Testament: The Order of High Human, developed and published by Fairyship Games, is an action-adventure RPG that was inspired by classic titles in the genre. Set in the land of Tessara, players assume the role of Aran, the fallen king of the High Humans, as he embarks on a journey to regain his powers and confront his treacherous brother, Arva. With a focus on combat, players can master swordplay, utilize magic abilities, and wield a magical bow to defeat enemies and explore the corrupted realms of Tessara. It’s a PC exclusive, and we tested the Steam version.
One of the main elements of Testament is its combat system, which offers three different approaches and allows players to develop their own unique fighting style. The swordplay features various destructive and elemental combos, while the magic abilities and the magical bow add potential depth to the combat experience. The game also features a grand XP and upgrade system, motivating players to fully explore the lands and dungeons. But while it sounds decent enough on paper, it lacks the depth of other action RPGs, relying far too much on just spamming the attack button.
The visuals of Testament: The Order of High Human are commendable, with detailed environments ranging from mysterious forests and abandoned cities to forgotten temples and snowy mountains. The level of detail, lighting, and polygonal modeling contribute to an immersive world. However, the enemy animations can be lackluster, and the variety of enemy types is limited. This is a game from a smaller development studio, and this is one of those areas where they had a ton of ambition but can’t quite match what the AAA studios do.
In terms of narrative, Testament falls short of delivering an engaging story. The plot is cliche and lacks surprises or memorable moments. The storytelling is often convoluted, with excessive exposition and monologues that detract from the overall experience. Additionally, the lack of charismatic and compelling characters further hampers the narrative, and the protagonist has a need to constantly fill the player in on what’s going on, making it hard to feel properly engaged and immersed.
The gameplay mechanics, while initially enjoyable because they’re not hard to learn, become repetitive and frustrating over time. The combat encounters, although chaotic, lack depth, lacking a degree of nuanced gameplay, while the inclusion of shielded enemies leads to clunky combat more than anything. On the positive side, the platforming and puzzle sections provide a brief respite from the combat and are surprisingly well done.
On a technical level, Testament: The Order of High Human unfortunately suffers from several bugs and performance issues, including crashes and framerate inconsistencies. These technical flaws further mar the overall experience and show us that the game needed a bit more time in the oven. This all makes Testament: The Order of High Human a bit of a mixed bag. While the combat system initially offers some enjoyment and the world design is visually appealing for a smaller title, the lackluster narrative, repetitive gameplay, and technical issues make it difficult to recommend at this point. Here’s hoping for some post-launch polish.
Score: 5.3/10
Press Play Media 