Black Legend – Game Review (Steam)

Our Rating: 7/10

We occasionally come across indie projects that leave us speechless when we see their quality. More importantly, the amount of risk they take. Warcave’s new project Black Legend is the topic of this analysis.

We couldn’t help but think, “Wow this is a small development but it looks like something out of the world of Bloodborne,” as soon as they released the trailer!

Game Overview

Grant, once a wealthy and prosperous city-state, was engulfed by the wars of its neighbours. The merchant council enlisted the help of Mephisto, a gifted alchemist who devised a potent formula that engulfed the region in a poisonous mist, forcing invaders on both sides to flee.

The antidote provided by the alchemist was given to Grant’s residents on a regular basis. Ensuring everyone’s life and safety. But… Mephisto vanished one day.

The king offered a group of mercenaries, who fought on the losing side of the Great War, a choice. Either accept the death penalty or travel to Grant and put an end to the evil mist in exchange for their freedom. The mercenaries chose the second option and set out to save the city’s inhabitants, armed with the antidote.

You will have the opportunity to carefully select your team and the classes they will attend. This is critical for victory in all battles, and there are many more to come. If you search thoroughly throughout the city, you will find characters who have either lost their team or want to join your group in fighting the fog.

Black Legend Gameplay

Your mercenary squad is always made up of four soldiers. As if it were a board game, combat takes place in turns, with each character acting in turn.

There are 15 different character classes to choose from. Each character is compatible with a specific set of weapons and combat abilities. It is critical to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each class.

Building a team with good synergy is crucial, and experimenting with different team combinations is a lot of fun.

The game utilizes alchemical principles as well as Humorism, an ancient medicinal system that was widely used in medieval medicine. According to this theory, diseases are caused by an imbalance of four alchemical components in the body. These are represented in the game by albedo, nigredo, rubedo, and citrinites.

Depending on the enemy you’re fighting, some combinations are more effective than others. Moreover, the elements can cause effects like bleeding, blindness, or burns. Humor can also have an effect on equipment, momentarily increasing points of strength, aim, endurance, and so on.

This system is also used by the enemies against their team, so it’s important to keep an eye on it. Any hesitation means certain death. This is especially true if you are playing in hard mode, where death is permanent.

The Battles

You’ll be playing a strategic role-playing game with different difficulty levels. It will not be difficult to play it in normal mode. This game might be a good fit for you if you enjoy challenges. We will have to return to the camp many times to regain our health.

Moreover, when we return to advance, the enemies will be waiting for us. Of course, as you defeat your opponents, they will change and alternate.

It is advantageous to position our group well at the start of each battle, taking into account the role it plays. For example, if a character wields a shotgun, it is best to place it a few squares further away than, say, a mercenary character wielding a sword.

Battle Map

The battle map is divided into squares. The positioning in which we leave our characters is something to keep in mind.

Each turn, we can move and position ourselves next to an enemy, then attack, heal, or use a special ability. However, once this exercise is completed, we can move again. And depending on where we leave our character and where he looks, he will take more or less damage.

Attacks from the side or back will take more lives, but this applies to us as well, and the enemies will be aware of this.

We’ll have to learn to fight using body alchemy, which is based on the ancient concept of humor. To deal massive damage to enemies and win, master four different instant abilities and combine them with catalytic attacks.

The Good, the Bad, and the Overall Experience

Black Legend is a strategic RPG with a careful aesthetic and lore, which is one of the game’s strengths in our opinion. The combats are challenging and something that’s enjoyable (though this varies depending on the preferences of each player).

Graphics and Sounds

The game is visually stunning. The developers are skilled at conjuring up a tense atmosphere and a melancholy mood, with fog and death pervading the entire scene. The city of Grant is set in the Netherlands in the seventeenth century, and the architecture, clothing, and equipment all reflect the period.

The characters wear capes, swords, and hats and fight with foil, spears, gunpowder, muskets, and primitive grenades. In a rich setting not seen in many games, you can assemble a character in the style of a musketeer, pirate, or knight in Spanish armor.

The sound effects envelop the game in a bleak atmosphere that will keep you focused on every detail, and to top it off, we’ll hear people screaming in the distance, driven insane by the fog’s power.

Conclusion

Once you get past the initial challenge of Black Legend, you’ll be rewarded with a rich, immersive strategic game with plenty of room for experimentation.

In short, if you enjoy challenging turn-based strategy games with a compelling story, Black Legend could be a good fit for you. The game is now available for PS 4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.