Review - The Hand of Merlin... Better than 2 Pair

Image courtesy of Room C Games & Croteam

Strategy RPGs are a thing nowaday in more ways than one. They’re popular, and that popularity has led to variations within the genre. Some of them are straightforward. Some are deckbuilders. Some are roguelites. And some are combinations altogether. Game studios from big to small have started tapping into the tactical RPG market, and I think this probably has a lot to do with the ease of their development. Someone can make a game for peanuts, and it can sell like hotcakes if it’s actually done well. Hand of Merlin is a game that doesn’t look like would cost very much, but still tells a coherent story with enough variation from run to run to make it stand out against the others.

    Hand of Merlin’s story takes place from medieval England all the way to medieval Jersusalem. This crusade is conducted by three simple characters chosen by the player in the beginning of the run. They go from encounter to encounter, some combative and others not so much, in order to build their skills and talents on their way to a final confrontation in the Holy Land.

    Along the way, these crusaders will meet other travelers willing to help, bandits taking advantage of the precarious situation of the world, and abominations spawned from the “cataclysm” bringing about the end of everything. Deaths result in the loss of the Grail, which plunges the world into chaos, but this does not end your experience. As explained in the beginning of your journey, there are many different universes and worlds that Merlin has a hand in (pun intended) in his efforts to stem the tide of the cataclysm. When you start a new game back at the main menu, you are entering a new world that will alter your experience in a variety of ways because you will not only have new characters to utilize but also different avenues to take on your quest. 

The Good

Each run will be different in ways great and small, and that’s what breaks this game from the mould that so many others fall into. Recently I reviewed Rogue Waters, another Strategy RPG that used roguelite elements, and one of my main issues that I had with it was a lack of variation. Each run felt the same, with the encounters at every crossroads being one of only a handful of preset interactions. Hand of Merlin does a great job at ensuring everything is different, and increases the urgency of moving through these encounters by having the number of abominations increase with wasted moments.

    Pacing is perfect for a roguelite. The overall runthrough length is probably three to four hours, but it’s unlikely you will see the complete ending after just one or two runs. Instead, you will be forced to come up with new ways to puzzle through problems. You will have to strategize (go figure), yet there might be losses along the way. Even if there are, the game does a great job of giving options with varying encounters to try to pick up crusaders along the way that will fill the gaps in your trio.

    Gameplay is also well done. This game reminds me a lot of King Arthur: Knight’s Tale, albeit on Room C's stricter budget. There are plenty of options from character to character to change up how you approach combat, and each of your skills can be upgraded twice to build up your potential for taking down tougher abominations as you go. Even the main patron of your playthrough can be unlocked and changed. While starting with Merlin championing your efforts, it won’t be long before you can switch to Morgana le Fay if you’d like her (and her unique talents) in your corner.

The Bad

Simplistic. That’s probably the best way to describe the game, as a whole. For some, that’s not a bad thing at all. For others, they might be disappointed that there’s not more to the experience altogether.

    The story overall is… you guessed it. Simple. It’s not going to go down as something incredibly memorable or particularly stirring. It does, however, remain coherent throughout and doesn’t try to reach for anything beyond its grasp. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it.

    The art is simple too, but it does its job. This game wasn’t made with the careful brushstrokes of The Banner Saga, and probably won’t have the overall impact that trilogy has had on gaming, but it also certainly didn’t have the budget either. There is no voice acting in Hand of Merlin. You will have to do some reading, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to be reading a novel as you go through like you’re playing Pillars of Eternity or something. Everything is kept short, sweet, and to the point. You’re meant to continue ushering towards a conclusion here where you can save the world (or one of them, at least) from the abominations threatening it.

Showing My Hand

I think Hand of Merlin does a good job with the tools it has available. If you’re looking for a swift experience in an Arthurian world, you will definitely have a fun little romp in this game. I probably wouldn’t pay full price for the game, as $30 sounds a little steep for something that’s basically an SRPG on a budget, but it’s certainly worth a few runthroughs if you liked King Arthur: Knight’s Tale or The Banner Saga.

7/10

Good Enough

To check out my own foray into medieval times, check out The Cost of a Crown