PC Skald:Against the Black Priory

[GardeniaSky's icon GardeniaSky GardeniaSky]

Has anyone else played this one? I played it on release, took me about 20 hours. A lot of people took issue with the ending and bashed the game hard.

I thought it was amazing. Absolutely beautiful. The soundtrack is a bop, the art is gorgeous. Battle system was really fun, the story had me fully invested.

I thought the ending was fitting for a grimdark setting.

I know it's a newer game but figured people here might have played it since it's very retro looking/feeling.

 

[RustySK]

Hell yeah I played it - absolute banger.
Felt like they took the coolest parts of Sierra Interactive's adventure game catalogue, put a Lovecraftian spin on it and injected it right into Ultima 3.

I feel like many indie retro throwback projects miss out on a lot of potential by adhering too closely to the presentational quirks of older games - Nox Archaist for example (also a good game, btw) - but this one manages to look and feel the way people remember these games rather than closely imitating what they actually were, while also playing plain buttery smooth.

I definitely second this recommendation!

 

[RageBurner]

I didn't play it, but a friend got softlocked due to a bug of some sort. A door that wouldn't open or something.

 

[Raziya The Seeker]

Absolutely, I'd been looking forward to it ever since I found it being announced. I was worried it'd go the route of Grimoire, but thankfully it wasn't the case. Also helps that the dev didn't take years upon years, because that usually means the game will flop. Just like Grimoire did!

I've only gotten halfway through the Firgol Carnivale thing, but I suspect that means I'm in the endgame after this... "peaceful" distraction to get to the titular Black Priory. I'd been playing with a Ranger. She's kinda mid. Roland and Driina are awesome companions, though I also like the stoic Iben despite his lack of chatter. I'm so glad they actually added a proper bard class to a game named Skald in a later update, let alone added fan-made modules recently. I think the dev wanted to make Skald feel more like a game system as well as a main campaign, so I'm glad he allowed for a toolkit for people to make their own adventures.

With one of Kat's conversations, this is also the first time I'd ever seen the hard C-word in a game.

I was addicted as all get out once the game dropped. Bought it the first week since its release. I have a habit of pausing at some point, even with games I adore, due to burnout. Otherwise I plugged away for about a month or so. Dark fantasy at its finest with a dash of old-school TTRPG flair. And like Rusty mentioned, it feels old-school without adhering too close to the old-school jank and clunk.

I thirdly cannot recommend this one enough. I'd just been putting off a Steam review till I finish a run, like I usually do with games.

@RageBurner Ach, that sucks to hear. I don't suppose the dev addressed this softlock, if your friend asked about it anywhere? I know console commands exist, and I needed to use them to finish a sidequest I missed out on. :(

 

[GardeniaSky's icon GardeniaSky GardeniaSky]

I didn't play it, but a friend got softlocked due to a bug of some sort. A door that wouldn't open or something.

I wonder what it could have been D:

Post automatically merged: Mar 23, 2025

Absolutely, I'd been looking forward to it ever since I found it being announced. I was worried it'd go the route of Grimoire, but thankfully it wasn't the case. Also helps that the dev didn't take years upon years, because that usually means the game will flop. Just like Grimoire did!

I've only gotten halfway through the Firgol Carnivale thing, but I suspect that means I'm in the endgame after this... "peaceful" distraction to get to the titular Black Priory. I'd been playing with a Ranger. She's kinda mid. Roland and Driina are awesome companions, though I also like the stoic Iben despite his lack of chatter. I'm so glad they actually added a proper bard class to a game named Skald, let alone added fan-made modules. I think the dev wanted to make Skald feel more like a game system as well as a main campaign, so I'm glad he allowed for a toolkit for people to make their own adventures.

With one of Kat's conversations, this is also the first time I'd ever seen the hard C-word in a game.

I was addicted as all get out once the game dropped. Bought it the first week since its release. I have a habit of pausing at some point, even with games I adore, due to burnout. Otherwise I plugged away for about a month or so. Dark fantasy at its finest with a dash of old-school TTRPG flair. And like Rusty mentioned, it feels old-school without adhering too close to the old-school jank and clunk.

I thirdly cannot recommend this one enough. I'd just been putting off a Steam review till I finish a run, like I usually do with games.

Oh yeah, I'm definitely picking it up again soon. I keep seeing little updates and am like, hmm I should play it again.

I spent weeks looking for similar games and couldn't find a damn thing that gave me the same feeling. It's such a unique experience.

 

[Raziya The Seeker]

Has anyone else played this one? I played it on release, took me about 20 hours. A lot of people took issue with the ending and bashed the game hard.

I thought the ending was fitting for a grimdark setting.

Shucks, I didn't even seen this part of your original post!

Yeah, these are the kinds of dweebs who crysturbated 'Thesda into undoing the ending of Fallout 3 with their crappy fanfiction post-game DLC. Steam Discussions are a steaming pile. As long as the ending fits, I couldn't care less if bad things happen to the heroes or protagonists in any genre or medium. A grimdark setting like Skald's wouldn't get a happy little golden ending wrapped up in a cute bow, would it?

Heheh, I am glad that I mentioned the updates then. Glad to hear you might give it another playthrough. And you're right, I haven't found a game that quite matches it yet.

 

[RageBurner]

I wonder what it could have been D:

I have no idea, sadly. Wish I could tell you.

@RageBurner Ach, that sucks to hear. I don't suppose the dev addressed this softlock, if your friend asked about it anywhere? I know console commands exist, and I needed to use them to finish a sidequest I missed out on. :(

Not sure if he spoke to a dev, but I'll certainly pass on your suggestion, thanks!

 

[bjork]

I gifted a copy to a friend and from what I understand, it's pretty great. Been waiting for them to make a video about it, just to get a better idea of their take on it.

 

[RageBurner]

I gifted a copy to a friend and from what I understand, it's pretty great. Been waiting for them to make a video about it, just to get a better idea of their take on it.

The coolest part, if you ask me, is the devs will (or already have) release the tools used to create the main campaign so the fans can make their own, so it would make the game virtually infinitely replayable.

 

[Tonberry]

Haven’t played it yet but I really want to, it looks super cool.

 

[99nereids]

Love this game, the soundtrack is sooo good. have had this specific track stuck in my head for months