Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Review
The Future (King) Is Now
Ever since I was introduced to them — through Sonic and the Black Knight of all things — the Arthurian legends have always been a favorite. From Merlin to Fate/stay night, anything that has to do with the Once and Future King has always fascinated me. As such, I jumped on the opportunity to review the latest in developer Questline’s take on the iconic tale.
Of course, Arthurian legends have been remixed, rehashed, and retold so many times that it takes a truly unique idea to make them feel fresh. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon’s approach is to take the legends and cover them in bleakness and misery, often to great effect. The moment the game starts, the player finds themselves in an area full to bursting with skeletal corpses and bloodied pathways. Torture, human experimentation, and more atrocities are commonplace in this world, much of it done in the name of the Once and Future King, though most of it is committed centuries after his reign. Though there are a few stumbling blocks along the way, it cannot be denied how striking and effective much of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon’s world and narrative are.
The player awakens in a cell, being held by the Red Priests, a faction of religious zealots that aims to cure a sickness called the Red Death by any means necessary, including the aforementioned torture and experimentation. They are soon rescued by a mysterious stranger, who then leads them out of the Asylum they were imprisoned in. The stranger leads the player to a portal that transports them to a mysterious place, where they then meet a disembodied voice. It is quickly revealed that this voice is King Arthur’s soul, which has bound itself to the player. The player’s goal, and the primary thrust of the main story, is then given: obtain the remaining pieces of Arthur’s soul and complete the king’s resurrection.
Players will be treated to a beautiful, if unsettling, world.
Those familiar with The Elder Scrolls will find themselves in familiar territory here as players freely explore and interact with its open regions in first-person. The world of Tainted Grail is vast and dense. Players will find brand new quests in its scattered areas, and said quests often have branching paths based on dialogue choices the player makes. It is entirely possible to make an enemy or friend out of every single character. However, universal belovedness is a nigh-impossible goal given that many quest choices, both required and optional, hinge on choosing one character or faction over another. In many ways, what the player chooses not to do is as influential as what they choose to do. While some quests are simple affairs involving defeating certain enemies or collecting materials, others will bring the player to whole new areas with unique enemies and side stories that are entirely separate from the main quest.
Staple systems of the genre, such as crafting, fishing, alchemy, cooking, and more are all present, though a bit vanilla in their implementation. One potential pain point is the lack of a way to know exactly where any given crafting material is found. This can discourage crafting, as quests will often require items that are commonly used for crafting. The issue is compounded by the lack of any visual indicators for collectible items unless one is directly approached, meaning if one doesn’t have a particular material required for a quest and don’t know where to get it, their best option is to scour the world slowly and carefully for anything that looks out of the ordinary. Some may appreciate the realism, but others may be turned off by the tedium and annoyance.
Aside from exploration, combat is the most prominent element of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon’s design. Players can wield a two-handed weapon or a pairing of independent one-handed weapons, which can create some interesting combinations. Spells are classified as individual weapons, meaning it is possible to dual-wield the same spell if one has multiple copies. One such combination available allows players to equip a staff that refills their mana points while using a spell that drains the enemy’s life and heals the player. This combination is particularly powerful on easier difficulties, as enemies often cannot out-damage the healing given by this spell, which can be acquired quite early in the game. Couple this with a dash, and players have a lot of tools to keep themselves safe. Those who enjoy Skyrim and its ilk will find much to enjoy in Fall of Avalon’s faster paced take on the genre. However, early on, combat can feel a bit awkward. Hits don’t register obviously, health or damage numbers are unavailable to the player, and enemies often move distances that don’t fit their animations. Once one does pick up on its foibles, though, it becomes more enjoyable.
Combat can be disorienting at first, but rewarding down the line.
The world of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is beautiful in both its elegance and its horror. One moment will be spent gazing out at a gorgeous vista filled with fantastical sights, the next will leave players reeling in wonder from the world’s twistedness. The world’s decline revolves around its characters intertwining relationships, with Arthur at the core of the possessive state the player finds themselves in. Despite being dead for centuries, Arthur is still influencing the world, and the disembodied version that attaches itself to the player gets a chance to see the society he built through fresh eyes. This is easily the game’s most compelling element, as it allows for players insight into Arthur’s perspective of not just his actions, but his perspective on their rippling effects over time and throughout the world. This is compounded by the various perspectives offered by characters both within and outside of the main story. Everybody has an opinion, positive or negative, of the former king. While the main quest might at times feel detached from the side content, the added element of Arthur seeing the world through the player’s eyes allows the game to effectively contextualizes every decision the player makes and, in turn, colors the direction the main story goes. Dialogue performances vary wildly; some performances standing out as excellent while others fall behind, but the narrative framework of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is nevertheless endlessly compelling.
Musically, the game allows its soundtrack to take a backseat. While not without its sweeping melodies or heart-pumping battle themes, most of accentuate the feeling of a given moment or situation rather than steal the spotlight. That’s not to say the game is lacking sound; with enemies constantly spouting random lines, various combat-related sound effects, and other diegetic sounds, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is certainly never boring in the audio department, though one’s mileage may vary on how effective each aspect is.
Most characters are skeptical of the player, but often for good reason.
One sore spot is that the game is technically rough around the edges. Visual glitches are widespread and quest indicators often bug out and lead to one area, only to repeatedly turn the player back to the previous area. One time an enemy disappeared after they were killed, rendering their body unable to be looted. This wouldn’t have been a huge problem on its own, but this happened to an enemy that could be turned in for a reward at one of the game’s main towns. None of these glitches outright spoil the entire experience, and if the player ever finds themselves stuck, they can always use the handy “unstuck” button to teleport themselves back to stable ground, but the technical issues are certainly a stain.
Visually, while the vistas, scenery, and art direction are all stellar, some parts run the risk of looking homogeneous. Caves become indistinguishable from one another over time and character models are, in the best cases, expressionless and low fidelity. Thankfully, the main open areas are visually distinct, each encompassing several different biomes and visual identities. The standard snowy fields, green pastures, and grey mountainsides are all here, but some more surprising areas lurk beneath the surface, offering a nice reprieve from the often similar-looking side areas.
Ultimately, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon succeeds at a lot of what it’s going for, and it cannot be overstated how successful the adaptation of the Arthurian legend is. Not everyone is going to resonate with the creepier, darker tone, and the game’s technical state leaves much to be desired. However, those that do resonate with it will find an interesting, complex, intelligent narrative with the player being used both as a framing device and a driving force.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
Interesting take on the source material
Fun, if a bit awkward at first, combat
Beautiful art direction
Awkward dialogue
Technical issues, both gameplay and visual
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