KickStarter Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon - first-person open world RPG adaptation of Kickstarted board game - now on Early Access

[Readher]

IS so sad that Avowed has 154 pages to discuss the game and this great game, which aims to re create the old bugthesda style of game, with gorgeous graphics, in a very interesting setting and made by a relative small Polish studio, only 5 pages... YOU GUYS DESERVE THE DECLINE!!!

It's 154 pages of shitting on Avowed.

Speaking of which, this game has the same red flags as Avowed in that it's clearly aping the lackluster combat of Skyrim. I'd rather see games like this take inspiration from Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah.

It has elements of Skyrim's combat, but is far from it. The combat is very tense and hard until you get game-breaking items and skills and requires timing, stamina management, dodging, spacing, etc. - all things that Skyrim never expected from you.

 

[Jinn]

Game seems much closer to something along the lines of a first-person Gothic to me in terms of exploration, challenge, meaningful progression. Skyrim comparisons are superficial at best.

I haven't seen any evidence of level scaling from what I've seen. Am I correct in that assessment?

 

[Cryomancer]

I also din't noticied any type of level scaling in this game. But yes, I only see people who din't played comparing it to skyrim.

 

[covr]

No level scaling. But it has rather aggressive monster respawn system I don't like.

 

[Jinn]

No level scaling.

Thanks for the confirmation!

But its have rather aggresive monster respawn system I don't like.

Bummer, but liveable. Perhaps some feedback is in order?

 

[ADL]

Speaking of which, this game has the same red flags as Avowed in that it's clearly aping the lackluster combat of Skyrim. I'd rather see games like this take inspiration from Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah.

It ain't no Dark Messiah/Arx Fatalis but it feels a hell of a lot better than Skyrim. It might look like Skyrim but the impact response that you get swinging a two hander in this game is something Bethesda has never gotten close to in any of their games. Magic could definitely improve though.

When the landmass update comes out in a couple weeks, give it a shot. No reason not to with the 2 hour refund window.

 

[mediocrepoet]

I haven't touched this in months. Have they announced a 1.0 date and/or have there been any significant updates to the game?

I'm always leery of burning myself out on EA titles before they're done.

 

[Jinn]

I'm always leery of burning myself out on EA titles before they're done.

Yeah, I refuse to play more than an hour or two in early access, if that, unless it's a multiplayer-focused game. I've come to really despise EA and refuse to pay to be a beta tester, particularly when a first blind playthrough of a game is such a special experience for me. I don't blame developers for going this route, but refuse to participate in most cases.

Q4 2024 is the rough plan for release on this one, though I hope they take as much time as they need, even if that means pushing it into 2025 despite my eagerness to play it. There is so much excellent potential here, and I'd like to see it fully developed.

 

[Cryomancer]

About EA, small indie studios using EA is one thing. AAA ESG bigcorpo using ESG is pure nonsense.

 

[Grunker]

If you are running from enemies, they use throwing knifes on you.

My God, it’s a video game revolution!! Want till Todd hears this, he’ll shut down Bethesda in despair

 

[mondblut]

requires timing, stamina management, dodging, spacing, etc.

Sir, this is an RPG forum.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

requires timing, stamina management, dodging, spacing, etc.

Sir, this is an RPG forum.

This is increasingly an Action RPG forum.

Spoiler

And perhaps even more specifically an Open-World Action RPG forum.

 

[Maldoror]

I played the EA for this game a few months ago and it already demonstrated more C&C than Skyrim ever did, by allowing you to befriend a Necromancer who you're set upon to kill. He offers you a spell to go about your merry way and let him practice his epic and profane art. Then, the quest-giver becomes pissed at you for a day or two.
Ideally this would have long-lasting effects in the gameworld but I highly doubt the C&C will ever reach that point. Nonetheless, it has promise.

 

[Litmanen]

requires timing, stamina management, dodging, spacing, etc.

Sir, this is an RPG forum.

This is increasingly an Action RPG forum.

Spoiler

And perhaps even more specifically an Open-World Action RPG forum.

I hope not.

I'm here because of your fanatism for old school cRPGs.

The only action Rpg I loved was Gothic. The rest could also not exist.

 

[Zombra]

I played the EA for this game a few months ago and it already demonstrated more C&C than Skyrim ever did, by allowing you to befriend a Necromancer who you're set upon to kill.

Uh. Skyrim has at least a dozen quests with choices like this.

