Do you fancy yourself as having a smart mouth? Are you the type of person who thinks they could talk themselves out of a confrontation? Or maybe, can you raise the dead? These are all questions that The Necromancer’s Tale will ask of you before too long. So, you’d better be ready for anything. Taking hints from Baldur’s Gate 3 and Disco Elysium, this Gothic adventure has the Hot Topic kid inside of me swooning. Over 400,000 lines of dialogue, an in-depth, turn-based combat system, and a gorgeous aesthetic. If you decide you don’t want to fight? The Necromancer’s Tale has you covered there, as well. Use the Automatic Conflict Resolution option to bypass the gritty and get right back into the nitty.

Why Fight Your Own Battles in ‘The Necromancer’s Tale’ When You Can Just Raise an Army of the Undead?

After diving into Disco Elysium earlier this year and realizing that it’s exactly the type of game I’ve been craving, The Necromancer’s Tale is immediately on my Wishlist. After diving into the available demo, I’m immediately sold on the premise. Tons of unique NPC characters, a ton of dialogue, and a fun and frantic combat system have me itching to dive deeper into this world. It’s suitably dark, dirty, and grimy; exactly what I would want to see out of a Gothic tale such as this. The best part? You’re not locked into being the “hero” of The Necromancer’s Tale. You can be as ruthless, terrifying, or nice as you’d like. It’s a fully-fledged RPG that lets the player control nearly every aspect.

Don’t feel confident in your ability to fight? Believe me, you don’t have to worry. There are a multitude of ways you can avoid combat if you’re more interested in the narrative. Skipping over battles doesn’t ding your respect or your character, or you can use a battle of words and wit over swords and sorcery. I do recommend giving the battle system a try at least a few times, however. The Necromancer’s Tale takes heavy inspiration from pen and paper RPGs in all aspects, and the battle system is quite nice.

If the demo caught your eye and you’re ready to become a Necromancer yourself? The full game will be available on PC on July 17, with console releases coming in the future.