a dope, bite-sized experience with a very refreshing and entertaining combat system where you really gotta be top of your game to succeed, which makes the challenge and combat that much more rewarding. the dialogue is fantastic too, very quippy in a good way and legitimately hilarious at times, tying itself to the gameplay with unscripted and dynamic banter during combat, allowing for unpredictable and clever interactions that adapt to your decisions.

Adalia is a very endearing character as well, a Puss-in-Boots esq personality that is a blast to follow through the simplistic story. I'm sure if this game came out last year when The Last Wish released it would have been huge. the artstyle's nice, the soundtrack is incredible- if there's ever a sequel you best believe i'll preorder it.

Игра может похвастаться геймплеем из разряда "легко понять, но трудно освоить". По сути вы дерётесь с толпой противников на мечах, но при этом вы можете использовать окружающую среду против врагов. Если когда-то играли в Dark Messiah и помните момент, когда можно было обрубить верёвку у люстры в тронном зале, чтобы она опустилась вниз и раскачивалась туда-сюда, снося врагов на своём пути, то знайте: вся игра - это вот этот момент. Кидайте кувшины во врагов, чтобы наносить критический урон, накидывайте на них вёдра, чтобы они застанились, поджигайте их, взрывайте, пинайте с лестницы, пинайте коробки в их сторону и т.д. До конца игры вам это вообще не надоест.
Что касается основной боёвки, то она довольно проста, но чертовски сложна, если на вас нападает толпа врагов за раз. Игра постоянно вынуждает вас выцеплять врагов из толпы, станить одних, кайтить других, третьих добивать и всё в таком духе.
Картинка в игре оставила приятные впечатления.

Не понравилось разве то, что главная героиня на обложке и в игре выглядит по разному. Также бесило то, что персонажи не могли заткнуться хотя бы на пару минут. Постоянно какие-то колкие комментарии, многие из которых даже были не смешными.

Combat is fun to play and so addictive. using the environment
against enemies and bosses is so creative and fun to do.
Art-style is fantastic and pretty, Music is also very good.

But game is too short and get too repetitive and there isn't many enemy variation, you'll just see the same enemies over and over. also the bosses get reused. Final boss was below average and nothing special.

Story is bad.

En Garde is swashbuckling fun, and even though the game doesn't evolve beyond the first impression, it still shows that you don't need to be mechanically complex or focus on variety to make a worthwhile experience. At about 4 hours long, the game hit a sweet spot of offering a substantial experience without getting in its own way (though some of the late-game challenges were a little more demanding than they needed to be).

The pulpy latin adventure flavor and sense of humor, makes this game stand out in a great way, and the sharp presentation made a lot of the game's weaknesses more forgiving. Even if there were only 5-6 enemies repeated, the fun came from dropping chandeliers, throwing buckets on people's heads, tossing a lantern onto a stack of gunpowder, etc. While the corridors didn't do much to distinguish themselves, I did find myself enjoying the platforming and moving through the space. I think the game shines with how it handles crowd control, battling 4-5 enemies at the same time with someone in the back throwing bombs is hectic fun. My biggest gripe is that the boss battles turned into kind of tedious chases once all the destructable elements were used, and the game really requires you to nail the parry mechanics, which is not as fun as laying traps for your enemies. Still this is some of the most fun action swordfighting I've experienced in a game, which forgives a lot of the game's rougher edges.

Playing En Garde and SIfu in a short timespan has really helped me compare and contrast these two setpiece fighters (that's not a genre but whatever man). Where Sifu wants to evoke martial arts movies, En Garde wants you to feel like Inigo Montoya or Puss in Boots. Where Sifu demands precision and repetition, En Garde encourages you to play around and try daring schemes. All of these differences are what enticed me to try out this game in the first place. One difference, though, puts it slightly behind Sifu in my opinion - En Garde is just not as polished of a game. Your movement is often going to clip on the environment, and enemy attacks have a homing quality to them that makes fights in large groups a little more chaotic than they should be.

I feel bad for having such a negative tone when writing this, because there is a terrific sequel just begging to be made here. En Garde almost feels like a tryout for the big one following this game up - music and visuals are enchanting and whimsical, characters are endearing and the basic mechanics powering combat naturally nudge you into the boots of the games' heroine. If only the game was in the oven slighty longer - both to even out the games' rough edges and add a little more meat on its bones. I'm eager for what comes next!

As a fan of parry based games, this was meant for me. While it is on the easier and forgiving side with its indicators and generous parry window, it innovates more on crowd control which enhances its tone and appeal. The new enemy stamina meter compliments this new layer on managing enemies such as kicking them towards environmental hazards or other enemies to keep them away as well as weaken them to easily and safely damage them. Given its budget and scale, its linear combat arenas, light platforming and few stages makes the most sense; however, I do find it a bit short on content, variety and challenge to be a memorable experience.

