The Necromancer's Tale Review (2026): One Of The Best Villain RPGs You've Probably Missed
- Niels Gys
- Jun 24
- 7 min read
TL;DR
Buy it if: you want a dark, story-heavy RPG where you slowly transform from respectable noble to deeply concerning corpse enthusiast.
Skip it if: you want action, loot explosions, fast combat, or anything resembling a heist game.
The Verdict: The Necromancer's Tale is one of the most interesting villain-protagonist RPGs released in recent years. The combat is merely serviceable. The writing is the star. And the descent into necromancy is handled with far more intelligence than most games manage.
If commanding an army of corpses sounds fun, wait until you see what criminals are earning this week in GTA Online. The latest GTA Online Weekly Update contains more money than most fictional noble families and considerably fewer grave robbers. One wrong click and you'll disappear into that rabbit hole for an hour.
Quick Answer: Is The Necromancer's Tale Worth Playing?
Yes.
If you've ever looked at fantasy RPGs and thought:
"Why am I always saving villages full of people who would absolutely report me to the authorities if I parked slightly crooked?"
Then congratulations.
The Necromancer's Tale was built specifically for you.
This is a narrative RPG about forbidden knowledge, social manipulation, secrecy, blackmail, dark rituals, undead servants, and the slow realization that perhaps raising corpses is not an activity that improves one's reputation.
The game knows exactly what it wants to be.
And unlike many RPGs that promise an evil route before handing you a slightly ruder version of the hero campaign, this one actually commits.
What Is The Necromancer's Tale?
The Necromancer's Tale is a story-rich CRPG set in an alternate version of 18th-century Europe.
You begin as a minor noble.
You end somewhere between "dangerous occult mastermind" and "the reason villagers have invented torches."
The entire game revolves around your gradual descent into necromancy.
Not in a Saturday-morning-cartoon way.
Not in a moustache-twirling "I shall destroy the world!" way.
In a believable way.
A human way.
The dangerous kind.
The sort of corruption that starts with curiosity.
Then becomes necessity.
Then becomes power.
Then becomes "well, technically the corpse wasn't using those legs anymore."
What Do You Actually Do?
Mostly?
You talk.
You investigate.
You manipulate.
You hide things.
You make decisions.
You build relationships.
You destroy relationships.
You learn forbidden rituals.
You maintain secrecy.
You desperately try to stop society from discovering that your hobbies have become alarmingly cemetery-focused.
This is a heavily narrative RPG.
The writing is the engine.
The roleplaying is the fuel.
Combat rides in the trunk and occasionally reminds everyone it's still part of the trip.
Players expecting Diablo will be disappointed.
Players expecting Disco Elysium with corpses will be delighted.
Becoming A Necromancer Is The Entire Point
Here's where many games fail.
They advertise dark magic.
Then you spend forty hours collecting boar pelts before learning one disappointing skeleton spell.
The Necromancer's Tale actually understands the assignment.
Necromancy isn't a side activity.
It isn't a late-game gimmick.
It isn't a cosmetic skin.
It's the central fantasy.
You learn rituals.
You build power.
You raise undead.
You gain followers.
You unlock increasingly dangerous knowledge.
And all of it exists alongside a society that would very much prefer you stop doing that immediately.
Which creates the game's best mechanic.
The Trust System Is Brilliant
Most RPGs handle evil choices like a vending machine.
Press button.
Receive Evil Points.
Everyone somehow knows you kicked a puppy behind a mountain three provinces away.
The Necromancer's Tale does something smarter.
People trust you until they don't.
The more suspicious your activities become, the more dangerous your social situation becomes.
And frankly, that's far more interesting.
Anyone can become powerful.
The trick is becoming powerful without the neighbours discovering you've got three skeletons and a partially reanimated accountant hiding in the basement.
The game constantly forces you to balance power against exposure.
And that's where the tension lives.
Not in combat.
Not in boss fights.
In reputation.
In secrecy.
In maintaining the illusion that you're a perfectly respectable citizen while conducting activities that would cause a priest to spontaneously combust.
The Writing Is The Real Weapon
This game contains hundreds of thousands of words.
Normally that sentence would trigger immediate concern.
We've all played games where "lots of writing" means reading twelve pages about grain tariffs before being rewarded with a wooden spoon.
Thankfully this isn't that.
The writing consistently carries the experience.
Characters feel grounded.
The setting feels authentic.
The political and social structures matter.
And perhaps most importantly:
The game treats necromancy seriously.
Not as edgy decoration.
Not as fantasy wallpaper.
As a genuinely dangerous path that reshapes the character and the world around them.
The result feels surprisingly mature.
Which is refreshing in a genre where evil paths often resemble teenagers writing fanfiction after discovering black clothing.
The Combat Is Fine
That's both praise and criticism.
Combat works.
It functions.
It exists.
You can fight enemies.
Use abilities.
Deploy undead.
Win battles.
But nobody is buying The Necromancer's Tale because they heard the combat would revolutionize human civilization.
The combat serves the story.
The story does not serve the combat.
