Review: Alaloth: Champions Of The Four Kingdoms (Early Access)

A cRPG with Souls-like combat? Yes, please!

Alaloth: Champions Of The Four Kingdoms is a cRPG by Gamera Interactive currently released in early access. 

We’ve all seen these retro aesthetics before, with Planescape: Torment and Pillars Of Eternity. So does the souls-like combat of Alaloth deliver, mark it out as one of the RPG greats? Let’s find out.

Waypoint of reference

Now, I’m going to be honest. It was hard for me to find a recent reference point for Alaloth. The last fantasy RPGs I played were Divine Divinity and the original Neverwinter Nights way before the current online version existed. 

But Alaloth definitely brought me back to a time when looting, stabbing and story were the keys to fantasy titles.

Playing the game was very reminiscent of the environmental detail of Divine Divinity. Still, it had very different combat dynamics to the D&D dice system of Neverwinter Nights. 

But Alaloth definitely harks back authentically to older RPG games in a very positive way, so the nostalgia was real. So what about the story of Alaloth?

Naughty god destroys the world

Alaloth is a god who has killed other gods to come to Planem, the land of mortal beings. As a champion it is your job to kill Alaloth. But you must hurry, as four other champions are also tasked with the same job, depending on your game mode.

The story is conveyed through dialogue with NPCs and the lore can be discovered in books. The story sounds like it is in epic proportions but it doesn’t always make you feel the centre of the universe like a game with champions in the title should. 

The detail, richness and engagement factor of the lore varies. One of the aspects of the dialogue used to express the lore is that it is often written in very modern English. Phrases like “pain in the ass” take you out of the moment and remind you you’re a boring human playing a game in 2022 and not a wizard elf in the days of yore. 

That said, dialogue can often be really engaging when dwarves and other races are talking about their pride being lost with their errant family crest and how their family rose to power and then fell. 

Many special little moments could be easily missed, like an elf sleeping on a city bench at night, murmuring, “makes me think of a better time before Alaloth”. This contemporary relevance smacks home of what damage covid has done and how the world has changed. Whether this is deliberate or my own interpretation is hard to say. But the level of detail is impressive.

Champion of the kingdoms

The world of Planem is divided into four kingdoms representing each race: elves, humans, orcs, and dwarves. There is also a fifth separate world where you fight Alaloth himself and complete the game. 

The design of each of these biomes is meticulous and well crafted. Architecture is entirely unique in each town and city and speaks of the culture and traditions created for each. 

Entering a city or township for the first time is exhilarating. The immersion factor is high as you wonder what type of people you will meet and what foods you taste. 

In loading screens, the descriptions of cities are succinct and poetic, often described in the style of a creative travel brochure which lends them a sense of realism. But of course, world-building only counts for something if presented gorgeously, right?

Magical, mysterious visuals

Doing a lot visually with a limited graphics engine always impresses me, and Alaloth is a great example. 

The isometric perspective of spires piercing the clouds and gigantic sculptures of faces carved into the rock is breathtaking. And the colors are always eye-popping in their vividness, making the entire world look bright and bristling with magic and mystery. 

Much attention has gone into the animations, with the Gamera team’s motion capture paying off. All combat and movement animations are fluid and natural, adding to the immersion factor. 

There are a few minor issues with the perspective, as it can be challenging to see your character or where you’re meant to go next. But this is a minor complaint. 

Back to the gold grind

Alaloth’s gameplay falls into several categories. Looting, trading, combat, speaking to NPCs, inventory management, and character development.

Looting is achieved via combat in the Fighting Areas or with mobs in the outdoor areas. Looting can be fun as you never quite know what you’ll get in the chest. 

It’s entertaining when you beat enemies in a Fighting Area as you could get an Artifact needed to get to the Fifth Kingdom to fight Alaloth himself. 

Combat is very challenging and exhilarating. You never know if you’ll get out of a battle alive, from fighting a small mob of goblins the first time to a towering cave troll. Strategy, knowledge of enemies, and the lay of the terrain become essential tools for survival. 

Combat is balanced so that even a small horde of goblins could defeat you and a companion.

This makes the overall experience immersive and helps suspend disbelief in the fantasy setting. 

There are lots of towns and cities to explore, each with various NPCs offering information or quests. Different NPCs can be accessed at night or day times, which was not well explained and lead to confusion. However, it is an interesting mechanic and worked well when I learned it.

The navigation is something that takes a little getting used to. The map comprises city hubs and combat arenas of many different types. The outdoor combat areas in deserts or forests are usually for fighting small mobs of enemies for loot. The indoor environments are the story-focused areas. 

The game gets going once you begin enlisting the help of companions, who ramp up the action in fighting areas and shoulder some of the burdens of battle. 

Like every other aspect of the game, companions are perfectly balanced and serve their purpose without making the game too easy or challenging. 

Companions must be looked after, so it’s best to fight close beside them. They are great for giving you a break from battle but also need you to give them a few seconds to strengthen their resolve. 

Combat is balanced so that even a small horde of goblins could defeat you and a companion. You need to keep an eye on your health and equipment condition and use your abilities to their potential.

The combat and the fully fleshed-out world are the most developed aspects of the game, with the story a little less engaging than it could be. Character development is a little lacking, which is disappointing for an RPG. However, these components may be further developed on full release. 

Shut that goblin up, I’m playing the lute!

The OST of Alaloth is a minimalistic lost opportunity. There is talent and flair here in the musical score. Still, the sound design is so lacking that the bare bones of music are exposed, without them being cleverly intermingled with the city’s sounds of daily life. 

At present, entering a busy tavern sounds like a teenager’s room listening to Relaxing Beats To Study To. The sound design is completely off, so the sound never reflects the bustle of a city or the local inn. 

Compare this to Neverwinter Nights. Bustling streets and taverns were exploding with life, everyone shouting to compete with the din. Such sound design of similar games leaves Alaloth sounding lifeless in its quietude. 

The positive side is that the sound design needs to be tweaked to balance sound effects and the score. The tavern patrons and outdoor villagers are there, but I can barely hear them!

Emotive response

Alaloth is a difficult one to pin down in terms of how the strengths and weaknesses influence the overall performance. For old-school RPG fans, the strengths are the visuals and the combat. 

For newer players to retro RPGs, is there enough here to satisfy? And is there enough for more experienced players in the actual game dynamics?

Yes and no. There are few dynamics in Alaloth, and the existing dynamics don’t offer much we haven’t seen before. There are no puzzles and little to no unconventional or creative character progression. 

Despite a lot of dialogue, few to no dialogue options affect outcomes in a meaningful way. Even the differences between reactions from NPCs to the player character’s race of little impact on gameplay.

Alaloth is polished and works a lot more smoothly than anyone could expect for a game in early access these days. Minor grammatical errors in dialogue, item titles, and some iffy sound design are minor. Additionally, the small dev team releases updates daily to crush hugs and polish features. 

Alaloth: Champion Of The Four Kingdoms is available on Steam, GOG and all major consoles.