Posted on: August 14, 2024
Strange_Hero
Verified ownerGames: 625 Reviews: 14
Phenomenal Modern-Retro CRPG
Keep in mind, I'm not much of a CRPG fan. That's not to say I don't enjoy the genre--I love RPGs and hold no ill-will towards CRPGs. However, the amount of depth a single CRPG contains can be a bit overwhelming for somebody like me who prefers a simpler approach. Storytelling, that's the draw for me. A good story will carry me through no matter what. Even then, I prefer to not be overwhelmed by rules and mechanics. Skald keeps it simple. Don't take that the wrong way though, it's the good kind of simplicity. Easy to understand, with enough depth to allow for true roleplaying. I found myself in love with its approach towards character creation and character progression. You can create a truly powerful and unique character while not having to flip through a rulebook to understand what everything means. What kept me absolutely enthralled was the story, though. Gameplay is great: combat is quick and snappy without being confusing. But the writing is full of energy. Something as simple as picking up an item, thanks to the developer's electric writing style, is captivating. Admittedly, the plot isn't all too interesting. Standard fantasy RPG fare. However, the characters are lively--even if I wish they were fleshed out more--and the worldbuilding is extremely strong. The horror elements were awesome as well, and made the game stand out from other CRPGs I've played. One major criticism that I see brought up deals with the anticlimatic ending. Personally, I really enjoyed the ending, though I can see where people are coming from. With the amount of text in the game, and how flowery descriptions can get, I somewhat expected a lot of the game to be left up to my imagination instead of my skill as a player. Maybe that leads to some people disappointed at some boss fights, but I enjoyed picturing how everything went down in my head. I highly recommend Skald, and would urge you to play it at your own pace. There's a lot of cool stuff to find and details to uncover.
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