As someone that was very hesitant to get into the Souls kinds of games until a year or two ago, I’m glad I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone and discovered the lore-heavy, brutal titles that I previously never would have given the time of day. I would find it frustrating to feel like I was losing time on one singular enemy for ages, but the sense of achievement after dealing the final blow to said enemy is something that can’t be felt in any other kind of game.

With Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King in my repertoire now, I’m excited to share that this Souls-like may just be the most faithful to the source material as one could hope. The world is bleak, war-torn, and abysmal. Your chances at success are solely dependent on your skill level and only the toughest will survive. You will die, but you will also figure out how a boss moves, when to parry, when not to overextend, and so many things to take into account in combat.

What’s nice about Shattered is that, unlike most Souls-like titles that have the player find things out on their own, the game prepares you as best as it can for the perils ahead. I was able to get a good grip on the combat in no time thanks to detailed tutorials, with plenty of time left to figure out how to master it. Yet, there’s still an ample amount of mystery and context clues needed to fully soak in the Shattered experience.

Without going into too much spoiler detail, you are a Wanderer and are tasked with exploring large realms full of enemies to restore a world that disappeared with its last king. Expect safe points that restore your health and enemies, large-scale open worlds, and bosses that will throw you for a loop more than once. On top of that, there’s a fair bit of platforming to be had, which is a breeze thanks to some tight controls.

An interesting mechanic that Shattered goes for is mixing 3D open worlds with some sections that switch to a 2D perspective. This seems to be a pain point for a lot of reviewers, myself included because it’s a jarring change of pace with worlds that are already so vast and ripe for 3D exploration. On top of that, I found it to be difficult adjusting to the pixel-perfect parrying that was a challenge to achieve, as it is a must in combat. Several deaths were had due to me missing the window by a few milliseconds.

Nevertheless, if you’re looking for another Souls–like to conquer, Shattered should be up your alley. I found myself struggling at points, but just as much triumphing was had after I learned the game’s quirks and enemy habits. If there were even more weapon variants, I’d be over the moon with this game. $25 feels like a fair price point for the current amount of content to sift through, and I can easily recommend this at the sale price!

A PC review key for Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King was provided by Redlock Studio for this review.

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Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King

$24.99

7.5

Score

7.5/10

Pros

• Mystifying Environments
• Compelling Lore
• Nice Level of Challenge

Cons

• Parrying Needs Work
• Not Enough Weapon Variety
• 2D Sections are Subpar