Forged of Blood by developer Critical Forge may be rough around the edges, but it’s the gravel filling the pothole of the Tactical-Roleplaying genre.
The Tactical-Roleplaying genre has been near void of new releases in recent years. It’s interest in it in 2019 has been nonexistent. Genres like Battle Royales, Shooters, and even MOBA’s have dominated the limelight. But Forged of Blood, though the popularity may not speak for it, has the potential to rival most Triple-A titles.
Forged of Blood excels in many of the things that makes its genre great, but takes them to the next level.
One of the things that sets Forged of Blood apart, is its detailed story exploration and believable characters. Every decision you make contributes to the future of the world. Forged of Blood takes the fluid story mechanic used in TellTale games, and combines it with rampant civil war. Not only can your decisions affect personal relationships, but also National outcomes, as well as those outcomes affecting relationships themselves. The story adds many layers of complexity for the player to explore, but what solidifies the story are the characters. Many RPG games struggle to create interesting characters that feel like real people, often with them feeling like generic fulfillments of archetypes. But the dialogue and character interactions in Forged of Blood feel both real and full of emotion. I was entranced watching the relationships develop between my favorite characters, and couldn’t wait to see how it affected the story.
But what’s most important in the Tactical-Roleplaying genre is the gameplay. I found Forged of Blood’s difficulty to be incredibly rewarding. There is no selectable difficulty level, but it thrusts you into the game. Similar games like Fire Emblem Heroes, have preset difficulties that tweak stats for each corresponding selection. Forged of Blood is a game that both respects and expects its players skill. You never fail to feel excited during an encounter. I had to experiment and tweak my strategies in order to succeed in even the earliest missions. Your tactics assuredly matter, and I myself learned that the hard way.
One of the ways you strategize is outside the battlefield. Unlike others in the genre, in Forged of Blood, there is no class system. Class kits and strategies are built yourself by allocating equipment and points in various skill trees. Any preset class you have in mind can be built yourself, but the opportunity to hybridize and innovate is also there. Games like Payday 2 with in-depth class systems, have built communities on those options. Forged of Blood has brought that concept to the Tactical-Roleplaying experience.
Unfortunately, for all the praises I have, Forged of Blood still needs work. One of the things that immediately stood out to me is the clear lack of player assistance. Forged of Blood is a hardcore gaming experience, but it felt gated to players new to the genre. I expected tutorials on the various systems, but had to explore and research them myself. There is an argument for letting players discover but outside of the initial combat tutorial, I was completely overwhelmed. I ended up having to put it together as I played, not learning until much later how to use the different skill trees. Ideally it would have a more expansive tutorial, but even my rampant confusion wasn’t my biggest qualm with the title. A couple times through the gameplay, I experienced game interrupting bugs. The biggest one halted the game completely. I couldn’t progress further until I created an entirely new save game and start from the beginning. I recognize what happened could have been unique to me, but it definitely put a damper on my experience.
Though ignoring unintentional features, I found myself incredibly satisfied with my delving into the Tactical-Roleplaying genre. I’d always heard of it, but never explored it outside of watching recorded gameplay. Forged of Blood is complex on several levels, and although sometimes to a fault, it has the capacity to turn the genre on its head. At its current state, I rate Forged of Blood: 7.5/10.
Check Out the Forged of Blood Trailer:
Forged of Blood, is now available for PC for $29.99 via Steam.
Steam Review
My name is Devon Huge. I'm passionate about writing, art, games, and lists that are one item too long.
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