September 14, 2022
Alkemi

Foretales

Foretales spearheads the card-based genre into an unexplored amalgamation of narration and choose-your-own-adventure though I wish it hadn't strayed from its card battler roots so much, which ultimately leads to a simple gameplay loop.

84%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, character development

90% User Score Based on 444 reviews

Critic Score 77%Based on 11 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $0.84

Buy NowGet on Steam€19.99

About

"Foretales" is a single-player Role Playing game with an intriguing story about a small-time thief tasked with saving the world from a terrible curse. The game features expansive branching storylines, multiple endings, and card-based gameplay with a unique "board game" feel. With superb artistic direction, an original score by Christophe Héral, and turn-based card combat, Foretales offers great replay value and plenty of humor.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

90%

Audience ScoreBased on 455 reviews

story138 positive mentions

grinding21 negative mentions

Foretales offers a unique blend of narrative and card-based gameplay, allowing players to explore various paths and outcomes, making each playthrough feel fresh.
The art style and audio design are beautifully crafted, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances the storytelling experience.
The game encourages experimentation with its mechanics, rewarding players for discovering different interactions and solutions to challenges.

The game can become repetitive, as players are required to replay missions multiple times to unlock all endings, which may lead to frustration.
Certain mechanics, such as the combat system and resource management, can feel unbalanced and may detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
The narrative can sometimes be cryptic, making it difficult for players to understand the consequences of their choices, leading to confusion and potential dead ends.

