Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The First Templar starts with a simple, satisfying promise: grab a sword, march into medieval trouble, and carve a route toward the Holy Grail with a partner at your side. You control French templar Celian of Aristide, usually alongside his daughter Marie, and the game is built around having two fighters on the field whether that second role is handled by a friend or the AI. That constant partnership gives the action a cooperative flavor even when you are playing alone.

Most of your time goes into close-range brawls against groups of enemies. The core tool set is lean—standard attacks, blocking, and a fervor-powered special attack—so the fighting is easy to understand almost immediately. At first, that directness works in its favor: you are not buried in inputs, and special attacks give fervor a clear purpose. The limitation becomes more obvious over a longer session, though, because there is only so much variety this basic loop can produce.

Level objectives offer a reason to look beyond the main path. Each stage includes a primary goal plus three bonus missions, with experience and weapon or armor parts as rewards. Experience improves Celian and unlocks additional moves, while equipment parts provide new gear. That progression gives you a useful incentive to finish optional tasks instead of merely reaching the end of a level.

You can switch between Celian and Marie in solo play, chiefly when one of the occasional co-op puzzles demands it. Trap courses and optional stealth sections also interrupt the melee routine. These diversions are welcome because the combat can become repetitive, but they feel like breaks from the central sword-fighting rather than equally developed alternatives. Co-op is the better fit: sharing the companion role makes the game’s main idea feel more natural.

Graphics

The game uses a behind-the-character camera for its medieval action, keeping Celian, Marie, and nearby enemies in view during melee encounters. The clearest visual strength is practical: with two heroes fighting together, you can readily see where your partner is amid the crowd and swap control when a puzzle calls for it.

Story

The Holy Grail hunt gives The First Templar a suitably grand starting point, but Celian’s quest does not stay focused on a single relic. A Saracen invasion and a conspiracy against the Templar order broaden the stakes, pushing the story toward medieval war and internal intrigue alongside its fantasy-religious hook.

Marie matters because she is not merely an occasional helper; she is Celian’s usual fighting partner and his daughter. That makes the two-character structure feel grounded in the fiction rather than bolted on solely for co-op. The game keeps them together through much of the campaign, so their partnership is the thread connecting the action and the plot.

Still, this is a game whose story exists primarily to send you into the next clash, puzzle, or dangerous route. If you are looking for a dense historical drama, the conspiracy and invasion may feel more like useful complications than deeply explored material. If the idea of Templars, the Grail, and battlefield intrigue already appeals to you, it is enough motivation to keep moving.

Overall Experience

The First Templar is at its most enjoyable when you accept its straightforward co-op hack-and-slash identity. The first hour offers a clean rhythm of fighting, completing bonus goals, earning experience, and improving Celian. Bring another player and the design’s emphasis on two characters makes immediate sense; the simple controls also make it easy to settle into a shared session.

Frustration sets in when the limited combat options have had too long to carry the entire experience. Blocking and fervor attacks add a little texture, and the level extras help, but neither fully disguises how often you return to the same close-quarters exchanges. Solo players can switch characters and solve the cooperative puzzles, yet the AI-controlled partner cannot replace the social energy of a real companion.

At 6.1, this is a middling but playable medieval action game rather than a hidden masterwork. Give it a chance if you want a modest, story-led swordfighter to play in co-op and do not need elaborate combat systems. Go in for the paired Templar adventure, the gear rewards, and the uncomplicated satisfaction of hacking through enemy groups; stay only if that fundamental loop clicks for you.

Retro Replay Score

6.1/10