When I first saw the trailer for En Garde!, I had a feeling that this was going to be a nice little game to check out. Little did I know going into it that this would be one of my top ten games of the year! While it is a rather short experience, it has enough charm and challenge to give everyone a little bit of something. A lot of the charm stems from the main character, who is masterfully written and given a lot of backstory with the various characters that we meet that don’t feel overwhelming or out of place. Without further ado, let us dive into the tale of Adalia de Volador in En Garde!

The main character of this story is Adalia de Volador, a young sword master who is the self-appointed hero of the town she lives in. She is supported by her brother who tips her off about certain problems that the Duke (her main rival) is stirring up throughout the town. Adalia also has an on-again-off-again dalliance with a pirate by the name of Zaida. The primary enemies that Adalia has to fight are the Duke’s guards, who are pushovers unless there is a large group of them. These guards can also become quite dangerous when paired with any of the specialty enemies that include Captains, Bombers, and the French. Some allies will occasionally become enemies in order to challenge Adalia, such as the previously mentioned Zaida and the “mysterious” El Vigilante.

The game is split into four chapters and each progressively becomes more difficult. While each chapter can be completed in under thirty minutes, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should speed your way through them, as you will miss a lot of items and secrets that flesh out more of the world. I accidentally ended up finishing the first two levels in under thirty minutes but ended up missing most of the secrets that exist in them. While each chapter is connected, there is enough of a time gap and opening introduction that you don’t need to replay from the beginning in order to understand the game in terms of story.

In Chapter One, Adalia de Volador must prove herself by defeating the many trials set up by the “legendary” El Vigilante. In Chapter Two, Adalia must come face to face with the evil Duke who rules over the city and put an end to his newest dastardly plot. In Chapter Three, Adalia must go up against more of the Duke’s men and a special friend from her past. In the final chapter, all of the training and events that have happened in the previous three chapters culminate in one final battle where Adalia de Volador must prove that she is the true protector of the people!

The two places where this game truly shines are through its art and storytelling. The art is extremely vibrant and colorful. It truly feels like a three-dimensional rendition of a comic book. The storytelling manages to combine the serious problems of the common people into a world bristling with cartoonish characters that create the perfect comedic adventure. These two elements mesh well together in order to deliver an experience that is perfect for players of all ages. The best comparison that I could come up with when writing this review is that if Zorro and Robin Hood had a love child it would be En Garde!

On top of the story campaign, the game also has an arena mode for those who wish to prove their skill as a master of the sword! They feature a series of random combat arenas that you encounter throughout the campaign. In each arena, you battle waves of enemies. Arena mode adds a little extra spice to the game by having modifiers that will buff your enemies. However, it doesn’t leave you completely against the wall as you will be able to pick a positive modifier to help you in your survival. According to the developers, this game mode includes more than 60 modifiers that can be combined which allows for a ton of replayability.

Overall, I believe that En Garde! is one of the most enjoyable experiences that I have had with a video game this year. It is one of those rare games that makes me feel like a child while also occasionally giving me a run for my money when it comes to the higher difficulties. Above all else, the story and characters are beautifully brought together through both artwork and writing in a phenomenal way. If you are interested in other games like En Garde!, I would suggest checking out my review of Sclash right here.

A PC review copy of En Garde! was provided by Fireplace Games for this review.

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En Garde!

19.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Excellent Writing
• Superb Art Style
• Great Voice Acting
• Inspiring Music

Cons

• Camera Lock-on Bugs