The Inquisitor

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 121 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
The Inquisitor Game Cover
The Inquisitor is a grim yet strangely gripping dark fantasy story, memorable if a little rough around the edges.
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"The Inquisitor" is a role-playing game that puts you in the shoes of Mordimer Madderdin, a zealous servant of the divine tasked with rooting out heresy and corruption in a grim, medieval fantasy world. Through exploration, dialogue, and combat, you will uncover a deep and immersive narrative that challenges your morality and faith. As an Inquisitor, your choices have profound consequences, molding both the world around you and the character you become.

  • PC
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 121 reviews
story61 positive mentions
optimization11 negative mentions
  • The game features a compelling and dark storyline that captivates players and offers multiple endings based on choices.
  • The atmosphere and world-building are immersive, effectively capturing a medieval setting with a unique twist on religious themes.
  • Voice acting and character interactions are generally well-executed, adding depth to the narrative experience.
  • The combat system is clunky and unresponsive, making battles frustrating and detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
  • The game suffers from significant performance issues, including crashes and poor optimization, which can disrupt immersion.
  • Graphics and animations are outdated, often resembling games from the early 2000s, which may disappoint players expecting modern visuals.
  • story134 mentions

    The game's story is widely praised for its intriguing and dark narrative, set in an alternate medieval world that explores complex moral dilemmas and features multiple endings. Players appreciate the rich atmosphere and character development, despite noting that the gameplay and graphics may not meet modern standards. Overall, the story is considered the game's strongest aspect, compelling enough to overshadow its technical shortcomings.

    • “The gripping story turns all its 'flaws' into merits which add to the experience.”
    • “The storyline is rich with moral dilemmas, constantly forcing you to weigh justice against mercy.”
    • “Compelling narrative: the game's story is its strongest suit, offering a rich, dark fantasy world filled with intrigue and moral ambiguity.”
    • “Without the story, this would be little more than an interesting school project.”
    • “The storytelling didn't grab me like it should have; it was all over the place, and even though there was an amazing environment, it still felt very empty with a lack of content.”
    • “The plot was set before you opened the game, and the choices you are offered either do nothing at all or decide whether you kill a character when their part in the story is complete.”
  • graphics62 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear outdated and reminiscent of early 2000s titles, particularly in character animations and facial details. While some appreciate the detailed environments and artistic cutscenes that capture the medieval ambiance, others criticize the overall graphical fidelity and performance issues, suggesting that the visuals detract from the immersive experience. Despite these shortcomings, some players argue that the engaging story compensates for the lack of modern graphical polish.

    • “The vision cutscenes deserve a special mention due to their art style.”
    • “I enjoyed the details of the artwork, the city, and the environment.”
    • “The graphical presentation of 'The Inquisitor' is impressive, with detailed environments that beautifully capture the darkness and oppression of the medieval setting.”
    • “If graphics, facial animations, and modern gameplay are really important to you, then you probably won't like this game.”
    • “The game is certainly rough around the edges: very bad graphics for 2024 standards, bad animation, bad sounds, and average music.”
    • “Yes, the graphics are trash, and it would be easy to give dozens of examples of games from 2012 that look better.”
  • gameplay48 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its integration of fantasy and horror elements alongside a compelling narrative. However, numerous criticisms highlight dated mechanics, clunky combat, and a lack of depth in gameplay, which detracts from the overall experience. While the story and atmosphere are engaging, many feel that the gameplay fails to meet modern standards, leading to a less enjoyable experience.

    • “Depth in gameplay: the mix of combat, investigation, and decision-making provides a varied gaming experience that challenges both your reflexes and intellect.”
    • “It offers a deep narrative, challenging gameplay, and a beautifully crafted world that will stay with you long after you've finished playing.”
    • “Setting, atmosphere, story, and some gameplay elements are amazing.”
    • “The inquisitor manages, hands down, to supply the first 5 ranks of the worst gameplay segments in my life.”
    • “Unfortunately, the flaws in the gameplay kill the inquisitor's replayability.”
    • “To sum everything up: this game has an amazing story and catches the atmosphere perfectly, but story alone is not enough to make up for such terrible gameplay.”
  • optimization31 mentions

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, including inconsistent frame rates and frequent stuttering, even on high-end hardware. Many users noted that despite the game's intriguing story and graphics, the technical problems severely detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration and disappointment. While some improvements have been acknowledged, the consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized and in need of substantial patches to enhance performance.

    • “The optimization has improved, but there are still problems.”
    • “Performance-wise, I have no major complaints, but I'm playing on a decent machine (i9-12900f/3080ti) and I'm using a 60 fps cap.”
    • “Technical troubles: a plague of technical bugs and performance issues frequently undermines the immersion and can frustrate efforts to progress.”
    • “Sadly, the game has poor optimization; my FPS will be random on my 1080 Ti on max settings, I had something like 30-58 FPS.”
    • “However, the game is somehow extraordinarily poorly optimized; I get between 45 to a maximum of 65 FPS regardless of settings, it doesn't matter if I'm on 2K, 4K, or 8K, comparing this to Starfield where I have over 160 FPS on 4K maxed out.”
    • “This is one of the jankiest, most broken, most unoptimized games I've ever played.”
  • atmosphere29 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its dark, immersive world reminiscent of the original Witcher, featuring a compelling blend of medieval dystopia and otherworldly elements. While the sound design and visuals contribute to the overall ambiance, some players note a lack of interactivity that detracts from the experience. Overall, the atmosphere is highlighted as a standout feature, enhancing the storytelling and engaging players in its intriguing, lore-rich environment.

