Summary
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalonis a single-player open-world action RPG that plays and feels exactly like games fromThe Elder Scrollsfranchise. It isn’t afraid to wear its inspirations on its sleeve, but that doesn’t mean it’s a direct clone with no ideas of its own; to the contrary, it attempts to improve on basically every aspect ofThe Elder Scrollsformula. Fans ofOblivionandSkyrimwho have been waiting for news onThe Elder Scrolls 6may find thatTainted Grail: The Fall of Avaloncan scratch that itch.
The last fans heard aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6was in April 2025, when Todd Howard confirmed that the game was still in the development phase, with no clear release date or window in sight. WhileOblivion Remasteredhas served as an excellent appetizer, at the end of the day, it is still a remaster of an old game that some players already know a lot about. The best part of large, open-world games like these is the sense of discovery and adventure in stumbling upon a secret by accident.Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalonhas that in spades.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Follows the Footsteps of Skyrim and Oblivion
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon Has a Scrolls-Like Feel
The elevator pitch for whatTainted Grail: The Fall of Avalonis aSkyrimclone withDark Souls-inspired combatand enough quality-of-life improvements to make the most avid modder happy. There is a huge world map absolutely littered with stuff to find, secrets to discover, and enemies to take down.
Combat looks and feels like an improved version of whatSkyrimhas to offer. It’s more dark fantasy instead of high fantasy, but the overall structure is more or less exactly the same asThe Elder Scrollsgames. Themain story is just as optional as anyScrolls-like, and players are completely free to do as they will in the world, ignoring King Arthur’s plight to see Avalon and what became of his once great kingdom.
The Elder Scrollsplayers have gotten used to finding tons of loot, andTainted Grailhas plenty of it, but the ability to hover over a container and see what’s inside without actually opening it makes it a lot less tedious. Fast traveling is a bit more hardcore than howSkyrimdoes it, as players are only able to teleport to and from set fast travel points that are only present near major locations. There is a lot of walking to be done in this game, but luckily, the absolutely gorgeous world space makes it something to look forward to.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon isn’t Afraid to Put Its Own Spin on the Genre
EverythingThe Elder Scrollspromises,Tainted Graildelivers, or at least attempts to. Best of all, the game isn’t content to coast on the similarities; it has its own ideas on how to do things. Chief among them is combat. Players have three status bars: health, stamina, and mana, which follow the rules set by Scrolls-likes. Stamina is used for attacks, mana is used for magic, etc. WhereTainted Grailimproves uponSkyrimandOblivionis in the sense of weightiness to attacks when they land. Weapon swings feel like they have a heft to them. Hitting an enemy doesn’t feel like it’s slicing through air; there is a feeling of impact and resistance that’s not present in Bethesda’s offerings.
Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalonhas abonfire system akin to Soulslikesbut with the added convenience of being able to place it anywhere, at any time. Players can rest, level up, cook, and talk to King Arthur when the opportunity comes up. The leveling system is a mix ofSkyrimandDark Souls. Everything the player does, from running to jumping to hitting drowners, gives them experience in the relevant skills, and once enough of them level up, the player’s experience bar fills up, and they level up.
Each level grants a skill point and an attribute. The skill point can be assigned to branching skill trees – likeSkyrim, and the attribute points can be allocated to stats, likeDark Souls.Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalonmight not be a perfect game, but for fans looking for something to scratch the Bethesda fantasy open-world itch, there are few games that do it better.
WHERE TO PLAY
Step into the world ofTainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon, a mature, first-person perspective open-world RPG that immerses you in a dark fantasy realm inspired by Arthurian legends.
Uncover a complex and branching main storyline that lets you shape the legacy of King Arthur’s reign, 600 years after his fall amidst unending strife.
This game is a love letter to open-world FPP RPGs.
• Massive gameplay experience: Dive into 50-70 hours of rich content spanning three expansive zones.• Branching narrative: Engage with a complex main story and hundreds of side quests featuring remarkable, voiced characters.• Limitless playstyles: Customize your gameplay with countless builds—mix attributes, skills, and gear to create your favorite setup.