And that's an important distinction.
If you're looking for deep tactical brilliance, there are stronger options.
If you're looking for narrative roleplaying with combat attached, you'll be perfectly happy.
The Necromancer's Tale proves becoming evil is often more interesting than saving the world. If you're looking for more morally questionable career paths, our Best Games Where You Play As The Villain list is packed with tyrants, monsters, psychopaths, and people who should absolutely not be trusted with local government.
The Best Parts
The descent into villainy feels earned.
The setting is genuinely unique.
The trust system creates real tension.
Necromancy is actually central to the game.
The writing consistently delivers.
The roleplaying options are substantial.
The atmosphere drips from every wall like suspicious liquid in an abandoned crypt.
Most importantly:
The game trusts the player to think.
Which is becoming alarmingly rare.
The Worst Parts
The pacing can be slow.
Very slow.
The kind of slow where action-game players may start checking whether their monitor has frozen.
Combat never reaches the same level as the writing.
Some players will bounce off the enormous amount of dialogue.
And if you hate reading in RPGs, this game will feel like being trapped inside an exceptionally haunted library.
Community Verdict
Player sentiment has been overwhelmingly positive.
The praise is remarkably consistent:
Strong writing.
Excellent atmosphere.
Interesting roleplaying.
Meaningful choices.
Good implementation of necromancy.
The criticism is equally consistent:
Slow pacing.
Combat that never fully shines.
Heavy reliance on reading.
None of this should surprise anyone who looks at what the game is actually trying to do.
The Necromancer's Tale knows its audience.
And thankfully it doesn't spend half the game apologizing for being itself.
Who Should Play This?
Play it if you enjoy:
Narrative-heavy RPGs
Villain protagonists
Dark fantasy
Necromancy
Political intrigue
Social manipulation
Gothic horror
Consequence-driven roleplaying
This is one of the better villain-origin stories in modern RPGs.
Who Should Skip It?
Skip it if you want:
Fast action
Loot grinders
Constant combat
Open-world chaos
Crime sandboxes
Heists
Deep tactical combat
This game is a gothic novel with undead employees.
Know what you're buying.
Final Verdict
The Necromancer's Tale succeeds because it understands something many RPGs forget.
Power is only interesting when it costs something.
Anyone can become a hero.
Games hand those jobs out like supermarket loyalty cards.
Becoming a necromancer is harder.
You have to lie.
Manipulate.
Hide.
Compromise.
Cross lines.
Then cross a few more.
And somewhere along the journey you realize you've stopped asking whether you should.
That's where The Necromancer's Tale shines.
Not because it lets you command the dead.
Because it makes you understand why someone would.
Verdict: Highly Recommended
Not one of the best RPGs of the decade.
Not a flawless masterpiece.
But absolutely one of the most interesting villain-protagonist RPGs released in recent years.
And frankly, there aren't enough games brave enough to hand players a shovel and say:
"Go on then. Ruin your soul properly."
CRIMENET survives on two things: criminal curiosity and poor financial decisions. If you enjoyed this review, consider supporting us on Ko-fi and join This Week in CRIME, our underworld briefing covering villain games, criminal opportunities, disastrous updates, and the gaming industry's latest attempts to set itself on fire.
Every empire starts somewhere. Ours apparently started with a necromancer and a coffee.
FAQ
Is The Necromancer's Tale worth buying?
Yes, if you enjoy story-heavy RPGs with meaningful choices, dark fantasy, and a genuine villain progression. The writing, atmosphere, and necromancy systems are the main attraction, while combat plays a supporting role. Players looking for fast action or loot-focused gameplay may find it too slow.
Can you actually become a necromancer in The Necromancer's Tale?
Absolutely. Necromancy is not a side activity or late-game gimmick. Learning forbidden rituals, raising undead servants, gathering dark knowledge, and managing the consequences of your actions form the core of the entire game. Your transformation into a necromancer drives both the story and gameplay.
Is The Necromancer's Tale an evil playthrough RPG?
Yes. Rather than offering a simple "evil route," the game revolves around moral decline, secrecy, manipulation, and the pursuit of power. You gradually cross ethical lines as you gain access to increasingly dangerous necromantic abilities, creating one of the more convincing villain-origin stories in recent RPGs.
How long is The Necromancer's Tale?
Most players can expect a playthrough to last between 25 and 50 hours depending on exploration, side content, reading speed, and combat engagement. Completionists and players who explore multiple endings may spend significantly longer uncovering every branch of the story.
Is The Necromancer's Tale combat-focused?
No. Combat exists and is functional, but it is not the game's strongest feature. The real focus is on dialogue, investigation, roleplaying, social manipulation, and managing your growing reputation as someone who may or may not have a basement full of animated corpses.
What games are similar to The Necromancer's Tale?
Players who enjoy games such as Disco Elysium, Tyranny, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, or narrative-heavy entries from the Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines school of roleplaying will likely find plenty to enjoy here. The Necromancer's Tale combines social intrigue, dark magic, and moral corruption into a uniquely gothic experience.
Comments