En Garde! Review
Silly Swashbuckling Swordplay!
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Platform: PC
Reviewed on: PC
Developer: Fireplace Games
Publisher: Fireplace Games
Release: Aug 16, 2023
Time Played: 10 Hours
Genre: Action-Adventure
ESRB: N/A
En Garde is a great little indie game based around advanced swordplay and foiling a tyrannical villain’s plans, again and again. I had a blast going through the game a couple times, if you want to check out some gameplay check out the link in the description. But first hang out a moment and let me tell you all about what this game has to offer.
Where it begins:
Follow Adalia de Volador, a swashbuckling fencer, dead set on keeping the nefarious Count-Duke in check. Her home is always at risk between the count dukes outrageous laws or extreme abuse of power. Adalia isn’t alone in her fight though, with the help of a few friends, and her excellent sword skills, the Count-Duke and his lackeys don’t stand a chance.
Can the kids watch?:
This game is definitely catered for a younger audience with the humor and bright colors, I thought this game was great and the kids for sure would love to watch it. The language is clean, there is no bloodshed whatsoever, and nobody dies in combat. The guards you defeat still talk while lying down it’s great. Oh, and you can pet the chickens, that’s always a good thing.
Gameplay:
Swordplay
The swordplay in En Garde was amazing. The mechanics were well crafted and reacted quick and smooth. Besides special attacks, which I’ll get into later, Adalia only has two moves with her sword, attack and parry. It does take a little finesse with the sword, in the beginning button mashing worked for me, but after a while it became obvious I should be more precise with my actions. Nothing feels better than a flawless fight with the perfect parry and attack combos.
Use the environment
Quite often Adalia will find herself outnumbered, by a lot. In order to fight multiple enemies she’ll have to take advantage of the environment, kicking things to stun her foes or throwing a bucket on their head, there is a lot of fun to be had at the expense of the bad guys. Some enemies can only be beaten after a few trips down some stairs or other various actions, so it pays off to take notice of everything in the area before starting a big fight.
Panache
With successful and flourishing attacks Adalia will fill up her panache meter, when at least half full she will have access to a devastating attack. There were only three attacks, all of which unlock at specific points in the game, with each having their own proper time of use. Some will be super effective when used on the correct enemy while having no effect on others.
Challenges
Every level, or episode rather, will contain a few challenges. Special feats Adalia must complete, usually involving combat. The first time through a level you won’t have any idea what these challenges are, unless you accidentally do one. After beating a level, the game will let you know what the challenges are. It’s even nice enough to give you a little notification in the top right when you are in the area it needs to be done in.
Secrets
Along with challenges there will be secret areas to sniff out as well. They can be found if you search every nook and cranny, or you can beat a level and get a minor hint about where the secret is. The only reward for completing the challenges and finding the secrets will be achievements so it’s not necessary to move forward, but it does always feel good when you get that little notification for doing something special.
The Arena
Shortly into the game you’ll unlock the Arena. A not stop fighting area to really test your mettle. Starting out on easy with the tougher difficulties unlocking as you progress. The arena will have you fighting a couple waves of enemies in familiar areas pulled right out of the story with a boss in the last round. The only difference from the main game being round modifiers. Every round will have a positive modifier you can select and a negative modifier in play, forcing you to adjust how you may approach the fights.
Outro:
I had so much fun going through this game. When it finally clicked that I should stop button mashing, things got a lot better. I couldn’t get enough of the jokes and sound effects found everywhere, and if your familiar with Princess Bride, you’ll catch quite a few references. I’m so excited to get this rated.
The game looks awesome, the bright colors weren’t overwhelming, and I really liked how the environment looks like a painting in the distance but clears up as you get closer. It’s getting a five
The story, although short, was excellent. It reminded me of older cartoons with different stories for each episode, always a bad guy starting problems, always a hero to save the day and everything just feels good afterward. I’m giving it another five.
Gameplay was perfect, my actions were smooth and reactive, when I failed it was on me, not an odd mishap with the game. Let’s go with five.
En Gardes replayability was good, between finding secrets and challenging myself I went through the entire game a couple times. Worthy of a five.
I’m not sure how many times I can say this, but I had a ton of fun. Not once did I get bored and want to quit, I’m going with another five.
Giving En Garde nothing but fives across the board. Obviously that means we have another game to toss right up there on the Special Reserve.
En Garde was a smaller game, but it has a lot to offer. I can’t get enough of the gameplay and humor. I feel you could definitely get your moneys worth by challenging yourself to higher arena levels or finding everything hidden within the story. Definite recommendation, and with that, I’m done with this and it’s time to move onto the next one.