For the longest time, I’ve yearned for an RPG that can fill the void in my gaming heart that was left by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The world Bethesda crafted was the pinnacle of what I prefer from an RPG, and since then, many games have tried to replicate that formula, but none have succeeded, let alone innovated on it. That was up until I got my hands on Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. While this title isn’t at the forefront of RPG innovation, it knows what it is and doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not, which is refreshing to see in today’s gaming climate. While there are a handful of flaws in this game, I am more than happy with the time I’ve spent with it. 

A Salt of The Earth RPG

Going into it, I was very skeptical about playing Tainted Grail, since many RPGs have come before it and failed to hold my attention for more than a few hours. The trend I’ve seen among most modern RPGs is that they try to do too much and spread themselves too thin in what they offer players. This isn’t the case with Tainted Grail; this is a game that nails the core tenets of what I deem a fun RPG should be. The story in Tainted Grail is captivating from the jump, its world is vast and holds many secrets, and, most importantly, the lively characters propel it well beyond the bar I initially set heading into this game. In a nutshell, what publisher Awaken Realms and developer Questline did here was lean into this idea of function over flashiness, and in doing so, they struck gold.

When it comes to customization in my games, I can always appreciate an expansive set of choices when crafting my hero, but Tainted Grail understood that its strengths lie in the world that is in front of you, versus the eyes you’re looking through. It won’t wow you with a dizzying amount of choice when it comes to hairstyles, facial sliders, or skills trees. Rather, Tainted Grail gives you just enough to be happy with your looks, along with your skills, then thrusts you into its captivating story that does a lot of the legwork.

Things Got Wyrd

Another aspect I was dreading when it came to another fantasy RPG was this game’s story. This is in part because every run-of-the-mill fantasy RPG that comes about nowadays is severely lacking in the world-building department. By doing so, I am left with little to no desire to conquer the world I’ve been placed in, but to my surprise, the more I played Tainted Grail, the more I was invested in its world. 

You carry the legendary King Arthur’s fractured soul within you, and it is your job to collect the scattered pieces of what made him whole. The story takes many twists and turns with an ever-expanding array of story choices that you must make along the way that will impact your journey, which makes every key story beat worthy of paying attention to, rather than spamming the A button to skip through. A prime example of a situation like this is when I came across a questline to locate a lost captain who was presumed dead. Turns out he was very much alive, and he allied with a local band of tribesmen. After you find out that the captain is a traitor to the keepers and has his own goals in mind, I teamed up with a morally grey captain of the guard to take down the traitor once and for all. 

A Voice in My Ear

One area in which Tainted Grail far exceeded my expectations was in the voice acting department. I feel this is the thing that truly won me over, but at the same time brought up my first real nitpick with the game being facial animations. Nearly every NPC that exists within this world is well-written and is worth striking up a conversation with. Dialogue trees aren’t expansive, but the way that each character was portrayed, I was constantly surprised and entertained. 

A standout character that I can pluck from my memory was one I just happened to stumble upon in a random sidequest. Going by the name of Rumpolt Finnini, an undead connoisseur of fine foods who was buried alive in a small cavern and left to his devices. Rumplot is just one of many characters within this game that stood out to me as noteworthy interactions I’ve had during my time with Tainted Grail, and I will forever look fondly on the attention to detail here. I say this mainly because it’s been a long time since a game captivated me like this and strung along quirky NPCs for me to uncover, let alone ones that I actively sought out. Pair this with the grim aesthetic of the world, and it serves as a nice contrast to the madness around you as the story unfolds.

This is where things start to stray off the golden path for Tainted Grail. I almost view it as a disservice to the voice actors who were cast in this game that the facial animations never truly matched up with what emotions were being portrayed by the characters. One instance that stood out to me the most was upon finishing the Rumplot questline, the person who sent you on said mission has a nice laugh at who exactly you’ve found. The delivery of the line wasn’t the issue here, as it was implied this character was brought to tears of laughter yet remained stone cold in the face, wiping away any immersion in this scene.

Carry a Big Sword 

Combat is king when talking about a modern open-world RPG. With a wide array of magic, swords, hammers, and bows at your disposal, you can truly craft the experience to your liking. If you happen to be well-versed in the combat systems used in titles like The Elder Scrolls, you should feel right at home here. I can easily view this as a detriment to the overall experience as well. It’s very old school in the sense that you just have to manage your stamina, swing your weapon, and land a few heavy hits to take down your foes. Speaking as someone who has a soft spot for older RPGs, this is exactly what the doctor ordered. 

With that being said, each weapon has some heft to it, where each swing or strike could easily carve up your enemies, which is fairly rewarding, and while it may be easy to get lost in the hack and slash of it all, players must keep a watchful eye on their stamina meter at all times. If you fail to do so, you’ll find yourself outmatched against any foe you come across. 

Final Verdict

Simply put, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is well worth the price of admission. It’s an RPG that was crafted with care and pays homage to titles that came before it. The focus on quality over quantity is a gamble that paid off when talking about the total package, but came with a few nagging issues that bring it down a notch. The minimal effort shown toward the facial animations is a true crime against the voice actors who brought these expertly written characters to life. Pair that with the rather dated combat system, and it truly pains me to not set this game in a league of its own when talking about games I’ve played recently. Those are issues that are quickly overshadowed by just how fun this adventure is and how well core RPG tenets are executed upon. The story, world, and expansive lands this game takes place within are truly something that could give Bethesda a run for its money.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon was reviewed on PC with a code provided by Questline. It is also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

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