Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon – TrueScore Gaming Review

I poured a little over 55 hours into Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, a dark Arthurian RPG that hooked me with its gripping story and haunting Celtic world. It’s a solid recommend for lore lovers, but a rushed third act, clunky ranged combat, and shallow systems hold it back. Here’s my no-nonsense take on this open-world RPG in 2025

🎮 Gameplay & Mechanics

Tainted Grail blends exploration with choice-driven quests and light crafting. I roamed Avalon as an archer, battling horrors and making moral calls that shaped the journey. The vendor system shines: I sold loot anywhere for fair prices, no coin caps—inventory management done right. Weight limits never annoyed me, either.

Combat, though, stumbles. My archer build felt a bit clunky at times when arrows missed or clipped on invisible ledges, especially indoors. Community feedback agrees, praising melee over ranged. The skill tree offers decent freedom (dexterity, strength), and a quest-unlocked tree adds flair, but status skills (e.g., sprinting to boost speed) give negligible buffs. Crafting is weak—arrows and potions work, but gear is pointless since quest loot outshines it. Act 3 lacks new resources, feeling a bit stagnant.

The home system and a certain refuge (no stash or crafting) are useless, wasting potential. These aren’t deal-breakers, just missed chances to deepen a solid game.

📖 Story & Narrative

You’re a wanderer in a decaying Avalon, chasing a mythic quest amid Celtic horrors and moral dilemmas. Acts 1 and 2 gripped me with suspense and emotional twists and a standout side arc hit hard. Community posts call these moments unforgettable. Act 3 keeps the story engaging but feels rushed, lacking the side content of earlier acts. The finale ties your in-game choices neatly.

🎨 Graphics & Art Style

Avalon’s Celtic-inspired world blends beauty and gore beautifully. Cinematics pop, environments ooze atmosphere, despite dated character models. Minor clipping (e.g., mount animations) didn’t bug me—I skipped the mount. For an indie, it’s visually striking.

🎵 Sound & Music

The Celtic soundtrack is fire—haunting tracks amplify the mood, especially a standout reused from cinematics. Combat effects hit hard, ambients immerse, but exploration sounds feel generic. Voice acting mixes stellar leads with uneven minors. Community raves about the music, and I’m sold.

⚙️ Technical Performance

My PC run was rock-solid—no crashes in 55 hours, just one bugged side quest needing a reload. Load times are fast, UI is clean. Accessibility (remaps, scaling) is decent but lacks deeper aids. Act 3 and systems feel rushed, though patches show devs care.

🔄 Replayability & Content

At 55 hours, it’s dense, but replayability falters. Branching choices and NG+ (tougher enemies, gear debuffs) tempt lore chasers—I tested NG+ briefly but won’t replay fully; my path felt satisfying. Act 3’s thin content (despite new caves) and no epic loot dull the pull. Home and crafting systems add nothing.

💰 Value for Money

$45 feels fair for 55+ hours, no microtransactions, and free updates (caves, NG+). Devs are consumer-friendly.

🎉 Fun Factor

I had lots of fun overall—the story’s emotional weight and soundtrack kept me hooked through 55 hours. Act 3’s emptiness, clunky ranged combat, and useless systems are missed opportunities for polish, but nothing felt like a chore. For me personally, I wouldn’t replay because there aren’t enough changes or unlocks to make it fresh with NG+. things like NG+-exclusive collectibles for the home would add depth, but what’s there is great as is.

✅ Who Should & Shouldn’t Play This

You Should Play This If:

• You love choice-driven RPGs and Arthurian lore.
• You enjoy deep narratives over tight mechanics.
• You want a 50+ hour adventure with no microtransactions.

You Shouldn’t Play This If:

• You need polished combat (especially ranged).
• You expect deep progression or replayability.
• Bugs or rushed endgames bug you.

👍 Pros

• Gripping story with emotional twists and meaningful choices.
• Haunting Celtic soundtrack and immersive sound design.
• Streamlined vendors cut inventory hassle.

👎 Cons

• Rushed third act lacks earlier depth.
• Clunky ranged combat and shallow systems (crafting, home).

Minor bugs (one quest glitch) hurt polish.

📝 Raw Thoughts

This game’s a testament to indie heart in a sea of corporate slop. Questline nailed the emotional gut-punch of Arthurian decay, with Act 2’s suspense leaving me invested like few RPGs do. My biggest takeaway? The moral dilemmas feel real, not scripted check boxes, but the third act’s thinness screams scope creep. Something most won’t notice: the Red Death skill tree’s quest unlock is a genius story-mechanics bridge—more games need that. It lived up to the hype for narrative depth but fell short on systems polish; still, 55 hours of solid fun without a single chore makes it worth the dive. Missed NG+ collectibles could’ve sealed replay value, but as is, it’s a keeper for lore chasers.

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