Some games have moral choices—this one asks, ‘How evil do you want to be on a scale from graverobber to lich god?’ A bone-fide good time if you can look past the crawling pace and lifeless open world. The narrative on offer here lets you really live out the necromancer power fantasy. The NPCs will be dying to meet you...sometimes quite literally

Cool pics in the previews, but its basically the yappining the game. So to emphasis why its the yappining. There's literally a 30 minute novel the game insists you sit through before the game even starts. Its the character creator. I understand where its coming from, its trying to give bram stoker's dracula. But I didn't want a visual novel. That being said, tagging the game as a visual novel is a truer representation of what you're getting. I like visual novels, I just didn't think this was supposed to be one.

im having fun so far :^) i like necromancy undead go boo and raah Updated REAL review after a little over 10 hours: The game is a bit rough around the edges. Some quests are vague and offer very little direction. That would be fine if you could ask around town for clues, but you're often expected to figure things out entirely on your own. If you enjoy games with minimal hand-holding, like I do, you'll probably still have a good time, even if it gets frustrating now and then. For example, I needed a hammer to repair something. Simple enough. I checked the blacksmith, but no hammer. Then the general store, still nothing. I tried the market stall with assorted goods, and again, no luck. Since you can't ask NPCs where to find one, you're left wandering around and checking every shop until you eventually get lucky. This kind of issue doesn't come up all the time. Most of the time, you can ask NPCs for directions, but with certain side quests, nobody will help you at all. It has happened enough that I've had to ask for help in the Discord a few times. Since the game is still new and fairly niche, there aren't any guides online yet. The closest comparison I can think of is Disco Elysium. Both are dialogue-heavy, story-driven games with investigative themes, memorable characters, and branching paths. I haven't seen too much of the combat yet, so I can't speak on it in depth. So far, it is pretty basic, but it has been gradually opening up as I unlock more spells and earn more money for armour/weapons. That said, it still feels a bit half-baked overall. Combat is clearly not the main focus of the game. Despite these flaws, I've really enjoyed my time with it. It has a strong classic RPG feel. Like I said, it is a little unpolished, but if you're into that kind of experience, there's a lot to like here. I would give it an 8/10, but keep in mind I really love these kinds of games. If you're not already into this style, you might not have as much fun. Still, for 20 USD, I think it is more than a fair price.

A pretty good chunk into the game I get to a point where my only option to progress involves combat. I spent the whole game avoiding combat when possible since I decided to play an Academic and had all my points allocated towards investigation and conversation and away from combat. Clearly that was the wrong choice as now I'm softlocked from continuing further because I have to fight three enemies with seven times the health of my summons while I have only basic spells that don't do much in combat and almost no weapons. I can't even try equipping more weapons because I'm underground and have to dedicate one hand to a torch. Going out and buying better equipment or trying to lower the difficulty doesn't help, I just die with less money or after watching a autoresolve screen tell me I died.

I will be honest: I found this game on the high seas on release day and yoinked it. I played through most of the first chapter before I decided I had to support the game, and I did this completely based on the writing. Not just the writing, to be honest, but the writing of the fluff material, the original in-game books. They are written by someone that has a clear concept of history, voice, and how to use environmental story telling in one of my favorite forms. In a similar fashion as other in-game book classics like The Lusty Argonian Maid Volume 1 in TESIV, or The Case of the Deceitful German in RDR2, or pretty much any conversation in Disco Elysium, the lead writer/dev touched that part of me most vulnerable: my suspension of disbelief, my appreciation for internal consistency, and my sense of humor. My tripartite sensual organ, keyed to my death/sex dichotomy, ego, and lord knows what else. But it touched me. I believe it was the second volume of a history/almanac produced by a Viennese general regarding their enemy, the nation the game takes place in. It made me laugh out loud with a bunch of very subtle jokes, with the in-game author's clear prejudices coloring the description and providing a great deal of insight into the world. Maybe the writing is not amazing, maybe its not prime-Avellone Planescape:Torment or Disco Elysium, but goddamn if it's not solid and deserving of praise. Well done friend. So if you care about the writing in your games, I think that objectively it is pretty damn good. Certainly 'early Black Isle/Bioware' good. And I'm only through the first third of the game. I am reluctant to recommend any game that I haven't finished, because failing to stick the landing can ruin a game for me and cause me not to recommend it (for instance Firewatch, Tacoma, or Life is Strange 1), in the same way that a terrible ending can ruin a show or film (Game of Thrones, LOST, Haunting of Hill House, A Cure for Wellness). However, the game's writing was so good that I stopped playing my free ethically complicated copy and sent credit equivalent to two days sustenance to the game's two creators so that I could sleep at night. And because they impressed me, and that has to be worth something, and even as I toil in poverty and obscurity these dudes deserve money for entertaining and engaging me. That shit ain't easy anymore. I play a lot of games. A lot a lot of games. 8 this week. Three yesterday. The game isn't perfect. There are a fair number of issues with the camera and clicking to walk through areas that are above or below a ceiling or floor. The combat is not amazing. Some of the hints it gives you are very vague and might refer to future events or abilities that you don't know about yet. It can be a pain in the ass to navigate the city and not every single POI on the map populates. Inventory management. Vague mechanic for selling items. Unclear economic system (is my 140 gold a lot or not? Seems like a fortune but then the blacksmith tried to charge me 25 gp or so for an action that the main questline depends on). Is there a leveling system? Are the stats I rolled in char gen permanent and unchanging or will I someday level up and increase something? No idea but I guess I'm having fun so I don't care. And to its credit the game has a ton of fast travel points, the main storyline is interesting, the world building is solid, the characters are well-defined and feel mostly unique and alive, the central mystery is solid, and the opportunities to be evil (which is something I demand in a 'yourchoicesmatterbroIswear' type game) are frequent and creative. This is not even to mention that this is a game (and story) that I've been unconsciously looking forward to for decades: an original exploration of the moral ambiguity inherent to necromancy, through the lens of a character following the dark path from its beginning. The Stewart Period Adriatic Sea setting is just icing on a cake I didn't consciously realize I wanted. I will update this review if the game utterly disappoints/fucking betrays me but I feel like it can't. Let's face it, the bar is very low for writing in CRPGs nowadays, or gaming in general, so it unlikely that the devs drop the ball completely at the end. I wouldn't even give it a hard time if it did, as long as it doesn't fail so utterly that it drop kicks my goodwill into the abyss like HBO's Game of Thrones. I see there are at least 13 chapters, if not more, so I expect my game time to match the indicated 25+ hours. That seems like plenty of time to tell a complete story. I should really get more into the very good and somewhat original gameplay aspects. But I'm a little drunk and high so let's just say from a guy that played every Infinity Engine game, every Black Isle game, nearly every single damn isometric game ever made including weird shit like Vikings Expeditions and Age of Decadence, and cut my teeth on Ultima 7 a trillion years ago, this game is a good time in a way we rarely see anymore. It might not be beautiful or have the best soundtrack or engine or combat but it has wonderful characters, damn solid writing and a fucking soul, which are three things I can't remember the last time I got from AAA gaming. I can only hope the game is successful enough for the devs to keep going in the industry. I'm the lead writer for a small team indie game myself, and you guys are inspirational to me. Only 33% into the game but I give it a solid 9/10 if you enjoy good writing, multiple approaches to puzzles, captivating characters and worldbuilding, a love of necromancy, nostalgia for old Bioware/Black Isle games, and/or Disco Elysium/Planescape:Torment style gameplay. 6/10 if none of those things do it for you, it's still solid for a couple blokes put out a game on their own. Death to AAA gaming. Long live the new flesh.