At its low price point, it is a justifiably short experience consisting of four chapters/episodes left me underwhelmed. What made me truly lament about this game is its lost potential specially on how much fun I had on its arena or roguelike mode. The (potentially broken) positive and negative modifiers adds a strategic and tactical depth that I feel the main mode lacks or could emulate with its comedic tone. Beyond the arena, I find no real reason to replay or learn the game at a higher difficulty despite the challenge which is one of my key metrics for an action game.

As an action game, what holds this back is the zoomed in camera, unclear lock-on and messy object interactions that make the experience frustrating than rewarding. First, the camera is quite close to the character making it hard to see enemies approaching from behind. When backed to a wall or corner due to dodging or parrying, the camera goes behind a wall and obscures incoming attacks. Second, the lock-on feels so random or uncontrollable at times with clusters of enemies. It happens so many times that it breaks my immersion and flow. Third, so many objects on the ground can hinder movement both for the player and specially the enemies who get stuck. Tables in particular can cause dodges to be unintentional slides that can reset elite enemy meters. All these problems are not unique to this game, but it made combat a sloppy experience.

For smaller issues, I am not a fan of the humor and tone of this game although this may be the right approach for its short experience. Even if the corridors are linear, some tangible rewards such as costumes or cosmetics could be hidden instead of small notes or references. Better indicators for the exit and interactables would be nice because it is hard to know at times.

As for the Steam Deck, I really only have one issue which I mentioned in the demo: performance. Playing on the lowest graphical settings, I can play around a stable 45 FPS. The fight arenas are small and segregated by loading screens, so I am concerned why it is not hitting a stable 60 FPS or sometimes having hiccups. Perhaps some configuration can hit those numbers or perhaps Steam Deck verification is not intended; regardless, I do suggest playing on a stronger machine for a better experience.

It is still overall a good casual indie game and hoped to support it, but I hesitate to recommend this for players looking for a meaningful and rewarding challenge.

Pretty fun, it reminded me a bit of Sekiro's combat mechanics. In the game, you control a character similar to Zorro, a masked vigilante whose goal is to overthrow a tyrant in power. Throughout the game, you learn more about his plans and try to thwart them, while encountering other characters and progressing through stages that unlock new enemies. I found the early stages to be quite standard; the only one that really stands out is the last, which feels much like a platformer. I think the game could explore more possibilities in its environments, as its combat is really enjoyable. I liked the game, though I found it a bit short, but still quite enjoyable. I recommend it!

This is a really weird one for me. For starters, the game is absolutely gorgeous. It feels like a PS2 game in the best ways, running through the levels sort of reminded me of Sly Cooper at times. I loved the environments and artstyle in general. The combat is satisfying, it feels kind of like a more friendly and forgiving Sekiro. The comedic tools you use to take down enemies are almost always hilarious and add a unique charm to the game.
However the characters talk. A lot. Like a lot a lot. You can turn this down in the menu but the writing is actually quite fun when there arent 6 people talking over one another. The enemies don't synergize well with one another and some combat encounters can become absolute slogs as a result. I found myself getting really frustrated when you're forced to dodge one enemies attack but that refills the meter of another enemy. All in all though this is a great game for the price, and the accessibility options do make up for some of the less considered design decisions.

this game is incredibly fun to play. the heavy incorporation of the game environment into the fights really opens up the somewhat simple sword-fighting mechanics this game has, but really it’s more of a challenge managing the hordes of enemies in front you, being able to single them out and chip away using the multiple different tools around you. the fighting is both fun to play and look at. the four episodes are all fun and unique, the stories behind them are all silly and that’s what adds to the extreme amount of charm this game has. bonus points for having the enemies’ dialogue be rlly funny.

Okay, right of the bat, I'm gonna say this...THIS IS MY 2ND FAVORITE GAME OF THE YEAR, RIGHT BEHIND ARMORED CORE 6! This game met all my expectations in the best ways imaginable. Like I don't know where to begin. The story/characters, while their very simple, at the same time are very enjoyable in terms of their dialouge and personalitites. The enviorment/looks of the game is lively and bright, giving it this Zorro-esque SMC feeling to it all! AND THE COMBAT/GAMEPLAY! OMG, THE COMBAT/GAMEPLAY OF THIS GAME IS AMAZING!! While sure yeah their are some issues (I.E., the very flawed lock-on and sometimes to much of getting ganged up on.), Everything else was amazing! You feel like your this swashbuckling hero in the same vein as characters like Zorro as you traverse the area, while dealing with various groups of enemies in both amazingly skillful sword fighting and creative uses of the enviorment, requiring more strategy, especially bosses! (Also between this and AC6, I'm starting to like the concept of stamina bars to weaken enemies/yourself. It really gives you that push/pull feel where it's a matter of weakening them to deal critical blows before they kill you). Though like I said with parts of the combat, their are some flaws, which while I don't blame the developers for (I mean this is Fireplace Games 1st official release that was made originally as a student project), these are more improvements I would want to see in a poss. sequel. The game feels feels really short (You can beat it in 4 hours with the 4 episodes you have in the campaign, meaning 1 level = 1 hour), though unlike Fishgun where it's straight up around an hour and you wanted more, I still felt satisfied with it. Also, I feel like the combat moveset should be expanded more. Specifically being able to kick enemies while swinging on things and more epic special moves. But still, for their first ever game release Fireplace Games
hit it out of the park, and I can't wait for what they release next. ESPECIALLY IF IT'S A SEQUEL TO THIS GAME!! I'M THAT OBSSESSED WITH IT!!