 

[Maldoror]

I played the EA for this game a few months ago and it already demonstrated more C&C than Skyrim ever did, by allowing you to befriend a Necromancer who you're set upon to kill.

Uh. Skyrim has at least a dozen quests with choices like this.

Generally speaking they're all more involved than "go here and kill this guy", such as the Redguard princess quest or the thing with the prisoners in Markarth, both of which have quite a few more steps involved than the Tainted Grail Necromancer one and are kind of "main side quests". I really can't think of any other throwaway Skyrim quests that allow you to team up with/let go the random enemy you're sent to kill, but perhaps you could list a dozen of them for me.

 

[Zombra]

Here are some.

• Main quest: side with the Blades (kill Paarthurnax), or the Greybeards (spare him).
• Civil War: join the Stormcloaks or the Imperials (but you already knew that).
• Dawnguard: join the Dawnguard or the Volkihar Vampires.
• Dark Brotherhood: join the Brotherhood or destroy it.
• Daedric quests:
  • The Black Star (Azura): restore Azura's Star or defile it.
  • A Daedra's Best Friend (Clavicus Vile): kill Barbas or spare him.
  • Ill Met by Moonlight (Hircine): side with Sinding or with the hunters.
  • Pieces of the Past (Mehrunes Dagon): obey Mehrunes, or spare Silus Vesuius.
  • The Taste of Death (Namira): take part in Namira's feast, or kill Eola (and possibly the rest of the cult of Namira).
  • Waking Nightmare (Vaermina): obey Vaermina, or let Erandur destroy the Skull of Corruption.
  • Darkness Returns (Nocturnal): technically not a real choice, but you can chose to postpone returning the Skeleton Key indefinitely, and keep using it instead.
• The Blessings of Nature: pray to Kynareth to obtain a sapling, or cut the Eldergleam to extract its sap.
• No One Escapes Cidhna Mine: escape with Madanach, or kill him and escape alone.
• In My Time of Need: kill Kematu, or deliver Saadia to him.
• Blood on the Ice: turn Wuunferth in, or investigate further.
• Delayed Burial: help Vantus Loreius or Cicero.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I'm here because of your fanatism for old school cRPGs.

RPG Codex has never been devoted to old-school CRPGs; instead, it's always been besotted with a handful of games in the period 1997-2003.

 

[Litmanen]

I'm here because of your fanatism for old school cRPGs.

RPG Codex has never been devoted to old-school CRPGs; instead, it's always been besotted with a handful of games in the period 1997-2003.

For me, those are the old-school cRPG.

 

[Infinitron]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1466060/view/4177728231398957870

April development update.
A big patch is on its way.

Greetings, Travelers!
Another month, another fresh development update especially for you! Be sure, adventurers - we have some big news you don’t want to miss.

So! This is our FINAL update before the next BIG patch.
And by big patch - we mean BIIIIIIIIG PATCH!
Once again, we will be bringing updates to almost everything in the game, most importantly:

• Performance
• Visual overhaul
• Combat overhaul
• Crafting and other system overhaul
• Stats / perk system overhaul
• Spells and magic overhaul
• ….and many more general improvements to the game

On top of that - we will finally have Wyrdness! (in the form of Wyrdnight, adding a whole new level to the game).

And on top of that, we will be adding a whole new, shiny zone for you to explore - Cuanacth!

Saying that we are excited to finally share it all with you is understatement and we are putting tons of effort into the last months of getting this patch ready.

See the video below to know what our dev team has been crafting!

New zone - Cuanacth
As a region, Cuanacth will be available to you in beta version, so don't expect the region to be fully polished in every detail just yet. Instead, think of it as a preview of what this region will be like. Right now, we want to gather your feedback to refine it further based on your valuable input. Additionally, there won't be a main storyline in this region yet, but that doesn't mean you'll be bored there. We plan to provide you with over 10 quests of varying complexity and length, so there's plenty of fun ahead for you!

Saves will be wiped, but we’ll provide pre-sets
As we have been saying from the start, we are taking “Early Access” quite seriously, that is why we are constantly working on improving the game and listening to your feedback. Other side of that coin is that we will be doing some serious changes to the game systems that can wipe previous saves. But fear not! If you only want to experience the freshly added content, without the need to start from scratch, we’ll provide you with pre-set save slots. This will allow you to start the adventure right off in the new land, with proper gear and character development level. There will be different build types to choose from, so you'll be able to pick up what suits you best!

