En Garde!
- August 16, 2023
- Fireplace Games
- 5h median play time
En Garde! flares brightly with its slick, slapstick combat, for a while at least.
Get on SteamFrom the forgotten pages of history, comes Adalia de Volador! Legendary swashbuckler. Dashing adventurer. Hero of the people. Play as Adalia in her daring escapades full of sword-fighting, satire and shenanigans. Challenge the cruel Count-Duke and oppose tyranny with panache! Beautifully painted locations, charismatic characters, and an astounding amount of battle banter will transport you t…
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Game Brain Reviews
En Garde! - Tactical sword mastery with style
En Garde is a tactical action fencing game where you play Adalia de Volador and defend her family's honor. The game is set in the 17th century with Spanish flair. The graphic is warm and comicy.
The game certainly doesn't want to be taken too seriously. The character, dialogs, graphics, music, and puns really drive home that En Garde! is a fun game for everyone.
What is serious about this game is the fighting mechanics. These are just top notch. Fighting is mostly fencing but Adalia keeps learning new tricks, can jump over tables, throw barrels, use the environment, parry and so on.
New mechanics are introduced at a good pace so you are constantly in between mastering current mechanics and figuring out how to best use the new ones.
And you better learn how to fight properly! Not only is it super fun to stun your enemies, let them get shot by cannons, push them into water, let chandeliers fall on them, or just plain out-fence them, but you also need to fight well to progress. Bosses are no joke and you need your skills - unless you are a fan of souls-like games and think Sekiro is a piece of cake.
The game is best played with a gamepad which makes it a fun game for the couch!
The backstory behind En Garde is also quite interesting. The game was the final year project of eight French game design students who used Unreal Engine 4 to create a prototype (the final game uses Unreal Engine 5 which shows).
The students decided to build the game on three pillars: "Sword Mastery", "Improvisation", and "Panache". Sword mastery is clear, you need to know how to use your sword. Improvisation is about interacting skillfully with the environment. Every fight should feel new and different locations offer other ways of using the environment. The last pillar "Panache" is all about style and pride. The fights should feel like spectacles, not boring chores. And this I think makes the game really stand out. Of course, you can often just blast through levels beating the enemies with more or less basic sword fighting but the fun really comes out once you taunt your enemies (Adalia will always have a nice line on her lips), jump over tables, and make a mess of the room you're fighting in.
I'm a fan of souls-like games. I have finished Sekiro and Elden Ring and I must say that En Garde! is a great game for fans of these games. It's nowhere as as FromSoftware's games but it's a fun, light-hearted game that offers a good challenge and a lot of fun.
- awesome fighting mechanics
- fun environments to use in fights
- light hearted setting
- I wish the story would have been more interesting
Reviews
- Engaging and fun combat system that encourages creative use of the environment.
- Charming characters and humorous dialogue that enhance the overall experience.
- Beautiful art style and vibrant visuals that create an immersive atmosphere.
- Very short gameplay, typically around 4-5 hours, which may not justify the full price for some players.
- Combat can become repetitive, especially in later stages with overwhelming enemy numbers.
- Camera and targeting issues can lead to frustrating moments during combat.
- story501 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The story in "En Garde!" is intentionally lighthearted and comedic, drawing inspiration from classic swashbuckling tales and featuring a simple hero vs. villain plot. While the narrative is often described as clichéd and predictable, it is delivered with charm and humor, making it enjoyable despite its brevity, typically taking around 3-6 hours to complete. Players appreciate the engaging dialogue and vibrant art style, though many express a desire for a longer story or additional content to enhance the experience.
“The story is lighthearted and silly in a cartoon-ish way, as much as the art style it's going for.”
“The story is simple, clean, wholesome, family-friendly fun, with hilarious guard quips and the ever-appreciated Asterix-style joke of defeated enemies hushing each other silent as you leave the room, post-battle.”
“The story is fun and lighthearted, the characters are loud and campy, and the art style is bright and cheerful.”
“The story is very short and simple.”
“There is no story really and characters are as transparent, bland, shallow, and personality lacking as a bucket of water.”
“The main story is only about 2 hours long, but there are plenty of collectibles and optional challenges that afford it some replayability, as well as a true 'arena mode' for additional randomized challenges.”
- gameplay481 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "En Garde!" is characterized by its charming visuals and engaging combat mechanics, which blend simple controls with a focus on environmental interactions and strategic dueling. While the combat is fun and rewarding, some players find it repetitive due to limited enemy variety and a short campaign length of around 4-5 hours. Overall, the game offers a light-hearted, swashbuckling experience that balances humor and action, though it may leave some players wanting more depth and content.
“Excellent gameplay, charming characters, a swashbuckling game through and through.”
“The gameplay is fun and it even made me laugh a few times.”
“The combat mechanics are simple but really rewarding and fun; I especially adore all the different environmental interactions that become available in due time.”
