Info about SKALD: Against the Black Priory: Official game description: Digital Deluxe Edition ====================== About the Game ============== _You drag yourself from the black tides, across the corpses of drowned men, and onto the unwelcoming, craggy shoreline. Gulls cry overhead and the stink of seaweed fills your nose. By some miracle you have made it to Idra. It will take all your skill to survive and unravel the eldritch mysteries of the Black Priory_ SKALD: Against the Black Priory is inspired by roleplaying games of yesteryear, combining modern design and compelling storytelling with authentic 8-bit looks and charms. Delve into a dark fantasy world, full of deadly creatures, tragic heroes, and lovecraftian horror for an epic retro-style adventure rich in exploration and tactical, turn-based combat. Do you have what it takes to lead a company of broken heroes from the tainted shores of Idra to the gates of the Black Priory - and beyond? Gather your party ----------------- Lead a band of broken heroes through challenging turn-based combat scenarios as you cleave, blast or stealth your way through deadly enemies of all definitions. Equip your heroes using a modern inventory system, fulfil objectives through quest logs, read journals to discover hidden secrets. And if the action is still a bit too hot to handle, auto-resolve to bypass conflict entirely. Prepare thyself --------------- Set yourself up for the journey ahead by crafting and cooking from a slew of distinct recipes Choose your character, select their stats and build out a party from a series of diverse allies, each with their own skill-set, agenda and personality. Decide between a dozen classes and varied backgrounds, levelling up to 20 while customising your spells and equipment to suit your style. Venture Forth ------------- Set in an unforgiving world with lovecraftian horrors and choice-based dialogue, your story will take many unexpected twists and turns. Living life as a mercenary, you’ll need to roll the dice to determine whether you fall prey to certain peril or escape grave danger. Celebrate Yesteryear  --------------------- Uncover the grand schemes of the Gallian Empire and explore the vast expanse of Freymark and the Outer Isles. In SKALD: Against the Black Priory, you’ll experience this richly illustrated world of authentic pixel art, built from thousands of hand-drawn tiles and images using a palette inspired by the legendary Commodore 64 computer. Optional CRT filter for true retro aficionados also included. Mod Support ----------- Looking for more SKALD content to play? Players now have access to the SKALD Data Editing Tool (SKaDE) to create their own adventures and play all new ones at no extra cost. This custom-made modding tool is powered by Mod.io and gives you access to all of the assets in SKALD: Against The Black Priory. Where will your imagination take you? Release date: 30 May, 2024 Categories: RPG, Turn-based Combat, Tactical Combat, Exploration, Single-player Story, Character Customization, Party-based Combat, Atmospheric Horror - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: No data - Time-to-fun: No data - Player Archetypes: No data Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Balances retro charm, modern design (weight 0.96): The game successfully blends old-school RPG elements with modern design sensibilities, offering a streamlined and accessible experience. It captures the charm of classic CRPGs while incorporating quality-of-life improvements and avoiding frustrating mechanics. This balance makes it enjoyable for both veterans and newcomers to the genre. - Simple, intuitive, engaging combat (weight 0.64): The game features intuitive and straightforward combat mechanics that are easy to learn, making it accessible to new players. The combat system offers enough depth to remain engaging, rewarding strategic thinking and tactical decision-making. This balance ensures that combat is both enjoyable and challenging. - Appealing retro pixel art style (weight 0.4): The game utilizes a retro pixel art style that evokes nostalgia for older games while still being visually appealing. The graphics are well-executed and contribute to the game's unique atmosphere. The art style is a primary reason for playing the game, suggesting it's visually appealing and engaging. - Engaging, well-paced story (weight 0.38): The game features a well-written and engaging story that is appropriately paced for the game's length. The narrative effectively conveys emotion, tension, and gravity without being overly long or complex. The writing is a strong point, especially in delivering horrors through descriptive text. - Strong Lovecraftian/cosmic horror themes (weight 0.26): The game masterfully incorporates Lovecraftian and cosmic horror themes into its story, world, and atmosphere. This creates a unique and unsettling experience that resonates with fans of the genre. The Lovecraftian elements are well-integrated and enhance the overall gameplay. - Great soundtrack, enhances atmosphere (weight 0.25): The game features a well-crafted soundtrack and sound design that enhances the overall atmosphere and immersion. The music effectively conveys the emotional elements of the scenes and complements the game's gritty setting. The audio is great, with satisfying sound effects. - Strong, immersive atmosphere (weight 0.17): The game creates a strong and immersive atmosphere through its visuals, music, and