A profoundly Gothic and dark narrative driven game, The Necromancer’s Tale is a new spin on the RPG genre for players. Can this title animate the masses? Can it resurrect some interest in this niche area?
Spin me a Tale
Personally, I am a huge fan of exposition. In our “I want it all now” fast paced modern culture such things aren’t always appreciated. Exposition can be a double edge sword to modern day storytellers. The Necromancer’s Tale packs a tome’s worth of exposition, which left me pondering just how well the folks over at Psychic Software handled it. I felt the exposition gave way to a strong intoduction, that immediately engrossed me hook, line and sinker. I can understand not many people go in for lengthy expositions, but this tale is a CRPG after all, a genre which very much hinges on good introductions.
Our tale is broken into chapters (16 in total) and follows the life of a young aristocrat. Set in the 1700s in the fictitious state of Rulsthen, you are beckoned home to deal with family matters. Much has changed of your beloved home and you must now navigate through daily life in search of answers. Answers that bring you to dark places indeed. Although it’s hard to fathom how one can spiral into dark ambitions of the occult, The Necromancer’s Tale does a good go of easing you into it. However, it is a hard tale to spin without any predictable turns. I can recall on multiple occasions having to re-read a task and question did my character really just rationalise this? Perhaps that’s the charm of it. A great story is found here, one which is definitely worth experiencing.
A Tale Most Foul
The state of Rulsthen is found somewhere between the Hapsburg empire and the Ottomans, placing it somewhere in Eastern Europe. With this setting in mind, you very much feel the ambience of an Eastern European city upon first loading into The Necromancer’s Tale. The soundtrack, setting and characters all reek of Gothic dreariness. From start to finish the sense of evil, dread and dark are omnipresent. This is by design and paints a beautiful tapestry of a grim story.
Of note is the voice acting. While the randomly placed British accents common for RPGs are sporadic, most of the voice acting here is very stellar. Each NPC has a dedicated set of lines that further enrich the experience. Outside of civilisation, other settings like caves, crypts and graveyards also offer some great environments to set the mood. The Necromancer’s Tale really emphasizes a tale gone awry, leading to a depressing climax.
A Gothic Nightmare
As this title is a narrative driven game, I don’t want to you to be too bogged down with Necromancer’s gameplay. It has to be noted just how lacklustre it can be sometimes. Combat, in particular, is very clunky with delayed animations, weirdly paced combat sections and downright laggy transitions sometimes.
I might have been more lenient about the lapse in gameplay quality if combat did not feature so heavily towards the end of a playthrough. Furthermore, the movement can also feel exceedingly more clunky. I also found the frequent environmental clipping while parusing the streets of Rulsthen, which really brought me crashing back to reality. The environment does a good job of story telling, right up until you bounce off an invisible wall.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Overall, The Necromancer’s Tale delivers on the promise of a story filled with dark necromatic arts. It’s world building and narrative driven gameplay are to be commended. It’s just a shame I cannot say the same for it’s combat systems. For any story or exposition junkies, this is certainly a tale worth checking out!
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