The Necromancer’s Tale is a premium role-playing game for PC developed by Psychic Software. It is a dark fantasy tactical RPG adventure that delves into the arcane arts of necromancy. In it, players take on the role of a noble who aims to employ dark magic to help gain power and fulfill his goal of revenge against those who have wronged him. 

Combining the mystery detective elements of Disco Elysium with the tactical CRPG gameplay of Divinity: Original Sin, The Necromancer’s Tale offers a narrative-driven journey with dark secrets to uncover and even turn-based combat for enemy encounters and face-offs. 

Arisen from the dead 

The Necromaner’s Tale takes place sometime during 1733, between Venice and the Adriatic Sea, where you assume the role of a minor noble with a dark past who stumbles upon an ancient spellbook containing the rites of death and reanimation. You treat this as a dangerous yet fortuitous opportunity to gain knowledge about the arcane arts and gain power to aid in your vengeful machinations. 

Your character has a fully fleshed-out backstory that determines your skills, attributes, and occupation, playing a role in your social interactions with over 180 characters filled with rich stories and lore. There is also a Trust System that influences people’s perception of you and how likely they are to cooperate and help with your requests. Your actions matter, and so too are the art of persuasion and coercion. 

Enemy encounters that revolve around turn-based battles wherein you can summon and deploy undead minions to fight for you, or use magic spells and ranged weapons. Face a wide variety of enemies, both human and supernatural. This is the area where the game falls a bit short due to its slow and shallow combat. There are multiple endings available to explore and unlock through different playthroughs, though.  

A tale of power and revenge 

If you’re a fan of CRPGs, The Necromancer’s Tale is a solid game worth checking out with its gothic themes, rich lore, and narrative-driven experience. Use cunning and persuasion to achieve your goals, or turn to the dark arts and call upon the undead to do away with those who stand in the way of your vengeance. The combat lacks depth, but its intriguing story makes up for this shortcoming.