Necro Story – Dark magic, dark fantasy, dark humor

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• DEVELOPER: Rablo Games
• PUBLISHER: Rablo Games
• PLATFORMS: PC, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5
• GENRE: RPG
• RELEASE DATE: October 7, 2024
• LAUNCH PRICE: 14.99€
• REVIEWED ON: PC

Those lyrics from Oingo Boingo’s Dead Man’s Party perfectly sum up what you can expect from the creature-collecting RPG Necro Story. You’ll balance between life and death, discover new realms, and assemble your own team of combat companions. With plenty of funny and unexpected moments, prepare to feel your soul leave your body as you attempt to capture others. Who could ask for more?

“This whole ‘what does it mean to be dead’ thing”

In Necro Story, you play as a powerful necromancer tasked with saving humanity. After waking from a five-year slumber, you team up with the optimistic ghost Vivi and dive into the afterlife. This party-based RPG is full of strategic battles, laughter, and a lot of mischief, you can fight using magical spells, capture enemy souls, and even wander off to uncover hidden puzzles and abandoned paths.

Although the core gameplay revolves around walking and battling, there are several features that help break up the monotony. Starting with the combat system, this is definitely not the type of game where you can relax and let auto-battle do the work. You have full control over assembling your team before each fight, as well as choosing your spells, attacks, and their upgrades.

Strategy and attack management are key in battles, but the mechanics that stood out most to me were soul-capturing and mana restoration. After defeating an enemy, its soul floats on the screen, and capturing it depends on the player’s reflexes. By catching these souls, you can convert them into allies. Additionally, you collect flying fragments to restore mana, and once you gather enough souls, you can extract even more mana from them. Although battles can become repetitive over time, they still demand focus and quick reactions.

Exploration gives players a lot of freedom in how they reach their goals. Hidden paths lead to puzzles that unlock unique equipment and items. You’ll also encounter demonic towers scattered across various locations, and completing their challenges grants special spells for battle. I appreciated that exploration was consistently rewarded, since the items and spells I found made battles easier and more dynamic.

A slightly odd fairy tale

Necro Story offers a fun, laid-back take on familiar mythologies and fairy tales. The game mixes dark humor and witty jokes, giving players a playful reminder not to take things too seriously. It keeps the tension with clever twists, like a fake timer designed to confuse you, but also offers surprises that will leave you stunned, such as discovering that the main quest is only the beginning, leading to entirely new worlds to explore.

The developers put real effort into making each setting unique. You’ll travel through an enchanted forest, an Egyptian pyramid, snowy mountains, a dinosaur-filled jungle, and even a land of Vikings. Each world stands out not only thanks to its fitting, catchy music, but also due to its charming visual designs. The pastel art style feels both cute and nostalgic, reminiscent of hand-drawn games from the early 2000s. This approach gives characters fluid movements, making them more expressive and amplifying the game’s charm.

Master of mischief

Although Necro Story has a lot to enjoy, a few aspects frustrated me. One issue is the repeated battles against the same bosses. Facing the same boss two or three times felt more like a tedious obstacle than a new challenge, slowing my progress. Another frustration comes from one specific boss whose main mechanic involves asking trivial questions.

If you answer incorrectly, your health drops drastically. While I don’t mind questions about the story or gameplay, questions about the game’s development, such as the size of the dev team, felt irrelevant. It didn’t make sense to punish players for not knowing behind-the-scenes details that don’t matter for enjoying the game. This mechanic caused several irritating repeats as I worked through the trivia.

Another element that left me with mixed feelings is the ending. There are two possible outcomes, but the choice that determines your fate is hidden until the last moment. This means that I unknowingly followed the path toward one ending without realizing it.

The twist definitely surprised me, and although the “bad” ending felt like a mischievous joke from the developers, it was also a bit frustrating that my fate was sealed without warning. Still, I can’t fully blame them for their sneaky approach, I also enjoyed breaking rules myself, smashing pots, opening suspicious treasure chests, or casting forbidden spells. It’s fun to be a little evil when there’s no real punishment.

Final thoughts

Necro Story is just like its protagonist: mischievous, yet charming. It’s funny and also wicked, offering a twisted fairy tale full of strategy and unusual challenges. Despite a few frustrations, it brings fresh ideas to the RPG genre, blending humor, intensity, and a lot of heart. I warmly recommend Necro Story to anyone who has ever dreamed of commanding an army of the undead and fantastic creatures, without the need for black magic.

Review copy provided by the publisher