If you are tired of Bethesda taking its sweet time releasing another Elder Scrolls game, this Tainted Grail review is made for you. Just like you, I’m obsessed with The Elder Scrolls, especially the last one, Skyrim. So, naturally, I got excited to play a game that closely emulates the legendary RPG.
Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon is not as big as The Elder Scrolls games; a smaller team made it. However, it has the DNA that makes the Bethesda RPG so special. You even start as a no-name prisoner in a cell. The game also has a dash of The Witcher 3 and a pinch of Elden Ring-like environments. While there are a ton of similarities, this Tainted Grail review will also highlight what makes this modern RPG different.
Table of Contents
Tainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalon Review – Arthurian Tale
The Arthurian tales have been retold so many times that it takes something special to spice them up. I went in blind, expecting an exposition-heavy prologue with old English dialogue that would bore me. Fortunately, Tainted Grail doesn’t need any of that; it throws you into the action extremely fast. Just 5 minutes in, I was bashing someone’s skull with a blunt weapon.
The game starts gradually, introducing you to the world. The prison setting is bigger than The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, too, and offers plenty of ways to tackle opponents inside. Tainted Grail does a remarkable job of keeping you engaged with the story, but doesn’t take you away from action for long. All dialogues are voice-acted and serve their purpose well. King Arthur is dead, but his spirit sticks with you throughout the game.
You are after the Holy Grail and may or may not restore Arthur to his physical form. I won’t spoil the main quest, but it’ll keep you going till the end. There are choices to be made here, too, so you can play the game again at least once. The side quests are great; I had a ton of fun completing everything. Some are intense, some are funny, and some have great rewards. Overall, the story is good, the voice acting is well done, and the side quests are nicely designed.
Tainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalon Review – Slice and Dice
Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon has a ton of weapon variety. There are plenty of melee weapons that all play differently. From daggers to spears, there are a lot of choices you can make. For magic lovers, there are a ton of different spells. Basic spells like fireballs to conjuring spells that summon allies to help you.
I love playing a sneaky ranged archer in all RPGs if there’s a choice. So, naturally, I picked up the bow as soon as I had access and ended the game with it, too. Ranged combat felt weak at first, especially in the first area, but I’m used to kiting enemies till they die. In true Elden Ring fashion, I ran around shooting arrows at enemies much stronger than me. I recommend a hybrid build until you can do better damage with the bow.
As you progress through the story, you can upgrade your gear and get stronger. Tainted Grail also offers perks per level up, so you can make a build shine with different abilities. The prologue area has a respec potion behind a lock. I recommend picking it up and using it when you feel like a build is clicking. I’m extremely satisfied with the combat; it’s hard at the start, but never unfair.
Tainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalon Review – The World
I’m a fan of RPGs that reward exploration. Thankfully, there are plenty of nooks and crannies you can explore and more often than not, come out with loot in Tainted Grail. The first prison area alone has a ton of rooms and secret areas for the player to find. All are completely optional, so you can miss out on some unique items.
The first area also has a secret boss fight, which you can cheese too, making Tainted Grail a special game in my eyes. The world is not truly open; there are large open levels that you can explore. The maps are huge, though, so you’ll spend plenty of hours in one area, exploring, questing, and finding loot.
The world design is oppressive and bleak. The developers at Questline have done a remarkable job in environment design. It suits the setting and story and is very Elden Ring-like. The day is pretty, but the night is stunning. Unfortunately, night is also draped in thick fog on consoles. You can’t see further than 30 meters at night, which makes it hard to explore. I sometimes forgot whether I was playing Silent Hill or a modern RPG.
Conclusion
The environments are beautiful, and exploration is highly rewarding. The main quest is fine, but the side quests are the highlight. Unfortunately, the game suffers from performance issues on consoles. The game dips well below 60 FPS on Xbox, with frame pacing issues. The shaky performance makes the game hard to enjoy.
Overall Rating: 7/10
