Foretales Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Foretales
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Foretales key art

I need to find a way to track a certain individual, which means I need to recruit a hunter. But all the locations available on the board are filled with enemies, which means I need to confront one group to open up a new one. I use a combination of food, money, and fame to convince the entire group to flee, and Volepain, the protagonist, loots their camp, bringing in a decent amount of supplies and some explosives.

I then negotiate with a hunter and, using his card, push towards the quarry I am tracking. I rest, to get some of my cards back, and once again evaluate which group of enemies to attack to try and bring this quest to completion. I might actually fight them, as I am low on bribe worthy resources.

Foretales is developed by Alkemi, with publishing in the hands of Dear Villagers. I played on the PC using Steam and it is also offered on the Nintendo Switch. The title delivers one of the most interesting takes on a card-driven adventure I have seen in a while.

Volepain is a thief who takes on a weird job that allows him to see potential futures after touching a mysterious lyre. He sees potential trouble for his friends and family, but also an apocalypse that will destroy his entire world. The only way to stop it is to tackle a series of adventures, choosing people to save and situations to solve, finding out more about the artifact, and finding ways to balance subtlety and aggression. There’s a lot of writing in the game and, as long as the player is ready to roll with some fantasy tropes, it’s solid, especially when it comes to the interactions between characters.

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I like the narrative of Foretales but it’s the gameplay that will capture the attention of most players. This entire adventure is based on cards. Locations in a chapter of each adventure are cards drawn from a deck (always peek in there to see what might come up), while potential opponents are another deck, which grows in number based on player actions and specific events.

Each character the player has in his party comes complete with his own set of cards, some of which are in hand and available to play. Even resting, which gives players a chance to get more cards to use, is centered around a small deck. In addition to the cards, players have access to money, food, fame, and dread, as well as to unique items.

And all these cards create a world, a situation, a way to solve it, challenges to overcome, opportunities to exploit, and dangers to avoid. Clocking on any character ability card, on any resources, and on any item will show how it can interact with a location or a character. The aim is to cycle through all elements of a scene, develop some, avoid others, extract resources, find new cards, solve situations, and find a way to move the adventure forward.

Figuring out this puzzle is fun and engaging enough. But, depending on the situation, players will also have to engage in combat. Most of the enemies are so cute that it’s hard to think about killing them, one of the many ways that Foretales offers incentives for non-lethal play. Some opponents can be bought using food or money, others retreat after players spend fame or dread or use an item. Each enemy that retires takes away some of the group’s morale and all the rest follow suit if it all drops to zero.

I followed the title’s lead and always sought to avoid battles and to make enemies retreat without bloodshed. When it becomes impossible to avoid drawing steel, Foretales remains a solid experience, allowing players to boost a character's attack or to use companions to soak up damage.

Foretales adopts the restrictions of its genre while finding ways to create a vibrant world out of cards. All the characters have clearly drawn personalities, with the level of quality extended to all the cards that players will discover and use.

Even though the entire experience is centered on a table, the art evokes a much wider universe, centered on animals and deep social issues. The sound design is almost as good as the graphics, with a soundtrack that knows when to make its presence known to underline moments or actions. The one small issue is the constant narration, which can become annoying and repetitive.

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The Good

  • Deep card-driven systems
  • Solid narrative
  • Variety of interactions

The Bad

  • Some difficulty spikes
  • Running voice commentary
  • Can be overwhelming at first

Conclusion

Foretales manages to be both innovative in its gameplay and deliver an engaging story, a rare combination in the world of card-driven video games. It’s fast-paced, asks players to think about actions and consequences, and deals with the fate of the world and with more personal relationships.

The combination of systems might be a little overwhelming initially, but it only takes about an hour before the game reveals its depth and variety. The developers at Alkemi have created a deep game that encourages players to think outside the box and minimize casualties as much as possible. Foretales will reward players for giving it their time and energy.

Review code provided by the publisher.

story 9
gameplay 9
concept 10
graphics 8
audio 7
multiplayer 0
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 
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Foretales screenshots (26 Images)

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