“It's a charming game with a fundamentally solid combat system, but between its short length (finished it in 5 hours), limited gameplay outside of just combat, and frustrating auto-target system that makes large fights infuriating, it makes the game a bit hard to recommend.”
“The game sells itself as having quick and snappy combat that heavily relies on parry mechanics; unfortunately, it completely fails in this regard.”
“The gameplay is a little floaty with movement, but the combat feels snappy and properly rewarding/punishing when you get the hang of it (very alike to Sekiro).”
- humor330 mentions
- 99 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, charming characters, and lighthearted tone, creating a fun and engaging atmosphere. Players appreciate the witty dialogue, amusing combat interactions, and the overall playful aesthetic, which often leads to genuine laughter. While some found the humor to be hit-or-miss, the majority agree that it enhances the gameplay experience, making it a delightful adventure filled with comedic moments.
“The game does a fantastic job of blending humor with competitive elements, keeping the atmosphere light-hearted while still providing a satisfying challenge.”
“The characters are adorable and well-voiced, the henchmen are downright hilarious at times, the art is appealingly stylized... it's just fun.”
“The dialogue is fantastic too, very quippy in a good way and legitimately hilarious at times, tying itself to the gameplay with unscripted and dynamic banter during combat.”
“Oh, and the writing is gratingly unfunny.”
“Jokes are... not funny.”
- graphics254 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant, colorful art style that evokes a whimsical, cartoonish atmosphere reminiscent of classic animated films. Reviewers highlight the charming character designs, detailed environments, and polished visuals that enhance the overall experience, despite some noting that the graphics may not be cutting-edge. The combination of engaging visuals, catchy music, and humorous writing contributes to a delightful aesthetic that captivates players.
“The visuals are great with a very distinct art style and colorful locales, the music is catchy and always sells you as a hero in the moment, there are slight platforming segments that help keep things interesting while you move forward but man does the combat absolutely shine.”
“The game is beautiful, the setting charming and the art style very pretty.”
“The graphics and sounds lend it a fantastic, storybook/cartoon atmosphere, which adds to the improvisation style of combat that this game revolves around.”
“The visuals are somewhat cheap (but still very pretty most of the time) and voice acting could be a bit better.”
“While very beautiful and charming, this is a game that is relying heavily on art style over fidelity.”
“The graphics are very stylized, but it's the lighting that makes the city look warm and cozy.”
- music163 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its catchy, vibrant, and thematic compositions that perfectly complement the swashbuckling atmosphere. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience, evoking a sense of adventure and charm, although some mentioned it can become repetitive over time. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's engaging and lighthearted tone.
“One of the standout features for me was the music—both the background and the combat tracks are really well done and help enhance the overall experience.”
“The music sets the perfect tone for each scene, evoking a sense of tension or triumph as the story unfolds.”
“The soundtrack is fantastic, and fits the setting of the game perfectly, and as mentioned before, the characters and voice dialogue are absolutely charming in every sense of the word.”
“The music can quickly become repetitive, although it is well composed.”
“That is, if you can hear it, because the default sound mixing in the game is pretty bad and requires you to modify sound volumes quite drastically in order to have voice lines being audible and not drowned by music and sound effects.”
“One especially annoying one was when the music would just go mute for no reason, which sucks because the music rules and is integral to the game's experience in my opinion.”
- replayability73 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game offers decent replayability primarily through its arena mode and level-specific challenges, despite its short campaign consisting of only four levels. Players can engage in various difficulties and seek out collectibles, which enhances the replay value for those interested in mastering the combat mechanics. While some reviewers noted the limited content, many found the gameplay enjoyable enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.
“After completing the story, there’s an arena mode that adds replay value and lets you enjoy more of the combat mechanics.”
“A lovely, joyful, well-polished, pick-up-and-play action game for some quick and uncommitted fun; featuring a short story mode combined with some replayability in its difficulties, challenges, and arena combat mode.”
“The arena mode provides a lot of the much-needed replayability by setting up various randomly created combat scenarios.”
“As others have pointed out, the game has charming visuals and voice acting, and solid if simplistic core gameplay mechanics, but there's just not enough content to justify the price tag - only 6 enemy types and 4 levels (including the tutorial one) can be completed in a few hours with not much replay value.”
“The normal levels are playable, although the 'story' is quite short with four chapters but the arenas and additional achievements are sadly just zero fun.”
“Overall... the gameplay is missing a lot, and the length of the main story is short, and with such a bland experience, you don't even have a lot of replayability here, either.”
- optimization29 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, where frame drops and choppy gameplay are common. However, others report smooth performance on higher-end systems, achieving stable frame rates even at maximum settings. Overall, while the game features impressive visuals and voice acting, it suffers from inconsistent optimization across different platforms and settings.
“The performance is fantastic; I've tried the game both on my laptop (with a mobile 2060), which ran highest settings 1080p with no stutters.”
