A living skeleton in a cloak in Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon. If you’re looking for the next great RPG to dive into after The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, one has just seen its full release today, May 23. Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon has just left early access, has great reviews on Steam (and from our review-in-progress), and is getting a lot of endearing Elder Scrolls comparisons.

Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon is a first-person fantasy RPG from developer Questline, and has a Very Positive rating from more than 4,500 reviews on Steam, with recent reviews even achieving Overwhelmingly Positive. Multiple users cite a distinct Elder Scrolls flair, comparing it to both Oblivion and Skyrim in its gameplay and open-world exploration. Fall of Avalon takes the bulk of its narrative cues from Arthurian legend, but is set 600 years after the mythic king has died, resulting in a dark fantasy world that has similar vibes to Dark Souls or Elden Ring.

Tainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalon Released After 2 Years In Early Access

First-Person Dark Fantasy RPG

A view of a druidic creche in Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon Fighting Bromhar No Face in Tainted Grail the Fall of Avalon A cave dungeon with a corpse in Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon The protagonist in Tainted Grail The Fall of Avalon passes by a windmill on his horse

It’s been a long road to release for Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. It initially entered early access in March 2023, and even then, in its incomplete state, players were singing its praises. Many early access reviews can still be read on Steam, where users note that they had to stop themselves from playing more, wanting to save the experience so they can savor it when the full release comes. The Fall of Avalon shares its universe and half its title with roguelite deckbuilder Tainted Grail: Conquest, but the RPG is designed to be playable as a standalone experience.

The Elder Scrolls comparisons even extend to the game’s opening moments, where you begin as a prisoner. The Fall of Avalon then unfolds as you might expect from an RPG – you’ll scour for loot, talk to NPCs, embark on various quests, and build a character that suits your preferred play style. Reviews have so far praised its game world, both in its exploration and world-building, as even though Arthurian legends may be familiar, the game takes plenty of liberties in developing a culture around them.

The Fall Of Avalon Is Similar, But Different Enough To Play After Oblivion Remastered

Dark Fantasy Setting Helps It Stand Out

The player looking at a distant city in Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon.

If you’re looking for another vast open-world RPG to get lost in after exploring the farthest reaches of Cyrodiil in Oblivion Remastered, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon may be the right choice. Its similarities are pretty clear, and it even stacks its health, stamina, and magicka meters over in the bottom left corner like the original Oblivion – the HUD was one of the more noticeable differences brought to Oblivion Remastered.

But there’s also enough variety to avoid burning out on the first-person RPG gameplay. The dark fantasy setting of Avalon is the big one – a very different vibe from Oblivion‘s idyllic high fantasy, Oblivion Crisis notwithstanding – but it also has more modern design sensibilities. Oblivion Remastered doesn’t overhaul the original’s rote dungeons, and Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon may appeal to those looking for more variation in both minor and major dungeons.