Avalon and On and On!

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a full-blown immersive cRPG, in the same genre as Elder Scrolls. It was initially recommended to me by a friend, who claimed it was better than anything Bethesda ever made, and I can see why. The combat is meaty and satisfying, the world is bleak and unforgiving, and while it does eventually evolve into a power fantasy, it takes a while to get there.

You are immediately thrust into the rags of a hapless plague victim, bullied by prison guards. You meet a mysterious benefactor, who springs you out of your cell. As you explore this first murky dungeon, unconvering horrific experimentation by the game's main religious order, you immediately get a chance to experience what the game does best: exploration, world-building, and the aforementioned combat.

Questline takes a few influences from the Souls games: enemies have stamina bars that can be depleted to leave them wheezing and open to attacks, parry is immensely satisfying, and you are forced to think on your feet, dodging shield charges, arrows, throwing knives, and spells. Even basic enemies will taunt you, throw consumables, drink health potions, and use special attacks.

This said, this is definitely not a hard game on the standard difficulty. Moreover, there is no level scaling, and while you will most certainly run away screaming from every bear early in the game, you will eventually become Death, destroyer of worlds. There are so many viable ways of experiencing the world of fallen Avalon, and the game encourages player experimentation by giving more respec potions than most players will use. There are additional skill trees you can unlock through gameplay, including the hilariously overtuned expansion skills.

While the game is made with Unity, I was surprised by the vast areas and quick load times. It is made by a very small team, but it's rarely obvious. It's a relatively good-looking game, helped by fantastic environment designs and tasteful lighting. There is a large enemy variety, a ridiculous amount of cool gear, and a truly astonishing number of quests and secrets. In fact, I had completely missed the entire quest chain for the assassins guild, even though it's not particularly well-hidden. I am sure I have missed many of the special night interactions, however: the game world is that large.

Worldbuilding is definitely one of the highlights of Fall of Avalon, and the environments are bursting with all sorts of details related to the lore and history of this post-apocalyptic fantasy world. Every area has landmarks that can be seen from far away, and many of the hubs are crumbling once-great bastions of hope, where bands of survivors are attempting to make the best of a bad situation, surrounded by lichen-covered stone walls and defaced statues.

The voice acting is generally superb, and there are many interactions with the large number of diverse characters. A surprising number of quests have real consequences in the game world. You can't trust most people, and you certainly can't please everyone. Often you will have to make difficult choices, where no outcome is particularly pleasing. You will lie, cheat, compromise, and kill for the greater good so often, you will no longer remember your end-goal. You will question everything, and everyone.

And yet, this is also a genuinely funny game! Whether you are trying to convince a stern priest to return a stolen shipment of pornography from the bookstore, or helping a local chef to create a culinary masterpiece that speaks to his ancestral traditions, there is no shortage of humour in The Fall of Avalon. One of the most memorable moments comes from the (excellent) expansion, and starts out as a knock-knock joke.

In terms of the overall story, it can be summarised as 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions: the game'. While there certainly are many sadistic and self-centered characters, who use others for their own advancement, most of the big movers in this world are idealists, who were unable to realise their great plans. It is an epic story of war crimes, genocide, nihilism, but also a story about the fall of great ideals, flawed humanity, and hope.

I am genuinely surprised that a small indie team managed to craft this meaty, consequential RPG, at this scale. Questline has definitely learned from Bethesda, Obsidian, Bioware, and CDPR, but managed to create their own memorable entry. I am writing this review after my first playthrough, but I will definitely return, to try out different choices, alternative playstyles, and discover more secrets. Highly recommended!