It's always tricky to review a game the promise of which you can see and appreciate, but the execution thereof leaves you somewhat wanting. For all the things that are genuinely beautiful about the game, from its commitment to a grounded rendering of the period, the stellar voice performances, its lovely environments and costumes, it's hard to muster a great deal of enthusiasm when those qualities are being held hostage by a fairly rote action adventure, with uneven storytelling, and passable, if ultimately somewhat flat combat mechanics.

To start off with the positives, I can't remember playing another game that so effectively captured that very particular mediterranean sunlight; the stark, white gleam that casts everything into deep shadow, and licks exposed surfaces with a heat that hits like a fist. The many medieval ruins, towns, and villas, which make up a decent chunk of the game's scenery, are all similarly great translations of their respective subjects. If you've walked the older streets of a city like Bergamo or Venice, you will feel that same sense of history here. The game successfully puts you in its place and period, and for a medium that so rarely has the discipline to not simply cannibalize itself for its artistic decision-making, it's heartening to see the work of people who clearly cared to represent their chosen theme with grace and precision.
The characters also succeed in feeling like they are of their period, in no small part because the voice performances are almost uniformly excellent. In particular Alby Baldwin as Aeta absolutely runs away with the role, drawing a portrait of a young woman at odds with the world, its expectations of her, and her own headstrong, inflexible character. Even as the narrative begins to sag, and fails to capitalize on the strength of the character's many flaws and virtues, Baldwin never errs. From beginning to end, you utterly believe in the performance.

But sadly, as alluded to in previous paragraphs, I don't think the game overall does its better qualities much justice. The combat is not bad by any means, and there is some good heft both behind Aeta's single and double-handed swings, but by the end of the game the simple loop of alternating between attacking and parrying the opponent's attacks to deplete their guard for a coup de grâce had become stale. It never becomes a slog or a pain, but paradoxically, maybe the game would have benefited from it being moreso; fewer, more sparse instances of action, where the stakes were higher and the consequences more brutal would maybe have served the game's pacing and tone better, and made each encounter more memorable.

The story is another point of contention, for while the dialogue is very well-written and phrased, finding a sweet-spot of prosaic and purple which never appears silly or anachronistic, the actual narrative is a little anemic.
The premise itself is solid enough: an errant knight, vowing to rescue an innocent, with the added appeal of playing with ideas of gender, its performance, and the boundaries of acceptable affections in the 14th century. All the ingredients are here to cook with gas, but it never quite commits to any of the themes invoked. While the game is bookended with treatises on the sad lot suffered by women of the period, the rest of the game is remarkably uninterested in the subject. For all the things you could have explored here, be it issues of feudalism, gender, sexuality, or religion, the game refrains from anything beyond a surface glance with each. As it stands, the narrative appears to be built entirely around late twists, and though the closing moments are appropriately vague and bitter, it all feels like a terrible waste of potential. Aeta's nine-part journey across the plague-stricken countryside to save her beloved is clearly meant to mirror elements of Dante Alighieri's Inferno, and while the plastics of that analogy are present, I think it could have benefited the story to lean into those allusions more wholly. As evidenced by the reaction of the moronic culture warriors that plague the gaming space, even something as genteel and non-committal as this pitch is enough to stir them into a frenzy, so why not be bold? Why not say damn the detractors, and really tear into matters of faith, of sex, of the cost of freedom in a society which has no real notion of the concept? I think characters as compelling as Aeta and Bianca deserved more.

But when all is said and done, I am still glad to have played it. It is a small game, reasonably priced, from a startup studio trying to develop a voice. The undeniable love and craft that went into making Ex Voto's gorgeous art is impossible to deny, and in spite of my misgivings with the story I have a great deal of affection for Aeta and her plight.

I hope Sedleo's next game is a more successful reflection of their abilities, because I think there is a lot of potential here.

I wanted to enjoy this game. The story is average, the combat is very boring and the optimization is sloppy. While I did get this copy for free, I cannot recommend it.

Unapologetically mid.

4.5 / 10

看名字《1348：圣誓》也能大致了解，本作是一款十四世纪意大利背景的骑士主角动作游戏。中世纪风格的游戏虽然不在少数，但是本作在玩法上更倾向于纯粹的战斗。

不可否认，游戏存在一定的优化问题，但是哪怕调整为中画质，本作的画面也相当出色。场景设计亦十分拟真，无论是层峦叠嶂的远景还是郁郁葱葱的树林都相当具有美感。这种极为写实的细致画风无疑在相当程度上还原了当时欧洲黑死病盛行期间动荡的社会状况和分崩离析的教权神威。

主角埃塔是一名非编的游侠骑士，因青梅竹马比安卡失踪而踏上寻找挚友比安卡的旅程。当然前期有那么一瞬间，由于外形和设定的显著差异，你可能会怀疑这主角到底是男是女？如果是女的，那其对比安卡的情感哪怕是本身作为女骑士的身份是否有些超越那个时代的世俗界限？但随着剧情的展开，玩家应该会逐渐发现这就是本作的反传统设定。不过稍显遗憾的是，主角和比安卡的感情缺乏铺垫，过往回忆、突发遭遇和当前目标的转换都显得较为生硬，使得游戏几乎变成了一个为了寻找女主而一路砍砍砍的公路片既视感。

接下来就谈谈本作的核心玩法即战斗系统。先一句话总结：这几乎是一个化繁为简的典范。他完全没有其它类型游戏那些复杂的动作机制，上手相当简单，尤其是在游戏初期那基本上就是相当纯粹的纯砍对战。具体来说，玩家的基础动作就是攻击、格挡以及闪避。不过攻击分为单手和双手两种架势，前者偏灵活，适合快速连击，适合配合格挡打杂兵；后者则更擅长破防，尤其是BOSS战时大有裨益。因为这游戏的敌人是没有血条的（但应该有隐藏的血量），我们战斗的根本目的是去除敌人的架势条，破防使之失衡，随后在进行爽快的斩杀。当然游戏也有完美攻击、完美招架、完美闪避等概念（但需逐渐解锁），能够把握时机触发这些Perfect至关重要。实际上游戏的攻击节奏会通过下方正中的小剑UI来呈现，但是实际战斗中你几乎无暇顾及，跟着感觉打铁就完事了！

此外另一个值得称赞的点是：本作在战斗中竟然可以秒吃补给品回血，这是一个好习惯！

而在养成方面主要就是在地图探索过程中搜集书页获得点数解锁审慎、勇气、刚毅以及迅捷四个维度的技能（后两者随着流程推进而解锁）；找到各种配件装配到武器的柄头、剑柄、剑刃等处提升被动性能。总的来说，一路上收集和解锁的基本正反馈还是有的，只不过没有那么的花里胡哨。

目前游戏依然处于褒贬不一的状态，个人感觉主要是本作一是优化上存在急需解决的问题；二是画面很好，但是角色的建模质量却无法匹配其画面水准；三是世界观氛围塑造虽然不错，但剧情的各种前因后果缺乏足够的铺垫。但总的来说，其实如果能够玩进去体验还是不错的，尤其是这种偏1V1的战斗系统，打起来还是挺爽的。

关注「 鸿源鉴游组」 

 会当逢佳游，始可见鸿源。