Frayed Knights: The Skull of S'makh-Daon

Genuinely funny dialogue and an interesting combat system let down by: - occasional (apparently) random encounters - Drama star system designed to prevent save scumming also misses the point of saving for reasons *other* than save scumming. In fixing one problem, they created another. - Seems to be deliberately designed to push you back to town on a regular basis - The town is... basically pretty boring. Takes too long to wander around it compared to the amount of stuff to do. - NPCs that are nowhere near as interesting as the protagonist PCs - The effects of many of the perks & upgrades are not well explained. - The graphics are about on par with Might & Magic 6-8, which is to say mediocre by late 90s standards. I don't actually mind this much, but if you want eye candy look elsewhere.

Let me start off by saying that this game isn't terrible. During dungeons, its graphics can pass for "dated," and it /does/ have many of the qualities that I've come to love about the CRPG genre. However, it has downsides. Granted some of these are personal dislikes and may not be the case for everyone. In fact, if you -disagree- with this review, that's cool. I think I'm going to go ahead and be the bad guy if that means pointing out the flaws in this game that so many people are intentionally blind to. If you want the cliffnotes version of this review: take the positive reviews of this game with a grain of salt, and maybe go play something else. So... first off, I felt I had a few miscommunications going into this game. The game claims character customization, and for some reason I was thinking that meant character creation. Not so: you play the game with the same party of four characters. To be fair, there's dialogue and banter and character development with these four characters, ...

Overall a good tactical party-based RPG. Funny without being corny. It not only takes itself lightly, it mocks some of the common tropes of the genre. Graphics are mediocre, dialogue is hilarious and riveting, and quests are often surprising. Combat is not simply about killing the enemy, it is also about resource management. The more spells or attacks you use, the more tired your characters become. Characters start with defined roles (thief, fighter, priest, sorcerer), but with open customization you can make them whatever you want. If you want a good RPG but aren't afraid of a little sillyness, give Frayed Knights a shot.

It's actually a really nice game. I had some troubles with the graphics first, because...while I like old school 3D graphics, some of the enemies looked a little bit strange. But once I overcame this, I had a lot of fun playing this game. If you like old CRPG, this is for you. The GUI is something to get used to and even if you do, there are still some annoyances left that will bother you throughout the game, but even Skyrim has those, so... The graphics are, as said, old school 3D. Personally, I like this. But even if you don't, I bet that you won't notice it after playing it for a while. The story is fun and the character interaction is too. However, it's never over the top. It's always likeable. Don't get fooled by the first impression...you will feel like as if you are back in 2000 and are playing the latest and greatest game.

Awesome turn-based fantasy game. I started playing since it was recommended as a modern version of Pools of Radiance. Similar gameplay. More humor. Great developer support. This is neither a hard-core min-max game or for fluffy carebears. You will die and everything won't be obvious right away. But you don't need the perfect class builds to be successful. Most important: fun game at a great price.

So ... Frayed Knights. It is one heck of a good game! It has it's pros and cons though. But I beat it, and here is what I think. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. 1. Items and spell descriptions - Some of these can be totally wrong (I'm looking at you Peel Armor and Potion of Resist Disease), so it can get confusing. But once you figure out what they are, it isn't bad. 2. Quick spell slots - Only 3? That's right. So most of the time, you'll forget about your other spells. That is a pain. I'd suggest priniting out a spell list for yourself. 3. Stars - Though this mechaninc is neat in itself, losing it when you have to quit the game because of an emergency or something else while in battle ... and you LOSE all the stars you got? I can live without that. 4. Skill descriptions - Some can be pretty easy to figure out while others? I still have no idea what they do. Eh ... ~~ But the story (which I was very sad to see end) was great. There was a few twists ...

A throw back to the old RPG "blobbers" of the late 80s/early 90s. I love those old games and this game certainly scratched that itch. Drama star system was a fun addition and prevented save scumming. Also, the pregenerated characters were genuinly fun and entertaining. Really, for me, the one downside was the GUI was a bit rough but it was workable and didn't hold back my enjoyment of the game. Looking forward to the sequel.

I really enjoyed the game. Some quirks and I wish you could run. Took a little time at the start to understand how to manage resources (healing, endurance, exhaustion) - but was quite enjoyable from that point forward!

10 scale: Graphics: 4 Music: 5 Fun: 7 Story: 7 Value: 7 Frayed Knights is a party-based first-person POV RPG. Similar to games such as WIzardry, Eye of the Beholder, etc. The story is decent, creating the desire to move ahead and figure out the mysteries of what is going on. One feature of the game is the witty banter between party members. The game focus on a being lighthearted and witty. The biggest negative is the graphics. They would be at home with games from 10-15 years ago. But the gameplay and story make up for that deficiency. Leveling up is rewarding, with many spells, abilities and bonuses to choose from. Loot was sufficient, but barely. Around 95% of loot is white junk that you sell for a bit of coin. When you do find a "legendary" item, it is a big deal, so don't expect wondrous loot to rain down from the heavens. Fights start out very slow, until you get some abilities and spells under your belt. Exploration is fun. There are some decent puzzles, but nothing that is to...

I rarely write interviews for games on Steam, but I really enjoyed this one. Know what you're getting into. The price tag reflects the quality of the graphics, music and what not. Its an indie game made by a very small team and it shows. The style is cartoony, and light hearted and that's not everyone's thing. You also have a group of premade characters, though the freeform skill system still means you can "multiclass" them with few problems. For example the thief can be effective made into a combat oriented thief or a thief/cleric type character. I made my mage into an archer/mage for example. The game is a first person/party based game and it looks a lot like Wizardry 8 and feels like it too. There are random encounters, the game has a lot of party building options, and so its not really a casual game. Its a short, fun RPG if you like these kinds of games. Its not Might and Magic 10 or Wizardry 8, but if you have enjoyed those and are looking for something similar and don't mind the ...