EpicRPGTales reviews will give our opinion of what’s reviewed, focusing on what it does or doesn’t bring to the RPG genre.
We aim to share our opinion, with the knowledge you already have and understand about RPGs. Depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the review subject, we may focus more heavily on particular aspects, especially when they are crucial elements.
Comparisons with the highs and lows of RPG history will happen, but the context of those comparisons is essential. We aren’t going to nitpick a small-scale game with a small development team just because it doesn’t capture the scope and technical quality of something bigger. Whether it’s playing to its strengths or not, we’ll be fair.
EpicRPGTales will naturally review the most notable RPG titles where it can, but we also believe in spotlighting smaller experiences. Ultimately, we want to inform you about a wide range of RPGs and RPG-infused titles from developers of all shapes and sizes.
We will discuss review content and scores before publication. We will not rush a reviewer if time is limited, and a review will only be published if both the reviewer and editor are satisfied with the time spent on it.
What, When, and How We Review Games
We will only review retail versions of games we have purchased or received code from publishers.
If covering Early Access titles, impressions will be unscored until full launch.
Sometimes, when we receive code for games, we write smaller opinion or impression pieces about them instead of a full review. This can be used when the time to go in-depth is shorter than we hoped. This is a small team, and RPGs are generally among the biggest games in terms of overall playtime.
Where embargoes are in play, we will always aim to have our reviews out in a timely manner. Again, we are a small team at present, so this won’t always be possible.
We will give online-focused RPGs time after a full launch before offering a complete review verdict. There may be an unscored impressions piece in the interim. It’s hard to get everything right in a live game at launch, so it’s almost always better to see how the game settles. If an online-focused game can be played in single-player mode, this rule may not apply.
We may notify developers and publishers of review scores ahead of publication.
Review Scoring
EpicRPGTales uses the 10-point scoring system for reviews. There are no half-point scores (so no 7.5/10, for example). Below is what each score means when awarded to a game on EpicRPGTales.
10 – Masterpiece
Perfect? Nothing is, but this is as close to perfection as possible. This score is for truly phenomenal RPG experiences. It should be used sparingly.
9 – Fantastic
A fantastic example of the RPG genre. It may have the odd dent in its armor, but this is a champion of role-playing experiences.
8 – Great
A damn good time, and for some, it could be a personal all-timer for somebody. Likely has some minor points of contention, but it’s clearly got something that tips it into greatness
7 – Good
It may not be ripping up trees in the RPG space, or it might need a dose of bug spray, but you can bet there’s a lot about it that feels pleasing to play.
6 – Decent
This might not blow you away, and maybe it’s lacking something important, but that doesn’t mean there’s not a good time to be had.
5 – Average
Perfectly fine. Not every game can be a critical darling. Sometimes, a game is just fine, and a 5 is no disaster. Could it have been something better? Possibly, but in the right circumstances, you can get some joy out of this.
4 – Disappointing
In the underwhelming realm, the games show signs of something brighter, but for whatever reason, expectations have been underserved.
3 – Bad
A glimmer of hope shines in these games’ eyes, but on the outside, they are a bit of a mess.
2 – Terrible
To get this low a score, something really has to have gone wrong. Usually, it’s horrendous technical problems, but sometimes the actual game has little to say or do that convinces us to give it a chance, let alone listen to it.
1 – Disastrous
A rare game indeed gets this score. It has to be utterly broken and barely playable. It’s probably also just a bad idea all around, to be honest.