFAIK) You can't soft lock yourself, but sometimes you may really dislike the path you're forced in to. Overall, I quite enjoyed this game, although, again, don't expect Baldur's Gate 3.

Best RPG I've played in some time. Reminds me of Tyranny and is probably better than it in terms of how power and evil are presented, especially organically in a realistic world. The writing in this game is enrapturing - although at times slightly clunky for the sake of being a viable game, it really pulled me into the world and everything from the characters to the story threads and the worldbuilding worked really well together, like a structured symphony. The combat is simplistic and also at times clunky (lost zombies/skeletons and skeleton rezzing are the most annoying), but it effectively conveyed growing power in a way that felt natural and empowering. It wasn't a grind - it reached each stepping stone and endpoint with purpose and satisfaction. --- --- --- SPOILER --- --- --- I think I got the good ending - the bright utopian future. While I'd raise criticisms about how quickly and effortlessly that was presented and achieved in chapter 15/16, I think the game made a good effort to make it believable and logical. It's somewhat innovative to portray that such an 'evil' craft could possibly lead to good in the right hands. --- --- --- END SPOILER --- --- --- In all, this was a thought-provoking, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable experience. Highly recommended.

Why no one told me about this game . This the most amazing CRPG game i have played (only after WH40k Rogue trader and PWOTR) despite only costing me $6. I won't spoil the game but this game best romance across any game i have played.

amazing :)

My God this is a masterpiece of storytelling.

Oh, what a great story, what a great adventure! thank you very much for this artwork

Amazing almost Disco-like if you are more a fan of gothic-horror

Absolutely loved it. Praise is due to the writing and design. It's got flaws for sure, but given the story it's trying to tell, I think it's excellent.

The Necromancer's Tale is a solid RPG that explores a semi-fictional world that is both believable and interesting. I really liked the story, and I thought it was a great exploration of the themes around necromancy. Certain parts of the game are weaker than others though. To start, I would caution anyone against thinking this is a open world game with lots of things to explore. There are three areas that are sorta optional exploration, and the rest is extremely linear. Not that linear is bad, but you have to go into this game understanding this. Overall though, I would certainly recommend The Necromancer's Tale if one wants to experience a great story about becoming an evil(?) necromancer.

Great game about necromancy and how magical influences and desperate circumstances might threaten to erode your sense of morality. I appreciate that the game's dialogue options let you roleplay how far (or how little!) your character falls in the face of these factors.