I have two more reviews for or Daedalic Entertainment's Blackguards. I consider both to be a mixed bag as one praised the game, and the other is way to negative.
RPG Codex - No Score
RPG Codex - No Score
Next is PC Gamer who gives the game a very low score of 58/100.Blackguards is, in my opinion, a perfect first RPG for a company new to the genre. It doesn’t try to bite off more than it can chew, but delivers much more than you would expect, and it learns from the games that came before it, while also adding something new of its own. Not to mention the bravery of releasing a PC-exclusive turn-based tactical RPG nowadays. Personally, I would love to see Daedalic develop even more creative and unorthodox approaches in a sequel or future game. Instead of wasting time and money on a fully explorable 3D world like everybody else, they should keep the FFT/Arkania map and focus on making dungeons explorable in a Dungeon Master/Legend of Grimrock style, using their adventure game expertise for puzzles. In an age of sequels and reboots, Daedalic have entered the RPG world with a great first step, and I hope they keep striding far, not afraid to walk off the beaten path.
More information.Much of my time in Blackguards was spent waiting. I waited for my turn, as enemies slowly plodded around hex-grid maps. I waited for tactical diversity, yearning to unlock the more interesting attack options. Mostly, I waited for earnest fantasy stereotypes to finish performing their questionably accented dialogue and unlock the next fight.
Based on The Dark Eye pen-and-paper rule-set, Blackguards is a turn-based RPG so focused on combat that it’s more fantasy XCOM than fantasy Fallout. At the start the character you’ve created is convicted of murder. Escaping from prison, he or she must team up with a band of roguish misfits to figure out who – or what – was really responsible. Yet that mystery isn’t much more than a flimsy tool to link each battle.
Masochistic stat-chasers will find much to enjoy, but Blackguards’ varied combat is no substitute for a fully-formed RPG.