(I'm writing this as I'm getting a refund, so take this with a grain of salt.) If you were expecting a game with a historical setting, you're misled. This game is pure fantasy and just borrows real-world names here and there. Supposedly set in Northern Italy, its fictional kingdom is called "Rulsthen", probably the most Un-Italian name I have ever heard. Pair this with character names from a generic fantasy name generator and you arrive at a backstory that tells you the makers of this game haven't researched the era nor its location and were simply going for "vibes". It's a shame because I was totally in for a mix of visual novel and roleplaying game, but the setting just feels like a cheap anime knock-off. So, for anyone else who's intrigued by the setting, think twice before buying.

To be very clear this game is CRUSTY but also to be clear I'm a huge fan of CRUSTY. This is like a CRPG you'd find in the early 2000s that 5 people have heard of but could be your favorite game of all time. Being very blunt there's a lot here that isn't good. There's a huge amount of text that seems very unnecessary, the open world is fairly lifeless. There's very little in the way of a progression or inventory management system, and the combat is extremely barebones. All that being said I have a profound love of this game, it has an extremely palpable atmosphere and you truly do get immersed in the world that it offers. There are interesting mysteries, fascinating spells, and just a ton of things to discover as you play. The closest comparison I'd say exists for it is a mixture of neverwinter nights 2 in terms of feel and Age of Decadence in terms of gameplay and looks. The game is clearly very focused on roleplaying a character and proceeding however you feel is most fun, there's a ton of ways to complete different quests, and if you want to you can make brisk progress if you don't care about always making the correct choice. Overall just a very immersive and enjoyable experience, something I'm glad to have found. If you have any tolerance for crust or jank then I'd 100% recommend you pick it up.

This "RPG" is much more RP and very little G. This would have been better off as a novel like a visual novel or something. I don't mind reading a lot. I've played text-heavy games before like the ones from Owlcat. However I also want a lot of combat and gameplay in my video games.

I have had to limit my play time over the weekend I bought it due to family obligations. But I keep narrating the time spent with my family in a sepulchral voice and waiting for something Terrible to happen to all of them. I blame this game for my terrible dreams from which I awaken with a sense of dread. Also, I really like the dialogue menu.

Wish they can animate me back from the repetive content that bored me to death. Game play? Mediocre. Control? Troublesome. Interface? Not so good. Choice-matter? Seems like so, but not really. 9 hours, 6 chapters finished and still I can't really do anything except running around finding stuffs for quests.

Definite early access unity game feeling. Good bones but lots of things feel off, like the controller mapping and lots of things just not working as the game says. The intro and the lengthy wait before you get any real combat means this feels more like a 15 dollar game. It isn't bad but it feels profoundly unfinished and I would say the current price is very ambitious.

If you like reading and skeletons this is an easy buy

I am about 5 hours into The Necromancer's Tale, and it is a very unique, fun, and enjoyable game. The character development is very detailed and the story is amazing and tells a very dark mystery. You do not know who to trust, and trying to get to the bottom of the mysteries of the game are keeping me coming back for more. I highly recommend this very cool game!

*bangs on table* BONES BONES BOOOOOOOOOO-

This is more of a detective game based on skills. You are the owner of a big mansion after your father died and have to find how did he die but also solve the financial problems of the family. I played the first hour https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_lXzX8knk Pros: male or female option, quite beefy character skill system. Seems you are free to explore a city and resolve tasks as you want. Your mansion is nice and it seems you have a lot of freedom. It has turn bases combat. Decent story, a more classical rpg. Cons: some ui elements need work, inventory management is not adequate. The game looks blury(even after disabling the filter). Turn based combat is pretty bad. Game is very slow to start. Overall, the game is a narative game with great atmosphere but poor combat. I hope its improved over time because it has a lot of potential. The price is generous and its a complex rpg, we need more games like this.