E3 10: The First Templar Impressions

(Once again, my name is Philip and I am an “Intern”)

Through a press meeting with the developers of Kalypso I got to interview their PR Ted Brockwood and watch him play the demo of The First Templar. He was very enthusiastic in guiding me through the mechanics of the game, though I was limited to seeing only the alpha code of the game as its still in early development. Fortunately, his enthusiasm was warranted, as the game plays well despite the occasional glitch.

The history of The First Templar is centered in Medieval Europe, where the Church of England has collapsed so the Knights Templar are dispatched to bring back its prestige by finding the Holy Grail. The game begins with a full-fledged Knight Templar and his apprentice venturing through a wooded area, questing for the Holy Grail while engaging the occasional bandit. The gameplay involves controlling two characters interchangeably, the knight and the apprentice, where the player is given the option to control one while the other tags along with A.I. Though you could not direct the AI to certain actions, it was clever enough to perform combat well enough and not die off in critical situations. The demo ended with a fort settled deep in the woods, where an abnormally sized man, the “beast” that threatened the local villagers, confronts the player and is easily dispatched.

Overall, although too early to fully judge, the game is coming along nicely. The combat is fluid if jumpy due to the beta, and the AI compliments your attacks in the heat of battle. I eagerly wait a more complete, fully developed design in the future.