En Garde! is like Sekiro for ants, and what I mean by that is that the game is actually quite very good! The combat in En Garde is spiritually similar to Sekiro but it’s much more accessible and forgiving. The magical quality of the combat is that it still makes you feel like you are a pro whenever you successfully pull of a series parries and dodges in a row, especially when surrounded by multiple enemies.
The combat is buttery smooth in En Garde. You have regular attacks that can take out weaker enemies in a few hits while the stronger, more armored soldiers will guard against your attacks. This is where you have to wait and parry against their attacks or dodge and counterattack. The combat is incredibly forgiving and accessible in that the window to successfully dodge and parry is quite large compared to most games with this type of combat.
The game also telegraphs what kind of attack the enemy is going to use with a large colored indicator so you can act accordingly to counter them. Combine the obvious telegraph with the generous window in which to act with and you have buttery smooth combat that makes you feel like you are a master fencer.
En Garde doesn’t just stop at making the sword fighting feel great, the game also adds in a lot of additional mechanics to help dispatch your foes with cunning and oftentimes humor. The combat is like an onion, it has multiple layers that will make the enemies cry. You can do things such as kick crates and barrels into enemies to temporarily stun them. Immobilizing your foes is key in handling multiple opponents as it lets you deal with fewer enemies attacking you at the same time or create an opening to attack the more heavily armored opponents.
You can also kick your foes into weapon racks or the water to take them out instantly. This works in synergy with the temporary stun from kicking crates and barrels as the armored opponents won’t move from your kicks unless they are stunned to begin with. There are more humorous mechanics that help create space in combat as well.
You can throw jugs at enemies to temporary faze them. It also comes with the bonus of a very satisfying plink sound as metal meets faces. Throwing a bucket at someone will cover their head and disable them for quite a while. This is useful if you want to attack someone armored or avoid fighting them until later.
But wait, there’s even more! You can change elevation by standing on tables and do a very stylish somersault over the heads of your less mobile foes and faze them temporarily. The game has so many small mechanics (usually related to changes in elevation or movement) that temporarily faze enemies, creating space for you to reposition yourself or providing an opening to attack.
Along with all of these mechanics, each level adds new enemies and ways to interact with enemies and the levels. For example, the second level introduces grenadiers and the ability to set enemies and conveniently placed explosive barrels on fire. There are only four levels in the game so far but they are quite long. There are also collectables, challenges, and secrets to unlock for each level, encouraging players to revisit them and explore.
The game also has a sense of humor and levity and the game’s aesthetics reflect that. The art is cartoonish in a visually pleasing way, with plenty of bright color palettes that make the scenery pop. The enemies you fight as well the main villain are plenty goofy. No one actually kills anyone; people in the world of En Garde simply fake being knocked out while making some rather humorous commentary. There’s a sense of wholesome levity that seeps into the narrative and dialogue. It provides a nice change of pace from worlds being too grimdark.
Overall, En Garde is a delightful game. There’s a lovely sense of levity throughout every aspect of the game. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but you can sense the amount of craft put into the combat and the set pieces. You definitely don’t have to be on guard about checking out this game.
Additional Info
Steam Store Page : https://store.steampowered.com/app/1654660/En_Garde/
Review Score: 94% positive with a total of 609 reviews as of this writing (08/28/2023)
Developer: Fireplace Games
Publisher: Fireplace Games
Release Date: Aug 16, 2023
MSRP: $19.99
I received a key from ICO. Thanks to the groovy person for approving my request!
Time spent: 3.9 hours
Achievement Score: 8/30
Ducky Obrien 