If you’re a fan of RPG games, first-person combat, or fantasy worlds in general, Fatekeeper is likely to win you over, and likely to do so without trying very hard. Hell, it won me over the moment I saw that the protagonist’s mentor was a talking rat who likes to chill on our forearm and give us ancient druidic wisdom.
Fatekeeper is, if you couldn’t put it together from that introduction, a first-person fantasy action RPG set in a unique world. It’s built with clear inspiration from The Elder Scrolls and Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, using a physics-based first-person combat system to fight your way through a truly beautiful world.
And I do mean truly beautiful. With no exaggeration, Fatekeeper might be the best-looking RPG I have ever played. This isn’t just from a technical standpoint, although the game really does have incredible lighting, gorgeous textures, and phenomenal set design, but also in the specific way the developers have chosen to portray their world. The views of distant mountains, jagged rocks, and long-forgotten underground temples are very uniquely designed by someone with a passion for worldbuilding, and the game is utterly fantasy-presenting without looking like every other fantasy game I’ve played.
The price for that beauty, of course, is performance. I’m afraid to say that in the current Early Access build, Fatekeeper does not run incredibly well. There were times when I struggled to get past 10 frames per second, and these moments were always accompanied by large hordes of enemies to face. Suffice it to say, performance is one of the biggest areas the game needs to improve upon before it leaves Early Access.
It’s hard to be mad at the small team of 13 developers for the issues in the game, especially when it is so generously priced below ten dollars. This is, of course, understanding that the game is incomplete and missing a lot of story content, but it is still a very generous price, especially knowing that the eventual finished version will come with it. If you are interested in the title, I highly recommend picking it up now while the price is so low.
The game’s combat uses a physics-based system that I can only describe as an improvement upon the melee and spellcasting in Skyrim. You don’t choose the direction of your attacks (as far as I could tell), but enemies are pushed, lobbed, and chopped the way your weapon swings. Magic also comes as a quick-cast option that can be used while two-handing, which is especially exciting for a spellblade player like myself. However, I will say that the combat feels a little clunky and in need of improvement, particularly with hitboxes: enemies often feel like they get too close to a swing before it registers, and vice versa when taking damage from their attacks.
While not an open-world game, the linearly designed levels of Fatekeeper are fun to explore and absolutely packed with details, and the dialogue from the game’s phenomenal protagonists is always fun to hear. That being said, the nooks and crannies of each level feel like they should be worth exploring, but often aren’t. In the current stage of the game, there simply isn’t a lot there to reward your exploration, and it can lead to a lot of the map feeling kind of empty.
What also feels empty and disappointing is how the game handles leveling up. The skill tree, while expansive, is filled with a lot of numbers: +5% melee damage here, +10% spell damage there… it quickly becomes apparent that the large skill tree is devoid of meaningful investment and falls into that old RPG problem of hidden improvements. Cool, my weapon hits a little bit harder, but investing in passive numbers doesn’t feel as rewarding as more tangible improvements that could be present in the skill tree.
The world Fatekeeper builds is incredibly interesting, full of unique creatures and character designs you don’t see in every fantasy setting. However, in its current state, it is missing a lot of lore and context, and what little story there is can feel a bit hollow. It immediately becomes clear that you are stepping into a work in progress, almost joining in media res as opposed to organically experiencing a real story.
Obviously, work still has to be done to turn Fatekeeper into a complete, enjoyable game. This is something that can be said of any Early Access game, but Fatekeeper wears its problems on its sleeve, and the directions it needs to go to improve are very clear. Beyond simply completing the full campaign, the game needs to address its performance issues, improve its combat, and, preferably, improve its skill tree so that it is more than just a bunch of passive statistical improvements.
All that being said, Fatekeeper has the potential to be one of the greatest RPGs of the year, if not of recent memory. The world is fantastic, gorgeous, and full of interesting characters and creatures, and the systems are solid, albeit in need of some work. With the game’s incredibly low price during Early Access, I do highly recommend you give it a purchase, as for less than the price of lunch, you can get in on what could be the next great RPG franchise in the making.
Pros
- Stunning visuals, world, and great level design
- Memorable creatures and characters, even with most of the narrative missing
- Physics-based combat feels nostalgic and satisfying
- Excellent value for its Early Access price
Cons
- Significant performance issues in the current build
- Combat can feel clunky
- Skill tree relies too heavily on passive statistical bonuses
- The incomplete state of the game is very apparent, with much of the content missing and much room for improvement
Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC Early Access Review of Fatekeeper. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page!
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