Classic CRPGs are going through a period of being rediscovered by many new players, while fans of a certain age are finding comfort in the games of their youth. Both of these groups have something to love when it comes to SKALD: Against the Black Priory, a throwback to the role-playing titles of yesteryear for the C64.The game both looks and feels like it would not have been out of place in the classic era alongside such hits as Ultima, but also manages to bring in modern touches that help new players have fun as well.
SKALD: Against the Black Priory manages to be a modern, complex dark fantasy epic, that captures the old-school feel, but also manages to skew closer to a modern title like Dragon Age: Origins rather than Ultima IV. in terms of sophistication. What we have is a classic top-down role playing game with rules governing movement and actions, and turn based combat.You start the game by creating your starting pawn, and there are a a very deep number of role-playing variables, since you can select not just a character class but also change up aspects beyond performance in battle and spellcasting,
On interesting touch is that you can award some of the limited amount of points granted to use to to determine the character’s familiarity with the lore of the game-world and get a greater understanding of the events that are going on. As for what is going on, well this game goes for a very Lovecraftian horror feel, while still feeling very original. There is a lot of the classic fantasy world-building, with some familiar ideas, but underneath the surface is a tales of of Lovecraftian goings-on in a community where things have gone wrong.
The game starts with your ship having run aground during a mission to locate a missing daughter, and soon you will get sucked into the ominous seaside town where things are not what they seem and there is more than just the local people who are a bit mad. Once you start the game, you can build a party of adventurers with a surprisingly diverse amount of skillsets available, offering almost endless possibilities and combinations. Once you are ready, the game begins in full and the adventure is not an easy one.
SKALD: Against the Black Priory uses a grid based battle system that is is fun and intuitive, and provides a wide array of foes to fight with, including various flora and fauna and a rogues gallery of humans, often in monstrous forms. Combat can be a bit repetitive, and you can soon find yourself falling into just using a small amount of skills rather than the vast array you have, but overall it is good. The battles can be challenging and there is a lot to keep you on your toes.
It needs to be said that SKALD: Against the Black Priory is a horror RPG full of mystery and eldritch horror tropes and you will be drawn in very quickly. That said, be prepared to read a lot of text just like in the classic age of CRPGs, except this time it is full of gory descriptions of creeping grotesque imagery, as well as conversations between the denizens you come across. The dialogue is handled with multiple-choice dialogue trees, where your choices and decisions will affect the plot in various ways. It is also possible to use your wits to survive in this world, using your dialogue and Lore stats to avoid combat, along with some familiar dice rolling mechanics.
SKALD: Against the Black Priory is the single best throwback to classic RPGs since Moonring from last year. There is so much care put into the game and the art and music just do so much to sell the experience, and the game even has an option to be played with an authentic C64 colour palette, which is absolutely amazing. If you ever wanted to play a classic CRPG but struggle with how dated many of them have become, then SKALD: Against the Black Priory is for you. With excellent gameplay, side-quests galore, and a good challenge, SKALD: Against the Black Priory has everything you could want in a tribute game. Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