Mir gefällt wie unbeschwert die gesamte Atmosphäre dieses Spiels ist. Gegner juxen noch, selbst nachdem man sie besiegt hat und die Geschichte ist komplett belanglos, aber so charmant over-acted, dass es doch wieder Spaß macht.

Diese Atmosphäre setzt einen guten Rahmen für die Kämpfe, in denen man sich mit allen Tricks einer Kneipenschlägerei gegen eine Überzahl an Gegnern durchsetzt. Diese Kämpfe sind das was das Spiel auszeichnen, doch leider gibt es recht schnell keine neuen Ideen mehr. Spätere Gegnertypen sind im Prinzip nur leicht stärkere Varianten der früheren Gegner.

Doch bei der kurzen Länge des Spiels fällt das kaum ins Gewicht, denn das Spiel endet bevor es zu repetitiv wird.

Als Auflockerung gibt es zwischen den Kämpfen immer wieder Jumping-Puzzles, welche sehr uninspiriert wirken im Vergleich zum Rest des Spiels. Hier hätte man sich vielleicht noch den ein oder anderen Kniff einfallen lassen können.

Insgesamt macht En Garde für ein Paar Stunden allerdings viel Spaß und hat einen sehr liebenswerten Stil.

En Garde is a great beat 'em all based around fencing.
The gameplay revolves around a mixture of timing during which you can hit the enemy and rispote to open windows to inflict damage, in addition to that you can use the scenery to disorientate enemies, on this basis of gameplay, the game is very solid and is very exciting to play.
In addition to the gameplay, there's a fairly short story based on clichés from old cloak-and-dagger films, à la Zoro, which is great fun.
The game is as solid visually as it is audibly, the art direction is really good, and the sounds and music are coherent and make for a very successful whole.
Overall, En garde is an excellent game, the only downside being its fairly short lifespan and difficulty. The game becomes fairly easy once you get the hang of it, but a greater variety of enemies would have been interesting.

Gays can have a little Sekiro, as a treat.

En Garde! is an insanely charming sword-play RPG about master swordswoman and long-time friend of Cervantes: Adalia de Volador.

Through her we explore early modern Spain and attempt to stop the evil Count Duke from both driving our quaint Spanish town to ruin and also dominating the world.

I am a queer parry fiend and to play a game with a gay protag where parry-or-die is the philosophy absolutely rocked. A good fighting mechanic goes a long way for me when it comes to liking games, but also the art style was very fun, the writing was punny/creative/didn’t take itself too seriously, and the pacing was great.

Sadly the targeting system is pretty bad, I won’t lie, but in a 4 hour game where you can blitz through it and carry on having forgotten the targeting system exists at all, it’s a forgivable flaw. If this game were expanded or got a much bigger sequel I’d love to see what a functioning version of it looks like, but again, didn’t ruin the experience given you can just ignore it and fight without it.

My partner and I knocked it out in one evening (literally tonight) and I want more En Garde! Adalia de Volador is my new hero.

En Garde popped up on my radar because someone said its combat is akin to a big bar-fight, and that made me give it a shot.

While a lot of people enjoyed it, I wasn't into its visuals. I don't like the Unreal Engine colorful cartoonish style. It's ok and even enjoyable for others but the strong colors just dulls my eyes towards the visuals.

The story is one element I really liked. While it could come off as being just humor that doesn't commit to anything, I think it actually sets the tone of the game pretty well. Story beats that include other characters are nice for the most part. Enemies don't die once defeated and how they exchange quip-y barks with the MC is funny and sets the tone better than any other element.

Since we're all here for the combat, I'd say that it's mostly a strong formula that they have. The mix of reactive skill that commands duels with the tactical skill that lets you set up traps and environmental attacks is very good.
My 2 points of contention is the lock-on system and the level design & NPC AI.
Your attacks are automatically aimed at the enemy you're locked on unless you point and attack at another, this switching is often faulty especially when enemies gang up on you, they as well will lunge across sizeable gaps and connect while you're sprinting away from them to take a breather or to reach a prop or trap to set. This is coupled with cluttered -and sometimes claustrophobic- rooms or arenas which means you're consistently hemorrhaging life points proportionally with bigger fights.
Some enemy types like the duelist require your sole attention, with this conflicting position you'll see how in big fights this ends in a cat and mouse chase as you try to dispatch others while dodging this enemy until he's left last.

It is a very solid effort, and it has a huge room from improvement, but the large holes in its fabric makes it hard to recommend, even for a single digit hours romp.