writing. The atmosphere is often described as dark, foreboding, and creepy, enhancing the overall experience. The game is dripping with atmosphere. - Evokes nostalgia for classic RPGs (weight 0.1): The game successfully evokes nostalgia for classic RPGs from the 80s and 90s, reminiscent of titles like Ultima and Gold Box D&D games. It captures the essence of these older games while incorporating modern quality-of-life improvements. The game is a digital loveletter to old school RPGs. - Fun and enjoyable experience (weight 0.09): The reviewer is having tons of fun with the game. The game features well-done horrific endings for party members, fitting the horror setting. Enjoyed the occasional movie references throughout the game. - Varied character customization, replayability (weight 0.06): The game offers a variety of character customization options and party compositions, adding to its replayability. The ability to create a coordinated team of characters adds to the replayability. The game can be replayed multiple times. - Adjustable, customizable difficulty (weight 0.05): The game offers adjustable difficulty settings, allowing players to tailor the experience to their preference. This includes options to adjust enemy power, encumbrance, and the need for food to rest. The game is challenging. - Impressive solo developer effort (weight 0.05): The game is good, especially considering it was apparently developed by a single person. The game has a respectable presentation. The game developer's work is exceptional and innovative. - Creepy and depressing vibe (weight 0.05): The game has a creepy vibe reminiscent of games like Darkwood. The game is very depressing in a way that the reviewer finds appealing. Game rewards players for engaging with the story, exploring, and understanding the horror elements. - Fun, rewarding exploration (weight 0.05): Exploration is fun and rewarding, with lots to uncover. The game avoids useless minimaps and quest markers, encouraging exploration. The adventure and discovery of areas is enjoyable. Common complaints: - Uninspired story and characters (weight 0.58): Many reviewers felt that the story and characters were underwhelming. They cited issues such as a linear plot with limited player choice, bland characters with weak development, and a reliance on uninspired tropes. Some also felt that the story's Lovecraftian elements were poorly executed or derivative. - Rushed, unsatisfying ending (weight 0.57): A common complaint was that the game felt rushed towards the end, with the story and content quality declining significantly. Reviewers noted that the ending often felt abrupt, unsatisfying, and disconnected from the rest of the game, leaving many plot threads unresolved. - Lacks polish and QOL features (weight 0.53): Several reviewers mentioned the game's lack of polish, citing issues such as bugs, performance problems, and the absence of essential quality-of-life features. The lack of localization for major languages and the unreadable font were also common complaints. - Repetitive, unbalanced, clunky combat (weight 0.53): Many reviewers found the combat system to be a significant weakness. They cited issues such as repetitiveness, lack of depth, poor balance, and tedious encounters due to enemy resistances and high health pools. Some also noted that the combat UI and mechanics felt clunky and outdated. - Poor visibility due to graphics (weight 0.52): Numerous reviewers criticized the game's graphics, particularly the pixelated art style and small font size. These visual elements often made it difficult to distinguish objects, read text, and understand what was happening on screen, leading to frustration and eye strain. - Shallow character progression/itemization (weight 0.52): Several reviewers criticized the game's character development and itemization systems. They noted a lack of meaningful choices, uninspired skill trees with mostly passive bonuses, and a limited selection of gear with few unique effects. The absence of a respec option was also a common complaint. - Clunky controls and UI (weight 0.52): Many reviewers found the game's controls and UI to be clunky and unintuitive. They cited issues such as difficult menu navigation, misclicks during combat, and poor controller support. These issues often led to frustration and made it difficult to fully enjoy the game. - Typos and grammatical errors (weight 0.04): Several reviewers noted the presence of typos and grammatical errors in the game's writing. While not always game-breaking, these errors detracted from the overall experience and immersion. - Misclicking and visibility issues (weight 0.04): Some reviewers experienced issues with misclicking during combat, leading to wasted turns and frustration. They also noted that it was often difficult to see which character was selected or what conditions were affecting them. - Underpowered, unbalanced magic system (weight 0.04): Some reviewers felt that the magic system was underpowered and unbalanced compared to melee combat. They noted that certain schools of magic were ineffective and that magic users often felt like support characters rather than powerful damage dealers. - Jarring shift in tone (weight 0.04): A few reviewers felt that the shift in tone towards the end of the game was jarring and unsatisfying. They noted that the ending often felt disconnected from the rest of the story and failed to deliver on the expectations built up during the