Localization info
With patch 0.7 on the horizon, we're about to introduce a wealth of new features and improvements. However, that comes with a price: initially, for a short period, the new content in patch 0.7 will be available exclusively in English. That’s because we've made the decision to prioritize the quality and depth of the content over localization efforts. By focusing our resources on perfecting the gameplay-related features first, we’re closer to delivering what’s our goal - a great open-world action RPG! Rest assured, other language versions will be implemented as fast as possible, ensuring that our diverse community can fully immerse themselves in the world of Avalon.
The info applies exclusively to the new Cuanacth region! Both Horns of South and Tutorial will still be available in all currently supported languages.

960: Those who had risen from the battle of Badon - Event for Influencers
If you're an influencer, you might be interested in our planned event. It's aimed at influencers of all sizes, streamers, etc., who want to join the ranks of 960 and simultaneously stream or publish their content at the patch's release. You can find all the details here: LINK, and as for the conditions:

What do you get by joining the event:

• Keys for 3 of our games, including Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon (Sent to your email after filling the registration form)
• Additional game keys for community giveaways
• Early and exclusive access to the mentioned update for Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon
• Exclusive behind-the-scenes and promo materials (i.e. concept arts, videos)
• Your name will be written in the special section of the FoA game itself

We expect either of these in return:

• a video material from the update to be published on YouTube on the 27th of May at 18.00 (CET)
• or at least half-an-hour stream on Twitch/YouTube on the same date.

Interested? You can sign up here: SIGN UP HERE!
More details: 960.awakenrealms.com

And what is most important…
Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, including the priceless feedback you keep providing! As you journey through the twisted lands of Avalon, encountering its myriad secrets and facing the daunting challenges it presents, we're thrilled to have you along for the adventure. Stay tuned for more updates as we draw closer to the release of Patch 0.7, and may your journey through the dark and enchanting realms of Avalon be filled with adventure and discovery.

Stay safe out there! And see you in a bit with a MASSIVE patch (and MASSIVE patch notes :D)

Awaken Realms

 

[Cryomancer]

I can't wait to explore a new region. This game is so great, TBH I'm a bit skeptical about their launch in Q4 2024.

 

[ADL]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1466060/view/4175478335203155990

Patch 0.7 Cuanacht Rebellion, our biggest patch EVER, is finally up and ready! Experience Tainted Grail in a whole new quality and an extra region with 10-20 hours of additional gameplay.

Hey everyone!

So! After so many months of hard work, we are finally back with a brand new patch. A big one. Actually, this is the biggest patch for this game! Hell, it’s the biggest patch in Awaken Realms history. In fact, it is so big that we don’t even know how to properly start this update.

Well, let us start with a big hearty THANK YOU!

Thank you to all you awesome players who decided to purchase the game in Early Access. We are players ourselves, so we know how it is - Early Access is always a risk. But you have trusted us and kept supporting us through months and months of development. We would not be here without you and your support.



NOW! Before we go into the details of the patch itself, a few disclaimers. We are Polish, so we like to start with the negatives.

Save wipes

This patch has massive changes to so many areas that keeping your saves would be impossible. As we have informed on the Steam main page, unfortunately, save wipes sometimes are unavoidable.

BUT - we have prepared special presets for all of you who want to just check out the new region.


Language support

Currently, the new patch content is available ONLY in English.
But do not worry, we will add support for other languages in the next few months.
It is still Early Access
Also, please note that this is still Early Access - so there might be small bugs here and there, imbalances, or weird things. The scope of this game is quite crazy.

There is no main storyline progress in Cuanacht

Currently, there are only side quests in Cuanacht, so there is no main story progression.

Quick FAQ:

I have never played this game, where should I start?
Definitely start with the Prologue and have fun!

I have already played through Horns of the South, is there anything new there?
There is no new story content, but the whole gameplay setup is drastically different. From statistics, perks, items, weapons, and magic.
So the gameplay experience will be drastically different. On top of that, performance should be much better, and visuals too!

Can I make my own preset for Cuanacht?
Yes, every preset has a special item (Origin Potion) that will reset your stat and perk points. So pick a build that has items you like most, and you can reset your character specs.

So I get an extra new region and gameplay to play for free?
Yup! And more is coming.


WHAT IS IN PATCH 0.7: CUANACHT REBELLION?

Writing full patch notes would be an impossible task, so let us just list the most important parts of the new patch!

New HUGE region - Cuanacht (around 10-20 hours)

Welcome to Cuanacht, one of the oldest settlements in Avalon, one of the first camps that Artur made during the Age of Conquest, 600 years ago, when he was fighting giants, Fore Dwellers, and purging Wyrdness from the land.

