With Baldur's Gate 3 now wrapped up and no sign of the likes of XCOM 3 quite yet, I'm always keeping an eye out for the next turn-based game to grab my attention. Clair Obscur Expedition 33 has set a high bar for 2025, but I'm tremendously interested in Arthurian adventure Legends of the Round Table. Bringing a blend of storytelling, decision-making, and squad battles to play, wrapped in stunning visuals that look as though they leapt straight off of a tapestry, this game from Artifice Studio has a new Steam demo you can try today.
turn-based RPG tale of honor, magic, and romance. That means you'll take charge of iconic names including Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Percival, and over a dozen others, choosing who is worthy of a seat at the table. Each brings their own unique set of traits, strengths, weaknesses, and social tastes, meaning you'll have to consider which knights are right for the job at each turn, and ensure you select adventuring parties with good cohesion.
Those missions take you through various non-linear narratives with multiple branching paths. Violence is, of course, an option – but one that puts your best fighters in danger. Instead, you could employ your words, your coin purse, or even your knowledge of scripture or mysticism. These are frequently presented as challenges that require you to collate your party's appropriate skills to reach a combined total sufficient to the check.
While the art masks it somewhat, Legends of the Round Table's turn-based combat essentially takes place on a hex grid. Show mercy to a surrendering opponent, and your knights will gain reputation for their honor, along with earning you a potential ransom payout. You'll need to weigh your decisions carefully, however; Artifice warns that "every fight matters and losses are permanent."
At any moment, there's the option to pull from a deck of cards to influence the current situation. These can help you turn the tide of a tough situation by restoring fatigue, offering bonus stats to swing a persuading roll, or casting a powerful spell, but you might wish to hold onto them for a later moment if you think you can scrape by without their use.
Wrapping everything together is Artifice Studio's beautiful presentation. Legends of the Round Table's environments are hand-drawn by "specialists following authentic medieval painting techniques, remaining true to the tools, dyes, and colors that were available in that period." That's complemented by a score played on traditional, period-appropriate instruments including lutes, harps, and viols. I was a big fan of Obsidian's Pentiment in 2022, so I'm very glad to see more games adopting this style.
A Legends of the Round Table demo is available now on Steam. You can it for free. Find it here, along with a link to wishlist the full game if you want to be kept up to date with the release date when it's announced.
For more party-driven escapades, take a look through the best medieval games on PC.
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