“It's a beautiful game and it runs flawlessly; I had zero hiccups with performance.”
“I completed the game on hard difficulty and the overall performance is great, running on high settings 1440p with a 3070 laptop. My FPS ranged from 65-75 on DX-12 mode, and I noticed that there were no dips or stutters during my entire gameplay.”
“On top of it, playing on the Steam Deck, the performance is all over the place; there's frequent frame drops, and the game struggles to keep a steady 45 fps on medium settings.”
“Poorly optimized but great concept.”
“However, the performance is not great; I've seen much better looking games perform significantly better.”
- atmosphere25 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a whimsical and light-hearted tone, enhanced by clever writing, vibrant graphics, and engaging sound design. Players appreciate the charming, storybook-like visuals and the playful banter among characters, which contribute to a consistently enjoyable experience. The combination of stylized art, catchy music, and dynamic gameplay creates an immersive and uplifting environment that complements the game's comedic elements.
“The graphics and sounds lend it a fantastic, storybook/cartoon atmosphere, which adds to the improvisation style of combat that this game revolves around.”
“Warm, bright colors and lovely designs create a romantic atmosphere of early 17th century Spain.”
“Music and art style of the game work in merry harmony to deliver an uplifting and swashbuckling-primed atmosphere.”
“The characters are fairly simple and two-dimensional as well, though this does feel appropriate given the game's tone and atmosphere.”
“Graphics are very stylized and also do a neat trick to both save processing power and add to the atmosphere - at a distance, everything turns into watercolor.”
“The soundtrack is catchy, really capturing the Spanish atmosphere here.”
- emotional20 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and nostalgic charm, evoking feelings of joy and simplicity reminiscent of childhood adventures. Players appreciate the heartwarming visuals, engaging music, and lighthearted storytelling, which create a fun and family-friendly atmosphere. While some critiques mention a lack of depth in character attachment and gameplay challenges, the overall sentiment highlights a delightful experience filled with humor and warmth.
“Short but sweet, in every sense of the word--this is by far the most wholesome action game I've ever played.”
“The art style, music, and episodic stories are heartwarming.”
“The story wasn't anything to rave about, but it did fit stylistically and made me feel like I was playing the pilot of a fun little Saturday morning adventure cartoon, which was quite pleasant actually.”
- grinding17 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 12 % neutral mentions
- 76 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly during combat sequences that lack innovation and become repetitive over time. While the initial gameplay is enjoyable, many reviewers note that the final levels and certain enemy encounters can feel like a chore, detracting from the overall experience. The absence of loot drops and skill unlocks further contributes to a sense of monotony, making some players feel as though they are playing solely to complete the game rather than for enjoyment.
“Combat is fun; group fights are not tedious because you can do a bunch of wacky stuff to kite and crowd control.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's a fight of attrition and it's just so unfun and tedious.”
“Overall, the first couple of hours were great fun, but the game is beginning to feel a little tedious, like I'm playing just to complete it and not for fun.”
- character development12 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players appreciate the engaging plot twists and deep investment in character fates, others criticize the lack of meaningful development and a linear, bland story. The character designs and animations are frequently praised for their beauty and quality, but the overall narrative depth and side content are seen as lacking.
“The plot twists and character development kept me guessing, and I found myself deeply invested in the fates of the characters.”
“The character designs are beautiful, and the animation work is outstanding.”
“The art style of the game is really unique, and I love the character design and colors of the game world.”
“There's really no side-content, the game is extremely linear, and the story is bland, has no character development, and bounces around all over the place.”
“There's no meaningful character development whatsoever.”
“If you're here for the whole thing packaged with the story and character development - Bulletstorm does a better job in that department.”
- stability9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally positive, with most players reporting smooth performance and excellent controller support. While some users noted occasional glitches and minor bugs, these issues were not frequent enough to detract significantly from the overall experience. The game runs well on Unreal Engine 5, though it could benefit from further polish in certain areas.
“The game runs great, and controller support is excellent, allowing players to switch between PS and Xbox prompts.”
“It is an Unreal Engine 5 game, and while it doesn't take advantage of all the new features in the engine, it looks and runs great.”
“For starters, the game looks and runs great.”
“Not to mention, some of these newly released titles are launched in a buggy and sometimes unplayable state.”
“The auto targeting is a bit buggy, and the game in general could be cleaner and smoother, but for the price and the size of the team, it is more than good enough.”
“Pole vaulting (I think that's what it's called) can be a bit buggy sometimes; it didn't happen too often, though.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy in the game involves ads that provide players with ammunition, which some users find acceptable; however, the reliance on ads during boss encounters, particularly the final boss, is criticized for detracting from the experience by turning it into a battle against numerous elite enemies rather than a unique challenge.
“The ads give you ammo in Remnant 1, so it was understandable.”
“It's disappointing that, like the other bosses, the final boss is just a regular enemy surrounded by a million elite ads.”