This zone is totally different from Horns of the South, and we tried to highlight it with totally different weather, locations, enemies, loot, as well as the story.

Exploring Cuanacht is quite a dangerous expedition, as enemies here are significantly harder. And those new enemies are AWESOME! Also, you can expect some really cinematic boss fights.

Fighting those enemies will be quite an adventure, but it is worth it - as there are tons of secrets, dungeons, loot, and magical items to find!

On top of that, there are 10 new quests for you to solve. In the final version of that region, there will obviously be more, including main story quests!

Performance and visuals!

Our tech team managed to do some magic, and on average, your performance should be much better.

On top of that, the game looks much better! We have whole new lighting and other supporting systems. We feel like we managed to squeeze quite a lot out of the Unity engine and are really proud of how the game looks and feels!

Wyrdnight and fireplace

There is a whole new gameplay loop in the game that enhances the thematic experience as well as the gameplay. In the previous game, there was a lot about “Wyrdness,” but you would not see it much on the map. We decided to change that.

Right now, when night is coming, Wyrdness is coming with it, transforming enemies into much harder versions of themselves.

On top of that, they will drop mysterious items that you can only identify at the fireplace.

There is also a new resource in the game - Ethereal Cobweb - that can be used to infuse your fireplace, fast travel, and identify items taken from Wyrdness.

Ah, and now your character can set up a fireplace at any place on the map and enhance it to protect from Wyrdness!

All of this adds a nice new layer of gameplay as well as a thematic experience during your travels in Avalon. It is quite nice, after a whole day of exploration, to set up a camp at a super cinematic location, cook food, and level up.

Much improved combat

Combat should feel MUCH better now, from gameplay to visual and audio. Here are a few examples:

• Dashes now have a limit (3) and cost much less stamina.
• Certain epic events trigger slow-time (critical kill, parry depleting stamina).
• Parrying has a bigger risk-reward factor.
• Everything feels just better.
• Critical kill with magic/bow triggers a kill-cam.

In general, combat feels and experience is much more fun!

Totally reworked magic

One of the less satisfying archetypes in the last patch was the magic build. We decided to step things up and totally rework how magic works.

Now, playing a pure mage is not only viable but also SUPER FUN!

There is a vast area of spells for you to choose from, and they are visually awesome!

Here are some examples:

• Summon a powerful thunder doing AOE damage.
• Banish opponents.
• Slow single opponents.
• Drain life/stamina.
• Use flame.
• Chill and freeze enemies.
• Summon powerful allies.
• Make a magic trap.

Big gameplay rebalance

We have rebalanced the game (including the Horns of the South region) so that it will be challenging the whole way, but also very satisfying. You can expect hard enemies, but also a lot of loot to help you deal with them!

This also means that almost all weapons, armors, and a lot of items were changed to fit the new gameplay.

We also eliminated a few of the most overpowered items.

Totally new perks and stats system

We have also redesigned the benefits from stats and perks. Now you have more perk points and many more fun combinations you can create out of them.

We will not tell you too much about it and let you discover it all on your own, but in general, there are A LOT of fun combos to find and execute.

Extra action wheel

We have added a second quick-slot wheel from where you can summon a horse (yes! There are horses to find in the game ), set up a fireplace, or fish.

Much more immersive systems like that will be added in the future!

...and TONS of small fixes and quality of life additions here and there.

As you can hopefully tell, we are quite proud and excited to share all of this with you. Well, so let’s just finish up this update!

PATCH 0.7 CUANACHT REBELLION IS FINALLY LIVE!

As always, if you enjoy what we are creating, leaving a positive review or spreading the word about this game would go a loooooong way. We are still very much an indie team, and any help with what we are trying to achieve is super appreciated.

Any critical BUG can be reported HERE.

Any feedback can be added HERE.

Our tech team is on standby in case of any hot-fixes (and you can probably expect several of them in the upcoming weeks).

Stay safe out there and enjoy all the new content we prepared!

Awaken Realms

25% off too

 

[mediocrepoet]

We are Polish, so we like to start with the negatives.

Wtf? You wait until I can't refund to come out with this?!

 

[Robber Baron]

I support every passionate indie out there
But man, the art style is all over the place

 

[Cryomancer]

We are Polish, so we like to start with the negatives.

Wtf? You wait until I can't refund to come out with this?!

Being Indie and Pole is a plus for me. Can you name one indie Polish RPG with pronouns in char creation?