Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Review: A New Standard for Indie RPGs

Open-world RPGs are perhaps one of the most popular genres in AAA gaming, but we rarely see them attempted in the indie gaming space, and when we do, they are often held back by the constraints of a smaller team and budget. Not to say that it’s impossible to achieve, but creating a massive open world with an immersive narrative, tons of side quests, and hours upon hours of content is naturally a daunting (and expensive) undertaking. Over the years, there have been a few indies that have tried to bottle the magic of titles like Skyrim and Oblivion, to varying degrees of success, and the next contender comes in the form of Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. But is this epic quest crowned king of the indie RPGs, or does it die by the sword?

The Fall of Avalon is not the first game to bear the Tainted Grail name. In fact, Tainted Grail didn’t begin as a video game at all. The franchise originated as a tabletop game in 2019. This was followed by a roguelike deck-building title, Tainted Grail: Conquest, in 2021, leading us to today as developer Questline and publisher Awaken Realms release their most ambitious offering yet, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, into 1.0.

In keeping with the theme and setting of the previous entries in this expanding series, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon takes place in a dark fantasy world loosely based on the legend of King Arthur, 600 years after his reign. Arthur had worked tirelessly to keep the Wyrdness at bay, but in his absence, this dark force crept back into the realm, seeping into every corner of existence and bringing about the deadly Red Plague to wreak havoc on the people of Avalon.

You’ll begin your quest by creating a character with some pretty basic presets, including facial features, hairstyles, and tattoos. Before embarking, you’ll also choose a difficulty option—Explorer, for a lighter challenge; Adventurer, for your standard balance of difficulty and story; and Veteran, for those who prefer a steeper challenge. There is also a Story and Survival mode if the aforementioned options are not enough. The difficulty level can be toggled from the options menu at any point during gameplay, so if you find that your intrusive thoughts were lying to you when they told you to go all in, you won’t be stuck starting a new save.

I began my run as an Adventurer but ultimately settled into the easier Explorer difficulty because, quite frankly, I wanted to see as much as possible of this massive title, and I knew that my pride would get in the way of my progress. There is a noticeably steep step down from Adventurer to Explorer, which wasn’t necessarily a problem for me but is worth noting for those who might seek more of a middle ground.

Gameplay opens up with your newly created protagonist being sprung from a prison cell in the Island Asylum by a mysterious stranger. It is during this initial interaction within these prison walls that you’ll choose your character’s initial attributes and learn the basics of Tainted Grail’s mechanics. None of what you’re taught here will be the least bit surprising to the seasoned FPS open-world RPG fan. You have an inventory to collect all manner of nonsense garbage and useful tools of combat—from monster toes to stone swords and cookbooks. This inventory, as you might expect, does have limitations, and collecting too many items will over-encumber our hero and slow them down to a crawl.

In combat, you’ll have two hands to equip with weapons, shields, and spells, with a wheel to toggle between different loadouts with relative ease. Our hero can also be adorned with seemingly endless combinations of armor and accessories. Leveling up also allows the player to allot stat points to various attributes like strength and endurance and fill in an extensive skill tree to further tailor the combat style to their preferences.

One of the most exciting offerings for the motion-sickness sufferers among us, though, is the option to toggle between the default first-person view and the third-person perspective. While the third-person mode isn’t the premier way to play the game, it’s totally functional and a lifesaver for those who love an epic adventure but can become a little green behind the gills from FPP.

Long story long, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a game that you can really make your own to maximize your enjoyment, and there is a lot of enjoyment to be found here. In fact, there is a lot of game in general. From the three expansive environments (that mercifully do come with a functional map and a fast-travel system) to a plethora of side quests to complete, NPCs to interact with, bounties to earn, creatures to slay, and items to collect, Avalon is a world to become immersed in for the long haul.

As you make your way from the lush Horns of the North to the frosty Forlorn Swords, you’ll meet many unique individuals who will offer you not only quests but decisions to make that will alter your fate. Will you choose to disclose your meeting with the fabled King Arthur to your new acquaintance or keep this secret to yourself? Will you fight for an audience with the Captain or earn the knowledge of his whereabouts? Some of Tainted Grail’s decisions will leave you questioning your own moral compass and making difficult choices to ultimately shape your journey.

And if you think this game is all about talking and fighting—well, it sort of is (you knew what you were signing up for), but there’s also fishing, blacksmithing, cooking, alchemy, and so much more. In the time it would take me to describe every system, mechanic, and quest type, you could just pick up a copy of this game and embark on your own adventure, and honestly, I recommend that you do!

Not only is Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon an immense game, but it’s a game that allows players to enjoy it at their own pace and skill level. Nothing ever feels rushed or like a high-pressure situation here. You can save your game at any time and with multiple slots. There are also frequent autosaves, so you won’t find yourself losing too much progress from an unexpected encounter. If your eyes wander from a side quest (or even a primary objective), there are countless other quests you can take on to shake things up. While the limited inventory can be a hindrance, there are plenty of places to store unused items that you aren’t ready to discard. The story is deep enough to be engaging and immersive without being so in-depth that it becomes a challenge for players to keep up with the plotlines. And there’s just so much here, clocking in at a value-providing 50 to 70 hours of gameplay.

Graphically, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is no slouch, either. Cutscenes are eye-popping in 4K, with in-game visuals remaining generally consistent and smooth. There were a few graphical oddities here and there, but for such a large game from such a small team, the results are nothing short of impressive. From incredible set pieces to sprawling fields and living, breathing landscapes, there is so much to take in here. There were times when the third-person perspective resulted in some comical graphical hiccups, but considering it’s clearly not the optimal way to play the game—and an option I am eternally grateful for—they are more than easy enough to laugh off.

If you were hoping to enjoy the game on Steam Deck, fair warning—performance at the time of this review is far from perfect. Testing some of the more intense open areas of the game on low settings, reaching 30fps was a struggle, with the game fluctuating between the mid-20s, while not looking particularly great in the process. The most stubborn of handheld players can get through, but it wouldn’t be my recommended way of playing, especially in what is such a beautiful game with the proper hardware.

This is also one of the few games I’ve ever covered on this channel that I feel has been enhanced by voice acting. The acting chops on auditory display here are top-notch, from the booming echoes of the once and future King Arthur to the drunken slurs of an inefficient guard—the vocal performances help flesh out this world. Music and sound effects tie everything together neatly, making for a game that feels both cohesive and polished.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a worthy addition to your library if you love the massive scope of games like Skyrim and want to settle into a single, immersive experience for a while. It has an interesting story, highly customizable combat, decisions that impact your experience, and a world that is easy to lose yourself in (and for once, I don’t mean because of the map).

ESSENTIAL