Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon

In recent times, we've had a resurgence of Souls-like games, due to the popularity of Dark Souls and Elden Ring. While it's not my favourite genre, I do enjoy it, and hell, Elden Ring has become one of my all time favourite RPGs. But something was missing. It's been a while since I've played an Elder Scrolls game, and the trio of Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim being some of my personal favourites, I've definitely missed playing Scrolls games. Honestly, with how AAA companies are these days, I'm not sure if Elder Scrolls VI will deliver. I hope it does, but I have my doubts. So, we have a ton of Souls-likes, but not enough Scrolls-likes. Until now... Enter Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. An RPG that is heavily inspired by the Elder Scrolls series in terms of gameplay, and it most definitely delivered. From start to finish, I enjoyed my time with the game indefinitely, with just a few minor hindrances. On top of feeling like a true successor to Skyrim, it also has a few Souls elements, like dodging, which is highly encouraged, especially early on, as some enemies and especially bosses deal a lot of damage. You also have bonfires to rest and level up at. The story, while nothing special, was still pretty good and knew when to take itself seriously. But even with how dramatic it can be, it also knows when to be lighthearted. I mean, for Arthur's sake, you have a goofy side quest that gives you a spell, which turns people into cheese! Sheogorath approved! Now, the game is not perfect. It's got its bugs, and it's definitely not the best looking modern game, though I couldn't care less about the graphics. I noticed, that when you talk to NPCs they're really quiet, but when they speak outside of dialogue options, they're back to being normal/loud. I'm not sure if that's a problem with the game, or if it's my system having trouble with modern games. Either way, the game never crashed! Something I definitely do not miss from Elder Scrolls games. Still not convinced? Here, let me list a few things, that I believe all gamers will appreciate: -No microtransactions. -No predatory Nintendo 80 dollar price tag. -No forced political messages, or gender ideologies. -No game-breaking bugs, that makes it look like an unfinished product (at least I didn't experience any). Tainted Grail is fun first, and that's how it should be for all games. This, alongside games like Clair Obscure, and just AA and indie games in general, are continuing to prove that AAA companies are out of touch with what the players actually want. Definitely a 10/10 from me. This is easily my favourite game of 2025, and I wish the developers nothing but success for all their future projects.