Blackguards Special Edition

I don't understand the 5 star reviews here. While combat COULD have been alright if it wasn't plagued with a weird behavior regarding random numbers (missing 5 times in a row a 85% chance to land spell is...frustrating to say the least), the rest of the game is so dull and uninterestingly boring that it doesn't make up for it at all. You'll slog through fights that are meant to be fought ONE WAY and can't be won otherwise, dumb AI, bugs (i couldn't buy anything from a merchant), unrewarding quests and fights and overall a really poor attempt at making a RPG by Daedalic. And i get that the dark eye is that kind of universe, that loot is scarse and that you have to plan ahead. It just is poorly done in this game and it makes it really unenjoyable. Save your cash.

I can just say that this is an awesome game! I already wasted 30 hours of my life on it and I am still not through the second chapter. The tactic works great and the characters are interesting and charming, just how it should be in the dark eye universe. You got so many details put in that world, so many cool ideas and quests, so many things to do, all covered up by a wonderful story. I´d really recommend it, not only to fans of the dark eye, but to every tactic loving guy out there.

I've played close to 40 hours of this and have had to repeat quite a few fights in order to progress. Overall, I like the tactical game. Hex maps with unique environment twists and varied opponents. It starts a bit slow, as the early battles are kind of boring (as are some flash back battles interspersed), but as the game progresses there are some good tilts with challenging mechanics. There is a degree of randomness to each attempted attack or spell and missing repeatedly is a bit frustrating when it happens and directly leads to a loss. And losses, as I indicated earlier, do happen. Progression is brisk and character development is fun, assigning points wherever you might choose. The skills, spells and talents are hardly balanced, but at least there is some variety to throw your earned exp at. Less thrilling is the overall plot, dialogue and voice acting. Your obligatory teammates are also flat at best, and annoying at worst. However, the game still succeeds in spite of these extremely mediocre elements.

The game is set in an archetypal but interesting place, populated by mostly entertaining people. The tone of fantasy is closer to "The Black Company" than "Lord of the Rings". The story stutters in its telling with brusque jumps here and there, but it's not a bad tale altogether, even if not too original. The problem is the underlying set of rules that controls Blackguards. I feel "The Dark Eye" may not be the best "engine" to power a strategy game, because of its dependency on randomness. Battles are won or lost by the toss of a coin, which has little to do with strategy. Its interface makes it very easy to give orders incorrectly. The battle map can't be manipulated beyond simple tilts and pans, conspiring with the interface to make miss-ordering easier. Characters must be herded on the battlefield. A fleeing combatant, will surely do so next to enemies, even if safer paths exist, exposing themselves to that abomination of RPGs called: Attack of opportunity. Inconstancies on what's possible in gameplay detracts from the strategical element. EG: Enemies have Line of Sight but not you on the same line but on opposite directions. Missiles fly over small objects (EG: Dwarf or table) but can't go over prone bodies (dead or knocked). Guesswork is needed more than strategic planning when picking advancements. It's very possible to arrive to a progress impasse, just from choosing unideal advancements, which are overwhelming at the start. The interesting feature of interactive elements on the battlefield is usually blandly integrated and its impact in combat hardly merits the effort. Some scenes require that you proceed in a very rigid way or you won't win, trumping further the "strategic" element of the game. In general, the game rewards true, inspired or novel strategical thinking in a very irregular way. Blackguards is by no means bad. It is in fact a fun game. It is just not a great game, although it could see greatness from its safe and unoriginal standpoint.