SKALD: Against the Black Priory

About

About the Game You drag yourself from the black tides, across the corpses of drowned men, and onto the unwelcoming, craggy shoreline. Gulls cry overhead and the stink of seaweed fills your nose.

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8
Based on
2883 reviews
Country Compatibility:
Languages:
Developer:
High North Studios AS
Publisher:
Raw Fury
Engine:
Unity 2018
Release date:
30 May 2024
Genre:
Recent Steam reviews:
Very Positive (29)
All Steam reviews:
Very Positive (2883)

Game features

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Description

About the Game

You drag yourself from the black tides, across the corpses of drowned men, and onto the unwelcoming, craggy shoreline. Gulls cry overhead and the stink of seaweed fills your nose. By some miracle you have made it to Idra. It will take all your skill to survive and unravel the eldritch mysteries of the Black Priory

SKALD: Against the Black Priory is inspired by roleplaying games of yesteryear, combining modern design and compelling storytelling with authentic 8-bit looks and charms.

Delve into a dark fantasy world, full of deadly creatures, tragic heroes, and lovecraftian horror for an epic retro-style adventure rich in exploration and tactical, turn-based combat.

Do you have what it takes to lead a company of broken heroes from the tainted shores of Idra to the gates of the Black Priory - and beyond?

Gather your party

Lead a band of broken heroes through challenging turn-based combat scenarios as you cleave, blast or stealth your way through deadly enemies of all definitions. Equip your heroes using a modern inventory system, fulfil objectives through quest logs, read journals to discover hidden secrets. And if the action is still a bit too hot to handle, auto-resolve to bypass conflict entirely.

Prepare thyself

Set yourself up for the journey ahead by crafting and cooking from a slew of distinct recipes Choose your character, select their stats and build out a party from a series of diverse allies, each with their own skill-set, agenda and personality. Decide between a dozen classes and varied backgrounds, levelling up to 20 while customising your spells and equipment to suit your style.

Venture Forth

Set in an unforgiving world with lovecraftian horrors and choice-based dialogue, your story will take many unexpected twists and turns. Living life as a mercenary, you’ll need to roll the dice to determine whether you fall prey to certain peril or escape grave danger.

Celebrate Yesteryear 

Uncover the grand schemes of the Gallian Empire and explore the vast expanse of Freymark and the Outer Isles. In SKALD: Against the Black Priory, you’ll experience this richly illustrated world of authentic pixel art, built from thousands of hand-drawn tiles and images using a palette inspired by the legendary Commodore 64 computer. Optional CRT filter for true retro aficionados also included.

Mod Support

Looking for more SKALD content to play? Players now have access to the SKALD Data Editing Tool (SKaDE) to create their own adventures and play all new ones at no extra cost. This custom-made modding tool is powered by Mod.io and gives you access to all of the assets in SKALD: Against The Black Priory. Where will your imagination take you?

Recommended system requirements

minimum*

OS:
Windows 10
Processor:
Intel i5 or AMD equivalent
Memory:
4 GB RAM
Graphics:
Intel Iris / AMD Vega or equivalent
DirectX:
Version 10
Storage:
500 MB available space

recommended*

OS:
Windows 10
Processor:
Intel 7th Gen or AMD equivalent
Memory:
8 GB RAM
Graphics:
Nvida GTX Series 10 or equivalent onboard graphics
DirectX:
Version 10
Storage:
500 MB available space

User reviews

Lightfooot
Recommended | 16 Jun 2026
36.3h played

Excellent game through and through. Oldschool rpg with good story, interesting world to interact with, fun mechanics and level of freedom. A lot of love went into this game. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Easily

Helpful: 4
Fork_Q2
Recommended | 15 Jun 2026
29.7h played

tl;dr: a genuinely compelling dark fantasy CRPG with excellent writing, atmospheric dread, and satisfying tactical combat. Let down by visual clutter, some unfulfilled ambition, and a handful of bugs. Highly recommended

Helpful: 5
Moneybucks
Recommended | 18 Jun 2026
23.3h played

SKALD gets a positive, just about. SKALD emulates the aesthetic of late 80's, early 90's RPGs and Roguelikes. Think Ultima 6, for those who are old enough. While the intended effect I'm sure is retrospective charm and

Helpful: 5
BLADE XDBX
Recommended | 02 Jul 2026
58.1h played

I had an absolute blast playing this game. Good story telling, smooth progression, and fun combat. I do feel like it's a little too pixelated though. It makes it hard to navigate and to identify who is who in combat.

Helpful: 0
George.cpp
Recommended | 07 Jun 2026
35.3h played

This is the definition of a niche game. Imitating graphics from the 80s and gameplay from early 90s, with modern quality-of-life improvements! I really enjoyed this one. It gave me 100% the feeling of playing a pen and

Helpful: 4
Hoodra
Recommended | 20 Jun 2026
29.8h played

Combat was a bit tricky in the beginning but after a few levels you got in the flow of it and I never found it becoming too easy or repetitive in my playthrough. The story also had me hooked from start to finish.

Helpful: 4