Ever wanted to be a Necromancer? Well, now is the time. Sadly, I never managed to reach that stage in the demo, but from my two invested hours, the Necromancer’s Tale showed true RPG potential for the future. I base this on the very interesting setup, good engaging writing, turn-based combat, inventory & loot, and plenty of skill checks that depend on your created character. Good stuff all around, so far.
Coming home
Since it’s a demo, I didn’t want to play too long before the full release because of spoilers, but as mentioned, the little I played impressed me. It starts with you returning home to your family estate after being away for a long time. This is all relying on your choices of the lengthy and very immersive introduction in the style of choose-your-own-adventure. You pick the reason for why, and your relationship with your family. Did it feel like a betrayal, or did you accept the decision of sending you away? Whatever the reason, the cause for your return is your father’s death. Not long after being home, you come to realize that your dads demise doesn’t seem entirely natural, with the estate that has his name (your name now), is swimming in debt. Something has to be done, and quickly. And as it is, to top it all off, your father dabbled in the occult, and soon you find a mysterious book with dark strange incantations. You can’t understand what it all means… yet.
I found the premise intriguing, especially in combination with the time-period (1733). A perfect fit for something sinister, and do I dare to say it: Lovecraftian? However, the story, and the writing is not everything, seeing as the game got all the needed tropes to form a classic roleplaying adventure. Smooth turn-based combat, good dialogue system and plenty of skill checks to make your chosen character stats play into the experience. It also seems reputation will be a big part of the game, as the different spheres of society, from workers to the clergy all react to what you are doing and saying. I have a feeling this will be a crucial aspect to juggle when you start your career as a local Necromancer.
The background lore
Another point I have to make that I really enjoyed was the background lore to the setting. As you might have noticed, going by the name, the Necromancer’s Tale will veer into the supernatural. What is cool here is that the setting has an atmosphere of the unsettling, with a feeling of impending doom hovering over the city when it comes to the occult. In this alternative world, the occult is not something just random old witches fiddles with in the middle of the forest around a cauldron, it’s a force to be reckoned with. In other words: it’s a real thing. You see, necromancy has been used in war, in which our little nation has been directly involved in. It didn’t turn out that great, if you don’t deem a master Lich controlling hordes of undead ravaging the lands a good thing. This adds a layer to your newly found career to consider, and the setting itself, since it makes for fascinating background lore to explore and discover.
The painting look
On the visuals, it looks fairly standard for a top-down game, except for an artistic overlay that makes it look a bit like a lightly abstracted painting when it comes to the characters. At first, I wasn’t too sure about this style, but after an hour or so it grew on me. It fits the mysterious tone, and the time-period of the game. The voice acting is good too, for what there is, but the sound quality is all over the place. It’s not something that drags the game down, though. The music is nice, I especially like the tune that plays when exploring the estate. Very moody.
All that remains now is to see how the Necromancer’s Tale will turn out. It’s hard to say by only spending a measly two hours in it, but first impressions are important. And it’s good. The main reason why I didn’t continue playing, as it seems the demo contains a bit more content, is because of spoilers. RPGs live and die of you not knowing what to come. Well, to be fair, almost all games do. On Steam it says it will come out this year. So, let’s hope that still stands.
Thanks for reading.
/Thomas
Tom's Gaming Vault 