You know Neocore Games. They are the PC gaming outfit from Hungary who have put together some solid offerings over the last 5-10 years, including WH40K: Inquisitor, The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing and King Arthur: The Role Playing Wargame and its sequel of the same name.  I haven’t played Inquisitor, but I have put some hours into the action/horror RPG Van Helsing which I enjoyed, as well as the original King Arthur game strategy game/RPG hybrid, which I liked a lot but could never win. I always got to a specific point in that game and could not advance. I think I was missing some key progression point and after a few playthroughs grew frustrated. I never played the sequel…maybe one day.

Now Neocore return with their Early Access title King Arthur Knight’s Tale. I feel like there is a slash or a comma missing from that title – maybe it will be added later. This new game combines action RPG elements by giving the player a selection of knight’s from the King Arthur mythos to play through the game with.

By: Lloyd Sabin

Missions are tactical, turn-based offerings fought out on a grid, with equipment, armor and weapons earned and skills buffed in between combat.

Combat on a grid

Missions are taken by exploring a lush map of Arthurian Cornwall, which looks great. You play as Mordred, one of the darker, traitorous characters from the King Arthur legend, which drew me in immediately – and your ultimate goal is to actually kill King Arthur, or what is left of him.

Mordred

The ‘morality disc’ from the earlier King Arthur games also returns, and players shape their alignment with light and dark, good and evil, through their actions. This is not a light-hearted game, and I love that part of it.

Crypt

The dungeons, ruins and fortifications of the missions I have played also look good, but right now are a little limited. Two hours appears to be the game’s extent, but a large update was just released in late February which further expands both the character roster (Sir Tegyn is now available), locations to explore, and missions.

Looks inviting

The gameplay is more mature than the hack and slash found in Van Helsing, and more subtle and perhaps refined than the gameplay found in Neocore’s King Arthur role playing wargame series.

Let’s do this

Note that the game is very much still in early access, but progress is steady and the studio has made plans for major updates to the game monthly up until proper release. Ultimately, King Arthur Knight’s Tale promises a detailed map with 20 different missions and 50 different map locations.

Tutorial

King Arthur Knight’s Tale was originally funded through Kickstarter (I was a backer) and is now available for $34.99 on Steam. If you enjoy dark fantasy, British myth and even tactical medieval wargames, this will be a title worth watching as it develops. I hope to take it for a spin again to see what has been made available in the latest update soon.

He likes spikes

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