    • “The atmosphere of this game really reminded me of the Witcher 1.”
    • “The sound design is atmospheric, heightening the tension, with a soundtrack that perfectly complements the game's ominous and sometimes eerie ambiance.”
    • “Atmospheric setting: the medieval dystopia coupled with the otherworldly unworld provides a backdrop that is both visually and thematically engaging.”
    • “You definitely play this game for the atmosphere.”
    • “You can't talk to anyone, you can't pick up random stuff, you can't open doors; people are like walls, and it's just a walking simulator from point A to point B, looking at the fascinating and well-done atmosphere but where you can't interact with anything.”
    • “Really moody atmosphere.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is generally described as fitting and atmospheric, effectively complementing the game's eerie ambiance. While some reviewers find the soundtracks to be average, others praise them as awesome and appreciate their medieval mood. Overall, the music enhances the gaming experience, despite the game's other shortcomings.

    • “The sound design is atmospheric, heightening the tension, with a soundtrack that perfectly complements the game's ominous and sometimes eerie ambiance.”
    • “Music is extremely good.”
    • “The game is certainly rough around the edges: very bad graphics for 2024 standards, bad animation, bad sounds, and average music.”
    • “But I appreciate its medieval mood and music.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by random crashes, bugs, and poor optimization, leading to occasional frame drops and graphical glitches. While these issues can disrupt the experience, they are not frequent enough to be game-breaking, and the engaging story and strong voice acting help mitigate some of the frustration. Overall, players acknowledge the fun gameplay despite the stability concerns.

    • “Random crashes can ruin your game experience. As Jesus said, if anyone slaps you on the right cheek with a crash or bug, turn to them the other cheek also. (In modern gaming, we are sadly used to this... hello modern buggy games.)”
    • “The game itself is fun; however, it is poorly optimized, with sudden frame drops and a few glitches.”
    • “Even so, there are occasional hitches where the game has split-second freezes -- nothing game-breaking or frequent, but there will be a hiccup every few minutes.”
  • humor4 mentions

    The game's humor is a blend of intentional and unintentional comedy, featuring a darkly humorous tone that resonates through its absurd scenarios and quirky characters. Players appreciate the mix of grimdark elements with moments of levity, particularly through the protagonist's personality and the bizarre situations he encounters. Overall, the humor adds a unique charm, making the game both entertaining and engaging.

    • “I was introduced to this game in a rather funny way - through its trailer on YouTube where people were commenting 'it's one of the games of all time'/'best PS2 game of all time' etc. That, along with the hilarious puppet show in the trailer where Jesus breaks free from the cross, made me wishlist the game because I thought it'd be a good joke.”
    • “Grimdark, unintentionally funny sometimes, intentionally funny other times, with a no-nonsense protagonist who has just enough real personality to make you believe his motivations, which include visiting an 'unworld' to find clues for some baffling reason, then chasing down crazy people wearing masks to torture and/or politely ask them questions.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game offers high replayability due to its numerous choices and consequences, allowing players to experience different outcomes with each playthrough. However, some users feel that gameplay flaws detract from this potential, limiting the overall replay value.

    • “Every choice you make has consequences, providing a high level of replayability.”
    • “High replayability: with numerous choices and consequences, you can play the game multiple times and have a different experience each time.”
    • “Unfortunately, the flaws in the gameplay kill the inquisitor's replayability.”
  • grinding3 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, particularly when navigating the unworld, which can feel repetitive due to poor AI. However, many appreciate the absence of gear grinding, as the main quests flow seamlessly into one another, enhancing the overall experience.

    • “Every decisive moment in the plot pushes you into the unworld, a dark, twisted realm Mordimer can enter by praying, and oh boy, does this become slightly tedious.”
    • “Turns out, legging it like the legendary Greek messenger due to dramatically poor AI makes for a slightly less tedious unworld.”
    • “Huge plus for me was that there was no gear grinding, just the pure flow of main quests chaining into each other.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game deeply immersive, as they navigate the grim streets of Koenigstein, interact with its troubled inhabitants, and uncover dark societal themes through collectibles and journal entries. This experience evokes a strong sense of empathy and engagement, making them feel like a true inquisitor in a morally complex and bleak medieval world.

    • “Walking around the dirty streets of Koenigstein, talking to its people while working on the given case, learning about their struggles through the collectible notes, writing journal entries, and gradually unraveling the mystery - all of it absorbed me into the game and really made me feel like an inquisitor in an alternate medieval period that's equally gruesome and sleazy, where bigotry, deception, and prejudice are so normal that one would think it's devoid of all hope.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviewers praise the character development as exceptional, highlighting its integration with the story, setting, and overall atmosphere, which collectively enhance the gaming experience.

    • “The story, the setting, the character development, and the atmosphere are all amazing.”
    • “The character development is incredibly deep, allowing players to form a genuine connection with the characters.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making each decision feel impactful.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

53% average critic score

Buy The Inquisitor

Play time

8hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
2-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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