Developer/publisher Inkle Studios

Format PC

Release Out now

That one brief shining moment is all but over. Inkle’s narrative strategy game paints a bleak picture of Camelot’s end, effectively letting you pen its epitaph as you play through the days leading up to Arthur’s confrontation with estranged son Mordred. The latter, a self-styled ‘man of the people’ who seems to be actively making those people’s lives significantly worse, has all but torn down the old world. Whether you save Arthur from his fate is ultimately moot; any victory is Pyrrhic at best. Yet the desire to fight on remains. Each playable character, from the determined Guinevere to the drunken Gawain, manages to find a sense of purpose when all seems hopeless. We might be in folkloric territory, but at times Pendragon hits terribly close to home.

Advance toward villagers with your sword drawn, and they may respond in kind or retreat in fear

If your destination never changes, no two journeys to Camlann are ever the same. Each stop on your quest takes the form of a small isometric grid, upon which every step counts, with every turn potentially having major ramifications for how the story plays out. Even your choice of stance - diagonal or linear - is important. The latter lets you claim surrounding territory, but leaves you vulnerable. Ready your weapon, meanwhile, and you can only move in one of the cardinal directions, but at least you’re prepared when someone (or something) lunges forward.