KickStarter SKALD: Against the Black Priory - retro RPG inspired by Ultima

[thesecret1]

Just finished my playthrough, it was good. Got too easy past early game, even on hard difficulty (once you get a couple good skills down, you're basically unstoppable) and while there was a clear attempt at making the world react to the stuff you do, it's woefully insufficient (loads of NPCs not reacting to their town being liberated, etc.) but none of it was egregious enough to ruin the experience. The game was carried hard by the gritty atmosphere and setting, alongside the lovecraftian story, although it felt as though I've seen a story just like this a couple times before? CoC:Dark Corners of the Earth had a similar twist, if memory serves, and I think I've seen a lot of similarities with Hard to be a God? Been ages since I've played either so I might be wrong, though, and it was good in any case.

Was caught off guard by perhaps the only romance in the game being a quest to help two lesbians start dating. Just... why? Aside from that, though, the presentation of everything was top-notch, really getting the tone right and making me feel as though I'm surrounded by terrible mysteries and with horrible things lurking in every shadow. By the end, I was mostly feeling sad that it was over already, which is a good issue to have with a game.

Overall, while the game was fairly mediocre gameplay-wise, it nailed the setting really well at a time when most people think "lovecraftian = tentacles lolololol" and I had fun playing it, so I'd rate it . Will probably be competing for this year's GOTY with Drova.

 

[damager]

Was caught off guard by perhaps the only romance in the game being a quest to help two lesbians start dating. Just... why?

It's the freelanders trying to accerlerate the return of the nine eyed with lgbtq propaganda

 

[damager]

Well actually I thougt it was a jab at biowarian developers and grognards that hate that shit and/or a defense cover for the developer from getting called racist bigot from the lgbtq mob. This were my first thoughts to this while playing

 

[Falksi]

Not surprised, but still disappointed to see Skald overlooked in the GOTY awards...

I know the show is trash and full of bollocks, but Skald is a genuinely great game, that I thought may have a slight chance of getting a bit of recognition on the back of Baldur's Gate 3 waking normies up to CRPGs.

 

[cvv]

Skald, Another Crab's Treasure, Nine Sols maybe even Songs of Conquest. No idea wtf Animal Well or Plucky Squire are.

 

[Tyranicon]

Skald, Another Crab's Treasure, Nine Sols maybe even Songs of Conquest. No idea wtf Animal Well or Plucky Squire are.

Animal Well is the Dunkey published game and that should tell you everything about the Game Awards. It's shill central for the gaming establishment.

 

[cvv]

Skald, Another Crab's Treasure, Nine Sols maybe even Songs of Conquest. No idea wtf Animal Well or Plucky Squire are.

Animal Well is the Dunkey published game

Is it actually good?

 

[Incognito]

Skald, Another Crab's Treasure, Nine Sols maybe even Songs of Conquest. No idea wtf Animal Well or Plucky Squire are.

Animal Well is the Dunkey published game

Is it actually good?

Yes. Good metroidvania, no instructions provided, you're expected to explore and try stuff. Not amazing but certainly better than most vanias these days. GFX go a step further than the usual retro inspired pixel shit. I'm about 50% done with it and hope to finish soon.

 

[HoboForEternity]

This game is never gonna win any mainstream awards, just face it.

 

[Ladonna]

Was caught off guard by perhaps the only romance in the game being a quest to help two lesbians start dating. Just... why?

It's the freelanders trying to accerlerate the return of the nine eyed with lgbtq propaganda

They were all present at the "play" weren't they? Their relationship didn't have a happy ending...

 

[SixDead]

At first I also was insulted by that quest, but then I remembered, that everything is fucked up in this village. It is an otherworldy corruption.

 

[thesecret1]

Was caught off guard by perhaps the only romance in the game being a quest to help two lesbians start dating. Just... why?

It's the freelanders trying to accerlerate the return of the nine eyed with lgbtq propaganda

They were all present at the "play" weren't they? Their relationship didn't have a happy ending...