earlier parts of the game. Gameplay feedback: - D&D-inspired character/combat system (weight 0.19): The game features a D&D-inspired character system with classes, skills, feats, and spells. Combat involves dice rolls, initiative, and action points, with strategic depth arising from positioning, flanking, and crowd control. However, some reviewers found the combat simple or repetitive, with limited build variations and underutilized skills. - Classic turn-based tactical combat (weight 0.14): The game features classic turn-based tactical combat reminiscent of old-school CRPGs like Ultima and Gold Box D&D games. Battles take place on a grid, emphasizing strategic positioning and resource management. The game also features a deliberate retro aesthetic with pixel graphics. - Linear story with sidequests (weight 0.1): The game features a mostly linear story progression with limited branching paths and a single ending. While side quests and exploration are present, the main quest remains the primary focus. The game also features an old-school presentation style with relatively modern system sensibilities. - Dice rolls for skill checks (weight 0.05): The game incorporates dice roll mechanics for skill checks in both combat and non-combat situations, similar to tabletop RPGs and Baldur's Gate 3. These checks influence dialogue, exploration, and quest outcomes, adding a layer of challenge and RNG to the gameplay experience. However, some reviewers found the reliance on the currently selected character for skill checks frustrating. - Customizable party with mercenaries (weight 0.04): The game allows players to customize their party with both story-based companions and recruitable mercenaries. Mercenaries can be tailored to specific roles and builds, offering flexibility in party composition. However, some reviewers found the named NPCs sufficient, making mercenaries redundant. - Lovecraftian horror setting/story (weight 0.03): The game heavily incorporates Lovecraftian horror themes and elements, drawing inspiration from works like "Shadows Over Innsmouth." This includes a dark fantasy setting, Eldritch Horrors, and brutal imagery, contributing to a grim and doomsday-like atmosphere. - Crafting, camping, and encumbrance (weight 0.03): The game features crafting mechanics, including cooking and alchemy, which require gathering ingredients and experimenting with recipes. Camping allows for regeneration of health and mana, with food playing a role in the resting process. The game also features a weight system for inventory management, limiting how much can be carried. - Simple character creation/classes (weight 0.03): Character creation is simple and fun, but some reviewers found it limited. Classes are straightforward and relatively linear in growth, with some overlap in abilities. Classes function like a difficulty system. - Accessible, modern gameplay mechanics (weight 0.02): The game is more accessible than older CRPGs, with a helpful tutorial and straightforward character-building. It offers flexible options to adjust aesthetics and overall gameplay mechanics to your play style. The game mechanics feel contemporary despite the retro aesthetic. - Class-based weapon/armor restrictions (weight 0.01): Class decisions are tied to weapon and armor usage, but the reviewer believes feat trees handle class distinction better. The reviewer suggests that any class should be able to use any weapon or armor if they meet strength and agility stat thresholds. - Party members interject in dialogue (weight 0.01): A full party of preset story characters interject in dialogue, contributing to the feeling of a group dynamic. Main party characters chime in on dialog. - Inspired by pen&paper RPGs (weight 0.01): RPG mechanics are present. Game system is heavily inspired by pen&paper role-playing games. Performance notes: - Good performance, occasional crashes (weight 0.05): The game generally runs well, especially on Steam Deck and Linux, with some control adjustments needed. Some players have reported occasional crashes, but they are not widespread. - Pixel art style, mixed opinions (weight 0.01): The game features a pixel art style reminiscent of late 80s/early 90s EGA/VGA graphics. Some find the visuals clean, while others describe them as muddy or janky. - CRT filter affects visual clarity (weight 0.01): The game includes a CRT filter option that affects visual clarity. The filter's effectiveness varies depending on the display resolution, appearing blurry at higher resolutions but better on lower-resolution screens or actual CRT monitors. - Minor bugs, post-release fixes (weight 0.01): The game has a few bugs, with some players reporting spelling errors or mission-blocking issues. However, post-release updates suggest ongoing efforts to polish the game and address these problems. - Detailed, reactive character design (weight 0.01): The game features detailed pixelized characters whose appearance changes based on equipped gear and character status. Portraits dynamically reflect the character's condition, such as appearing battle-worn when near death. - Repetitive music, effective audio (weight 0): The audio design is effective, but the music can become repetitive over time. - No mouse wheel support (weight 0): The game does not support mouse wheel functionality. Recommendations: - Strongly recommended for genre fans (weight 0.72): The game is highly recommended, especially for fans of retro CRPGs, Lovecraftian