The First Templar
A 2011 action-adventure game about Templars and the Holy Grail.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
The First Templar is a 2011 action-adventure game from Haemimont Games, published by Kalypso Media for Xbox 360 and Windows. It follows a French Templar knight, Celian d'Arestide, and Marie d'Ibelin, a noblewoman the Dominican Inquisition has declared a heretic. Players control this unlikely pair as they investigate the Templar Order's secrets, a larger conspiracy, and the location of the Holy Grail. The game supports both single-player and cooperative modes. In solo play, the player can switch between the two characters while the AI controls the other; a second player can join at any time to take over that AI-controlled hero. The three main characters fit traditional action RPG roles: Celian as a Paladin, Roland as a Fighter, and Marie as a Rogue or Assassin. Combat centers on swordplay with attacks and defenses using shields or swords. Minor skills exist, some shared and some unique to each character. Magic is absent, with only Celian’s prayer ability resembling it, and enemies are likewise non-magical. Celian is a noble, chivalrous knight who lost all memories before adulthood after falling from a tower. Marie, granddaughter of Guy d'Ibelin, was raised in Saracen traditions and fights with twin daggers. Roland de Saint-Omer is a senior member of the Templar order who fought alongside Celian in several campaigns in the East. Lady Isabelle, a French messenger for King Philip IV, secretly works to destroy the Templar Order. Wilhelm of Beaujeau, the Grand Master and Celian’s mentor, is a wise but physically robust leader. Philip IV betrays the Templars and allies with the Inquisition. The Byzantine, a secondary antagonist from the Arena DLC, forces prisoners into gladiatorial combat from his fortified castle. The story begins in 1291 as the Crusades end and Acre falls. Celian and Roland arrive in Cyprus to consult the Grand Master about the Holy Grail, finding the island under Muslim attack. They rescue a messenger who says the Grand Master’s daughter, Marie, is imprisoned by the Inquisition. After consulting the Grand Master, they travel to Europe, uncover an Inquisition plot led by Isaiah, and rescue Marie. Roland is left behind and presumed dead, and Marie becomes Celian’s partner. They fight Muslim enemies and aid others, despite Marie’s complaints about delays.
Quick Facts
- Title
- The First Templar
- Developer
- Haemimont Games
- Publisher
- Kalypso Media / FX Interactive (Italy and Spain)
- Released
- EU · May 6, 2011NA · May 17, 2011
- Genre
- Action-adventure, hack and slash
- Modes
- Single-player / multiplayer
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows / Xbox 360
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The First Templar features both single-player and co-op modes. When playing solo, the player can switch between the two characters, with the game's AI controlling the second hero. At any moment, a second player can join in and take control of the AI-controlled hero. The game may be played solo or cooperatively. Either way, Celian is always present with its partner, being alternated between Roland and Marie. The three characters may be defined in a traditional action roleplaying game style as a Fighter (Roland), a Rogue/Assassin (Marie) and a Paladin (Celian). The main action is about swordplay with attacks and shield or sword defenses being central. Minor skills are also in existence some being common to all characters and some being exclusive to one or another. Magic is an absent concept being Celian's prayer ability the only one resembling it. The enemies are also of an unmagic kind.
Reader's Guide
The First Templar received 'mixed or average reviews' according to review aggregator website Metacritic. While the combat system, visual style and story received some positive feedback, the dated design and lack of polish drew criticism. Eurogamer described it as '..the good kind of 6/10, the sort of zero-expectation, low-budget game that approaches the score from below...a decent hack-and-slash brawler...Not a great one'. GameZone gave the game a 3.5 out of 10, stating 'This is a game that you're going to want to like. You're going to want it to succeed, but it'll only let you down. The entire time you'll be thinking about what they could have done differently and better.' The game's significance lies in its co-op implementation and its narrative twist involving the protagonist's true identity as Hugues de Payens, the founder of the Templar Order, though its execution was considered uneven.
Did You Know?
- The game's protagonist Celian d'Arestide is later revealed to be Hugues de Payens, the founder of the Templar Order, suffering from memory loss due to an assassination attempt by the Grandmaster.
- The game features a secondary antagonist called The Byzantine, introduced in the Arena DLC pack, who forces prisoners to engage in gladiatorial combat.
- The player can choose to either use or destroy the Holy Grail at the end of the game, affecting the final narration.
- Roland de Saint-Omer, a senior Templar, is presumed dead after rescuing Marie but later returns, having been tortured into joining the anti-Templar movement.
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