For a few days now, you’ve been able to become a necromancer on Steam. The Necromancer’s Tale is fascinating its players, of whom there are unfortunately far too few.
Actually, July this year isn’t as patchy as the dreaded summer slump would suggest. With genuine highlights such as Eriksholm, Donkey Kong Bananza, and most recently Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, there are quite a few new games that will keep you entertained in front of your screen during the hot summer weeks.
But, as is so often the case, there are also numerous smaller titles that are easily overlooked. One game does not deserve this fate this July, but is currently hardly being played: The Necromancer’s Tale. It only has 130 Steam reviews, but 92 percent of them are positive.
The role-playing game is very reminiscent of one of the best games of its genre ever made, as it was clearly inspired by Disco Elysium. According to the developers, Pillars of Eternity was also a source of inspiration. The game certainly lives up to its predecessors in some respects – at least you can feel the passion that went into it.
Il negromante italiano
In The Necromancer’s Tale, you take on the role of a small time traveler who is catapulted about 300 years into the past and to Italy. In 1733, your character’s story begins in a fictional kingdom near Venice, but even before that, you can explore virtually his entire life. To do this, you browse through a book, have the story read to you, and make decisions.
These decisions determine what kind of character will accompany you for the next 30 hours or so. Male or female? Academic or military? Analytical, strong, persuasive, or intelligent? That depends on your life up to the beginning of the story. Or you can ignore the suggestions and distribute the skill points yourself.
Unsurprisingly, however, your character inevitably evolves into a first-class necromancer over the course of the profound, narratively mature, and exciting story.
While investigating the curious death of your father, you come across a sinister book. Little by little, you uncover more secrets and learn how to summon skeletons, zombies, and ghosts.
Tell me about death
The Necromancer’s Tale is first and foremost a great story. That means you have to be willing to be entertained by the narrative. Although there is plenty to do and discover in the large, walkable city of Marns and its surroundings – for example, you have to regularly find certain items, combine them, and solve tasks – you will spend much more time engaged in conversations that are only partially voiced in English.
There are around 180 NPCs bustling about the city, all going about their daily business and with whom you can interact. For some tasks, it is necessary to know exactly where each character is at any given time.
Above all, you should think carefully about who you trust and what you say. The people in this world are aware that necromancy exists and are understandably very skeptical about it. If word gets out about what you’re doing with this power, the mood in the city will change, and that will affect where you’re welcome and who wants to talk to you.
Necromancer’s Tale combines a truly fascinating premise with playful and interesting challenges. The result is an atmospheric feel for what it’s like to secretly pursue your plans as a basement necromancer. Whether good or evil.
Why do so few people play this?
The Necromancer’s Tale shines as a story, but one look at a screenshot is enough to see where its weaknesses lie.
Graphically, this little project is completely outdated, and even the painting filter, which is activated by default, doesn’t change that. It looks like it was made 20 years ago – the interiors in particular often appear lacking in detail.
This is something you’ll have to come to terms with. As is often the case, graphics are easily forgotten when the game itself is fun, but you have to get past that hurdle first. Another weak point is the tactically superficial turn-based combat, in which you later command a small army of undead. It fits the necromancer fantasy, but it’s tedious to play. Not without reason, you can completely disable these battles and focus more on the story.
Despite these weaknesses, The Necromancer’s Tale is still worth recommending. It’s a dark fantasy story that reveals emotional depths and really conveys what it would feel like to actually decipher an ancient book on necromancy.