horror, and those seeking a unique, story-rich experience. Reviewers praise its blend of old-school mechanics with modern design, making it accessible to both veterans and newcomers. Many express hope for future content and sequels. - Desire for more content (weight 0.18): Many reviewers express a strong desire for more content, including DLCs and sequels, indicating a positive overall experience and a wish for the game to be expanded upon. They commend the developers and hope to see more projects from them in the future. - Gameplay may not appeal (weight 0.07): Some reviewers suggest that players who don't enjoy the gameplay within the first two hours are unlikely to enjoy the game overall. Others recommend setting the difficulty high or toggling mechanics to improve the experience. - Excellent and a masterpiece (weight 0.06): The game is considered excellent and a masterpiece by many reviewers, with some even considering it a Game of the Year contender. It's praised for its atmosphere, story, and overall roleplaying experience, with some reviewers giving it perfect scores. - Great value for price (weight 0.02): The game is considered a great value for its price, especially at $15 or less. Reviewers are very happy with their purchase, citing the game's length and quality as justification for its cost. - Top-tier CRPG experience (weight 0.02): The game is considered one of the best CRPGs currently available, often compared to Baldur's Gate 3. It's praised for blending old-school elements with modern enhancements, setting a gold standard for indie CRPGs. - GOTY contender for 2024 (weight 0.02): The game is being called one of the best RPGs of 2024 and a strong contender for Game of the Year. Reviewers are finding it hard to pull themselves away from the game, with some considering it their favorite game of the year so far. - Game-breaking bugs present (weight 0.01): Some reviewers do not recommend the game due to game-breaking bugs that can force players to restart, including save file loss issues. This may be a sign of review bombing. - Poor magic implementation (weight 0.01): Some reviewers found the game to be an incredible disappointment due to the poor implementation of casters and magic. They recommend playing other games instead. - Lack of auto-map feature (weight 0.01): The game would benefit from a quality of life improvement such as an auto map. The reviewer recommends having a pencil and paper for mapping puzzles. - Class balance issues exist (weight 0.01): The game is worth playing, but some classes should be avoided. The reviewer recommends playing the Officer class after beating the game. - Made with love, unique (weight 0.01): The game is made with love and is unique and inspired, with a lot to loot and a lot to feel. - Comparable to Baldur's Gate (weight 0.01): The reviewer puts it next to Balder Gate 3 and 40K Rogue Trader and feels the urge to start over, something not experienced since playing the original Baldur’s Gate. Other player notes: - Retro CRPG with Lovecraftian themes (weight 0.09): The game is heavily inspired by retro CRPGs, particularly those from the Commodore 64 and Amiga eras, with a distinct visual style reminiscent of old-school pixel art. It successfully captures the essence of classic games while incorporating Lovecraftian horror themes, creating a nostalgic yet unique experience. - Grim dark fantasy setting (weight 0.05): The game features a grim, dark fantasy setting with Lovecraftian elements, focusing on a remote location with well-developed lore. The story emphasizes survival in a world filled with violence and lawlessness, creating a dark and foreboding atmosphere. - Developed by a small team (weight 0.03): The game was primarily developed by a single person or a very small team, which is considered an impressive achievement. This context is important for understanding the scope and limitations of the game. - Suggestions for magic system expansion (weight 0.01): The reviewer suggests adding three major types of magic (Corruption, Reticulum, and Spiritual) with specific effects and consequences. These suggestions aim to enhance gameplay and provide more player choices. - Lacks tutorial, save system issues (weight 0.01): The game lacks a dedicated tutorial, relying on in-game info screens, and creating a new game requires deleting save files. This can lead to initial confusion and a less user-friendly experience. - Story: Search for missing friend (weight 0.01): The main storyline revolves around searching for a missing childhood friend, Embla, on the Outer Isles after the player character is shipwrecked. The narrative emphasizes the setting and mysterious events of the Outer Isles. - Journal and tooltips track lore (weight 0.01): The game provides a journal and tooltips to help players track lore, clues, and quest results. While limited, the quest log and journal offer hints and summaries of events, aiding in navigation and understanding the game's world. - Content concentrated on first island (weight 0.01): A significant portion of the game's content is concentrated on the first island, with subsequent islands offering less content. This may impact player engagement and pacing as they progress through the game. - Title and lore misalignment (weight 0.01): The game's title and some lore elements don't fully align with the game's setting and player experience. This disconnect may detract from the overall immersion. Emotions: No emotions}