In this game the protagonist is Adam, the mercenary called Black Claw, a bounty hunter that is quite skilled but not a veteran yet: the game
starts shortly after he kills an assassins and captures his accomplice. Wandering the city the hero will find some optional quests, card
games and find himself in a series of different situations. Meanwhile the heir to the throne, Prince Antonius receives the "Great Initiation" after the mysterious death of the Queen...
Tale of Exile is a low-fantasy gritty adventure that gives a lot of freedom to the player: the city is fully explorable and there are many secondary quests, for example it's possible, but not obligatory, to try to defend an innocent in a trial, a quest that may be completed succesfully or failed. Then it's possible to explore various areas, solve puzzles and fight enemies in a turn-based custom system. The game uses in fact lots of custom made menus and systems, that sometimes are a bit clunky but quite impressive anyway, and the diary is pretty handy to remember what you are supposed to do and where you are supposed to go.
Random Fact: this game was originally made in Polish since
the developer is from Poland, however it was released in both English
and Polish. The game was originally planned in four acts, but
unfortunately only the first was completed.
Final Verdict: far from perfect, but REALLY FAR from bad, Tale of Exile is a wonderful experience. Despite the inventory choices, the diary is really useful to understand what you have to do, and it's impossible losing the thread. The game does not hold your hand and rewards exploration, in this sense it's more of a typical fantasy western rpg (I mean not "oriental Jrpg", not that he has cowboys!). I also liked many references and easter eggs here and there (for example the art gallery hosts pictured by an artist that's clearly a reference to Andy Warhol) and the high level of detail and accuracy of the world, that cleary required a lot of work and effort.
So this was Tale of Exile. The usual question is: did I had fun? Well, yes, a lot.
Despite the flaws (in my opinion due to the bold experiment to make something akin to a sort of fantasy Fallout rpg) the game is immersive, enjoyable and looks good too.
Recommended!
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