Pendragon review
Inkle’s marriage of Arthurian storytelling and turn-based strategy is elegant and replayable – if, perhaps, a little opaque at times.
- Developer: Inkle
- Publisher: Inkle
- Release: September 22nd 2020
- On: Windows, Mac OS X
- From: Steam, GOG
- Price: £13.50/$17/€14
It’s a relief to know that some life-or-death battles where the fate of the nation is in the balance can be attempted a near infinite number of times. A complete cycle of Inkle’s turn-based strategy meets Arthurian storytelling, Pendragon, can be wrapped up pretty sharpish if you’re on the lowest difficulty and aren’t getting too lost on the map. From the south coast of Wales to the final battle between King Arthur and Mordred at Camlann in about 45 minutes. Then, lunch.
But this is a feature, not a bug. Pendragon is designed to be replayed many times, as many different Arthurian heroes. Indeed, I would have thrown myself back into it a lot less if it took much longer to complete my noble quest. Not that I complete it often, in the strictest sense of the word. Like, yes, I may get to Camlann, but Mordred usually beasts me because Pendragon is pretty hard.