At first glance, Black Legend won‘t win any awards for cutting-edge graphics. Sporting visuals akin to late-era PlayStation 3 games, janky animations, and questionable voice acting, superficial gamers are likely to keep scrolling. But for those who can see beyond the dated presentation lies an incredibly addictive RPG filled with atmosphere and strategic depth. This AA indie release from developer Warcave overcomes its technical shortcomings to deliver a fresh combat system and eerie world that horror fans will adore.
First, let‘s get the flaws out of the way so we can focus on what makes Black Legend great. As a professional gamer and critic, I‘ve played my fair share of modern, big-budget titles boasting movie-quality cinematics and photo-realistic graphics. Black Legend sits decidedly on the opposite end of this spectrum. Built in the popular Unity engine, environments are simple polygonal models with low-resolution textures prone to long loading times. Animations often look stilted and unnatural, especially faces during dialogue scenes. The voice acting proves quite uneven as well. These presentational hiccups can initially feel immersion breaking.
However, as I explored the foggy virtual city and engaged with the intricate gameplay, I found myself glued to the screen for hours on end. Like discovering a hidden gem, Black Legend‘s core systems shone bright enough for me to look beyond any superficial smudges. I‘d compare this experience to indie favorites like Darkest Dungeon or Undertale – games with simple graphics but oceans of depth where it counts.
While AAA titles rely on visual splendor, Black Legend keeps players engaged with:
- An eerie, original game world
- Intricate, challenging combat
- Addictive character progression
Let‘s explore why Black Legend should be on any tactics fan‘s radar, not dismissed for subpar looks. This game has far more going on under the hood than its steam store images suggest.
Welcome to Grant, a Doomed Puritan Haven Turned Deadly Cultist Den
Black Legend transports players to Grant – a bleak city modeled after 17th century Puritan settlements in America and Europe. The architecture and costume design ooze with Baroque influences, painting a picture of early religious colonization.
Yet a sinister curse has transformed virtuous citizens into deranged occultists. An ominous red fog permeates the streets, driving residents insane with disease and mania. As you guide a team of four mercenaries through the once-prosperous avenues, Grant stands eerily empty save for violent, crazed souls.
The story provenance emerges organically through NPC dialogue and diary pages as you progress. A prominent alchemist named Mephisto harnessed the deadly fog to gain control over the city, only to lose control of his deranged minions.
To survive, players must master an innovative combat system combining conventional weapons with the arcane art of alchemy. Let‘s examine why the battle mechanics prove so compelling.
Familiar Classes Meet Unique Alchemical Attacks
Fans of tactics games will feel right at home with Black Legend‘s turn-based combat, which unfolds over grid environments using familiar movement ranges, cover, and line-of-sight rules. Each squad member takes their turn selecting actions like moving, shooting, reloading, or using special skills. So far, nothing innovative on display.
Where Black Legend spices things up is through its sprawling class system and one-of-a-kind alchemical attacks. Drawing inspiration from games like XCOM and Divinity: Original Sin 2, these features add exciting experimentation atop a proven formula.
Diverse Character Classes
Starting out, players build a primary protagonist before recruiting three companions. This initial quartet can be molded over time by switching between 15 distinct classes spanning conventional warriors to more exotic practitioners of the dark arts. Options include:
- Gunner – Wields rifles and pistols to blast enemies from afar
- Witch – Casts various curses and debuffs to weaken foes
- Berserker – Charges recklessly into the fray with deadly axes
- Alchemist – Brews concoctions to empower allies mid-battle
The sheer variety means most gamers will discover a playstyle catering to their preferences and strengths. Those favoring fast-paced carnage might stack Berserkers while cunning tacticians could experiment with tricky Witch and Alchemist builds.
Swapping classes mid-battle further compounds viable strategies. Send in a heavily-armored Knight to draw fire before using spell-casting classes like Shamans or Doctors to exploit enemy weaknesses from behind cover. Mastering the rock-paper-scissors dynamics proves essential, especially when confronting tougher occultist bosses.
Unique Alchemy System
Supplementary to the conventional move-and-attack loop lies Black Legend‘s novel alchemical features. Drawing from medieval lore, the developers created an intricate system based around four key Humors – Choleric (Fire), Phlegmatic (Water), Melancholic (Earth), and Sanguine (Air). Players can apply stacks of these Humors onto foes using certain weapon strikes or special skills.
But simply piling up Humors won‘t cut it. The real goal involves pairing complementary Humors with Catalyst attacks. Time a Fire strike just as your ally lands an Air attack for explosive damage. Alternatively, freezing a Water-soaked enemy using an Ice spell deals bonus harm by crystallizing their blood. Creative combos quickly become second nature after some practice, yet always allowing room for experimentation.
And did I mention enemies play by the same rules? You‘ll need to study occultists closely to spot deadly combinations coming your way. The alchemy system could prove overwhelming for some, but unlocking its secrets left me positively enthralled.
Roam Free and Uncover Dark Secrets
While combat takes center stage, ambling between battles in Black Legend‘s open city proved equally compelling thanks to an abundance of secrets to uncover. Moving about often instills a sense of dread thanks to the creepy ambient soundtrack and hazards around every alleyway corner. Rabid dogs, crazed clerics, and makeshift traps keep players on high alert.
Environments appear somewhat copy-pasted, with the same decrypted buildings and cultists guarding similar chokepoints. But searching carefully unveils hidden items and bits of lore adding context to Grant‘s history. I recommend taking things slowly to soak in details other gamers might hastily bypass.
Strengthen Your Crew Through Gears and Constellations
On top of the tactical battles themselves, Black Legend incentivizes progression via familiar RPG hooks. Taking out enemies and finishing quests earns experience points along with various currencies used to improve your squad‘s potency over time.
Outfitting Your Arsenal
Looting occultists reveals crafting components and over 100 unique weapons ranging from rusty knives to intricate arquebuses. Using these arms, you can forge new gear and apply runes to confer bonus attributes like +5% critical hit chance. Min-maxing builds to optimize damage and synergy with class skills proves quite addictive.
The Zodiac Constellation
Levelling up also unlocks points to navigate elaborate skill trees associated with zodiac signs. Each "constellation" branches into passive effects like raising maximum health or unlocking new combat abilities. Combined with swappable classes, this system allows tremendously customization to enable unique playstyles. Will you focus on survivability or all-out attacks? Generalized or specialized builds?
While some gamers will enter Black Legend and become immediately turned off by its PS3-era visuals, I encourage pushing past these superficial barriers. At its core lies an incredibly strong tactics game. The refreshing open-world setting, expansive progression mechanics, and dynamic alchemy fuse into a uniquely satisfying experience.
Fans of tactical challenges who found recent XCOM entries too easy should embrace Black Legend‘s steep learning curve. Mastering mobility and deadly combos presents a stiff but conquerable challenge. And those pining for more occult themes beyond gunning down aliens may find these gloomy streets perfect for scratching a horror itch.
Overall Black Legend deserves commending for daring to try something distinct even if not everything hits perfectly. I happily applaud Warcave‘s freshman effort and eagerly await their next release. Black Legend‘s bold ideas should have AAA studios taking notes!
8/10