Not explicitly (no mention of them, nor corpses visible), so their fate is unknown. It was actually a bit of a narrative dissonance that all the NPCs in the village talked on and on about how they couldn't wait for the carnival, but then, when it actually starts, there's only about 6 villagers or so (and indeed, there wasn't even the room to have any more of them there in that tiny courtyard) while all those NPCs that told you how much they looked forward to it not coming, and later being alive and well and praising you for your deeds. It's what I meant in my review by there being an attempt at making the world reactive, but it not being enough – NPCs mentioning the event is the attempt, but you can't start an actual dialogue with anybody there about it, nor does anything at all change save for the blurbs they spout, nor does it even match the previous narration. Again, it's not something that'd ruin the experience, but it's an area where the game could be improved a lot for a massive gain in immersion without, presumably, taking all that much work (writing a couple dialogues and shuffling the NPCs about to form a militia or something in reaction to such evets, etc. shouldn't take all that much time, I believe). Especially since there aren't all that many quests where it'd be relevant in the game – the city, the refugee farm, and the village were the main offenders, everything else was kinda fine

At first I also was insulted by that quest, but then I remembered, that everything is fucked up in this village. It is an otherworldy corruption.

The village was presented as a rural idyll of sorts with the bad shit "hidden" beneath the surface, so if anything, the implication would be that such a relationship should be seen as good and beautiful, much like the rest of the village.

 

[damager]

I'm very allergic against progressive stuff and I thought it's just a meant as a harmless joke about the state of affairs in the AAA industry

 

[damager]

I really loved the writing in this game. Characters came really to life when they spoke (the pirate queen comes to mind). They didn't dump paragraphs on paragraphs of exposition on you. Simple and to the point, like actual strangers would speak with you.

Also the followers had grown on me at the end and their fate managed to move me.

Combat system was fun. Just should have had a some more really challeging encounters to really test your builds and make you use everything you have. That's a missed opportunity which would have moved it from good to great for me.

Hope we see some new game from the guy very soon, can't wait. I devoured this game!

 

[Infinitron]

Weird thing about reactivity in this game: There are all the issues you guys mentioned about people not reacting to events, but on the other hand the developer added a whole new guard captain lady NPC who appears in Horryn after you've freed the town. Despite a forced scripted interaction with her when you're exiting the castle, there's no quest content attached to her whatsoever. I suspect she was meant to be involved with a sidequest to root out undercover Reavers still lurking in the town.

 

[Incognito]

Weird thing about reactivity in this game: There are all the issues you guys mentioned about people not reacting to events, but on the other hand the developer added a whole new guard captain lady NPC who appears in Horryn after you've freed the town. Despite a forced scripted interaction with her when you're exiting the castle, there's no sidequest content attached to her whatsoever. I suspect she was meant to be involved with a sidequest to root out undercover Reavers still lurking in the town.

Maybe it's just meant as an End of Chapter. "You've cleared the city, fuck off to greener pastures."

 

[thesecret1]

Weird thing about reactivity in this game: There are all the issues you guys mentioned about people not reacting to events, but on the other hand the developer added a whole new guard captain lady NPC who appears in Horryn after you've freed the town. Despite a forced scripted interaction with her when you're exiting the castle, there's no quest content attached to her whatsoever. I suspect she was meant to be involved with a sidequest to root out undercover Reavers still lurking in the town.

Nah, her primary job is to tell the players that a couple new stores have opened in town - that's why she force greets you. The bit about undercover reavers is there to explain where the fuck all those new NPCs you see out on the street came from when there weren't nearly as many at the refugee farm (plus it helps set the mood).

When it comes to possible cut content, the lower crypt is a far bigger tell - the cleric woman even makes you promise to come back later to deal with it, the game hints towards it the whole time you're in the catacombs, there's this big, ominous door... Yet unless I've missed something big, that whole thing is a loose end that's never mentioned again. Seems like a pretty obvious optional dungeon that got cut, but didn't have the hooks for it removed.

 

[Infinitron]

Nah, her primary job is to tell the players that a couple new stores have opened in town - that's why she force greets you. The bit about undercover reavers is there to explain where the fuck all those new NPCs you see out on the street came from when there weren't nearly as many at the refugee farm (plus it helps set the mood).

A new character just for that? Could have had Markus or some rando NPC inside the castle tell you. Idk, I got the impression she was meant to be the hub for a new stage of sidequests based in the liberated Horryn. I guess we can try to ask the developer.

I agree about the lower crypt of course.