Knights of the Chalice

By: Derek Yu

On: October 16th, 2011

Knights of the Chalice, by Heroic Fantasy Games… that almost says it all, really. Released in 2009, this tactical RPG won a cult following for its close adherence to Dungeons & Dragons rules (the game uses the d20 Open Gaming License), the strength of its artificial intelligence, and its high level of difficulty. Despite its rough presentation (which is rather charming, actually), the game’s interface is actually quite easy to use, putting the burden of success squarely on the player’s heavily-armored shoulders.

I missed this when it first came out, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled for the upcoming sequel, which looks to deliver even more heroic fantasy to fans of D&D and tactical role-playing games. Thanks to Chef Boyardee for bringing the game to our attention on the forums.

TIGdb: Entry for Knights of the Chalice

Posted in RPG, Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy, Windows | Tags: HeroicFantasyGames

Guest

The graphics remind me of several of the Ultima games mashed together.

This is not at all a bad thing.
http://blog.boogatech.com Markham

Finally, a reason to use the 180° rotation feature that my monitor stand has.
Hypershadsy

That angle.
Jay Barnson

As an old fan of Ultima VI and VII, what’s the problem with the angle? I’ve heard the complaint a few times but not really understood it.
A Slime Appears

I picked this up as part of a bundle a while back and never got around to it. Maybe it deserves a spin…
Elephantfluff

I’ve beaten this game and can attest to its fun. It’s a CRPG and if you know what that is, then you could probably give this a chance.
http://angrygeometry.wordpress.com angrygeometry

wonderful game. the battles are challenging and the enemy is so smart. just a really good adventure. there’s an option to gain max life/stats in the options if you have difficulty. even with them on its still a challenging game.
http://twitter.com/psysal Calvin French

Glad to see this get some love here! KoTC is really much different than say Ultima 5 or 6, although it looks similar. The focus is really on combat.

Battles require a lot of thinking ahead, and you get such a great feeling when you finally win through genuine tactics. Amazing game, so much thought went into every scenario you are presented with, and with very little repetion. Tons of spells to choose from that are all useful in different situations.

The demo gives a pretty good sense and is really extensive, so check it out!
Renaud Brebant

The only problem about this game is that every other turn based rpg look like mindless hack’n’slash in comparison.
Evil rabbit

Loved this game.

Was I the only one to find the demo impossibly hard but the main game somewhat easy?
Once you have the different crafting-type skills, you can steamroll most opposition. Wand of Room Clearing Fireballs? Just a click away! Regardless, really looking forward to a potential sequel…
Guest

@cb536c2c9d21bb3d6850f5b19dca8e37:disqus – try an old game called Helherron. It’s very dated but if you can get around that it’s a pretty solid combat system.
Guest

Looks pretty good!
Mazer Rackham

In my case, with that angle everything looks like… upside-down. But it’s not… is just awkward for some reason.
Gigala

isnt it 45 degree???
dE

Looks interesting. It’s got everything too. Even grapple rules. Heh. Hahah. Grapple Rules *queue manic laughter*. It’s only grapple rules. Only. Gosh the horrors are back. Thank you.
Del_Duio

Looks like Ultima 6: The False Prophet for the SNES. I loved that game, soooo massive.
Guest

FYI: The game is not this slow. Look up other videos on youtube for a more accurate speed depiction.
YetanotherguyIam

why is everyone laying down on the floor
Guest

Why do you never fail to be not funny?
http://laserbrainstudios.com Christian Knudsen

42
BrotherD

Thank you Chef Boyardee
http://www.gnomeslair.com/ gnome

Well, I missed it too myself, but now I’m all over it!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Greasley/100000730647567 Paul Greasley

This game is awesome
Del_Duio

I agree, this game is very awesome! Anybody know what kind of party you can make with the full game? Can you Final Fantasy 1 it and have 4 wizards, for example? I’m loving this demo and it’s great to see true challenge and smart enemies again. Just got a lightning blade from a giant spider and am about to try using it and my wand of fireballs to clear out an underground room of shitheads and trolls and see what happens.

And though it looks like Ultima 6 it plays more like an old D&D Genesis game called Tales of the Dark Sun. I just might buy this, thanks for letting us know about it!
Newbans

The Indie Game Legend ripoff
Pita Madgwick

Just want to chime in and confirm that this game is brilliant.
Chef “Stupid Man” Boyardee

Hey, this is no joke one of the best D&D games I’ve ever played, and I’ve played uh, pretty much all of them. The game’s greatest strength, and the thing serious RPG developers need to learn from it, is its mechanical transparency. If there’s ever anything I don’t understand, like a concept or something, I can just click on it and it will tell me right there what it is and how it directly relates to other mechanics. If I don’t understand other concepts in its description, I can just click on those too. The game hyperlinks all of this information without clogging up the screen or burdening the player. It is seriously so smart.

Definitely one of the best RPGs of all time.