story
478 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
3%
The story of *Foretales* is presented through a unique card-based narrative that allows players to choose their own path, creating a branching storyline filled with various outcomes and character interactions. While the art and writing are praised for their creativity and charm, many players find the repetitive nature of the gameplay and the need for multiple playthroughs to uncover the full story frustrating. Overall, the game offers an engaging narrative experience, but its design can lead to a sense of tedium and confusion regarding progress and consequences.
- “A card-based narrative letting you choose your own path through its story.”
- “This journey is presented as a collection of playing cards, each depicting a possible event, with you having to choose which to deal with one after the other, creating a branching path through the game's story.”
- “Foretales manages to be both innovative in its gameplay and deliver an engaging story, a rare combination in the world of card-driven video games.”
- “As for the narrative, Foretales at its core tells a rather benign 'save the world' story, set in a similarly bland medieval world.”
- “The overarching story progression is full of restarts, replays, and dead-end narrative branches that really make it overstay its welcome.”
- “I feel it is poor design to have narrative paths (that you’ve invested substantial time in) lead into what feels like total failures, only to put you back at the first mission after a quick throwaway cutscene.”
gameplay
190 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
51%
7%
The gameplay of *Foretales* is characterized by its innovative blend of card mechanics and narrative storytelling, engaging players with a unique investigative experience. While the initial charm and variety in character skills provide an intriguing gameplay loop, many players find the overall structure repetitive and frustrating, particularly due to the necessity of replaying sections for true endings. Despite its beautiful art and clever mechanics, the game struggles with pacing and depth, leading to mixed feelings about its long-term engagement.
- “Foretales incorporates a refreshing blend between card play and narrative storytelling that really engages your investigative intuition.”
- “The gameplay is absolutely unique, the humor is spot on, it was fun and challenging from start to finish.”
- “Clever and varied card mechanics, along with party members’ abilities, make for a fun suite of solution tools to use against some tough and fantastical narrative-based obstacles.”
- “Well, despite the gameplay loop being solid, the overarching structure of the game is so grating and irritating that pushing myself to sit down and play this is like pulling teeth.”
- “Beautiful artwork, nice writing and innovative storytelling through card play, but... gameplay becomes repetitive and boring just after a couple of hours.”
- “After a few missions you've seen everything, you know how the mechanics work, just grab some resources, find the key card, move next.”
graphics
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
40%
6%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful art style, reminiscent of classic Disney animations, and for creating an engaging atmosphere that enhances the storytelling. Many players appreciate the innovative use of visuals in gameplay, with dynamic designs and attention to detail that keep them immersed. However, some reviewers note that while the artwork is stunning, the gameplay can become repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The artwork is gorgeous and the story so far is engaging.”
- “The artwork is outstanding, the music feels like it belongs there and in turn, you as a player, belong in the world.”
- “I really dig the visuals, not only the cards but the different types of background for each part of a mission and the change of mood... man, it's just... perfect!”
- “Innovative game, pretty graphics, but the experience is so boring and repetitive.”
- “So many cool enemies and effects, which I, besides the artwork, completely ignored my whole playthrough.”
- “Some missions are straight up puzzles that involve carefully reading card descriptions and studying card artwork to figure out what needs to be on the board and what cards you need to interact with in order to get to the end condition.”
music
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
41%
7%
The music in the game is widely praised for its captivating and fitting quality, enhancing the overall atmosphere and experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as catchy and integral to the game's immersive art and storytelling. The combination of beautiful music, sound design, and visual elements creates a satisfying audiovisual experience that players find enjoyable and memorable.
- “The art, music, and atmosphere of each location makes it a joy to play.”
- “Visually, the game looks astonishingly good and the experience is further enriched by the sound design and music that will have you whistle long after your last session.”
- “The artwork is outstanding, the music feels like it belongs there and in turn, you as a player, belong in the world.”
- “Beyond its sound effects, Foretales also features a fitting if basic soundtrack and a narrator voicing out most of the actions you take as well as story transitions.”
- “The presentation of each location in the narrative is basically done with different lighting, card art, sound effects, and music.”
- “It seems well-made and well-polished in every aspect -- the music is catchy, the artwork is high quality, and I'm enjoying the gameplay.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in "Foretales" is widely praised for its irreverent and charming nature, featuring a snarky narrator whose commentary adds a hilarious touch to the gameplay. Players enjoy the quirky characters and the unexpected comedic moments that arise from experimentation, likening the experience to a fun homebrew D&D campaign. While the writing is entertaining and engaging, some reviewers express a desire for deeper character development.
- “The narrator is the best and is really hilarious and a lot of fun to listen to; his commentary is very snarky and never gets old.”
- “A hilariously narrated card game starring a wacky ragtag bunch of misfits.”
- “Rewards exploration and experimentation, and has intensely funny 'I can't believe they came up with a response for that action' moments.”
replayability
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
52%
10%
The game exhibits significant replayability due to its branching story paths and key choices that influence outcomes, encouraging players to explore different strategies and endings. While some players appreciate the depth and variety offered, others feel that the experience can become repetitive, particularly after unlocking all content. Overall, it provides a unique experience that can keep players engaged, especially for those who enjoy experimenting with card combinations and narrative choices.
- “The game offers much replay value with key choices made along your journey that will have you better understand what you can optimize to achieve a specific ending.”
- “Definitely a unique experience and very replayable, at least until you unlock all the endings and side content.”
- “The way the story expands and changes based on decisions means there is much replayability and more great writing to enjoy.”
- “I get that this was done to add some replayability to the game, but in execution it just feels like I’m being punished for experimenting with card combinations.”
- “The ending, once you finally reach it, is very abrupt, and outside of achievements I wouldn't say there's a ton of replay value unless you intend to try and speed run the game.”
- “Unfortunately, one of those will be almost identical to your final run, and the replay value is atrocious.”
grinding
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when it comes to collecting materials and replaying missions multiple times to uncover all content. While some appreciate the lore and narrative elements that accompany this repetition, many feel that the grind detracts from the overall enjoyment, especially in a storytelling-focused game. The lenient resting mechanic further exacerbates the issue by encouraging prolonged resource farming, which can lead to unnecessary time investment.
- “Grinding for materials gets tedious.”
- “When you are relying on random cards from multiple decks, and have only limited room on the board, this can become more tedious than fun.”
- “In my opinion, that was unnecessarily grindy for a storytelling game.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
43%
14%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive 3D environments, captivating music, and inviting art style, which collectively enhance the overall experience. Players find the combination of visual and auditory elements refreshing and enjoyable, contributing to a strong sense of place as they explore different locations. However, some critiques mention that while the atmosphere is engaging, it is somewhat overshadowed by issues in the game's meta-story progression.
- “The turn-by-turn card play is fun and alluring, and the music and atmosphere is captivating.”
- “While most of the game is visualized just through cards, these are placed in a 3D environment matching the atmosphere of the places you're exploring, which does a great job of immersing you in the game's world.”
- “The art, music, and atmosphere of each location makes it a joy to play.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development is intricately tied to the game's attention to detail, enhancing the overall experience. However, some users feel that the lack of consistent character development detracts from the narrative, as it fails to establish a connection with the characters.
- “And no character development because, as I say, it doesn't know if you'll have those people.”
- “Character development goes hand in hand with all sorts of neat little details.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a mix of appreciation and frustration regarding the emotional impact of the game. While the voice acting, art style, and character development resonate positively, technical issues, such as a black screen after a key interaction, detract from the overall experience, leaving some feeling trapped in a repetitive cycle.
- “It’s a shame, I enjoyed the voice acting, the art style, and the characters, and some of the ideas in the gameplay, but in execution, it just made me feel like I was trapped on a Mobius strip.”