the relic first guardian analysis: Combat, World & Risks

The Relic: First Guardian is a dark fantasy action RPG set in Arsiltus, a medieval world once protected by the Great Relic. When that device is destroyed, a shadowy Void spreads across the continent and transforms humans into monstrous “Brutals.” The player awakens as an amnesiac guardian and begins a journey to recover fragments of the shattered relic.

This premise gives the game a clear foundation for a Souls-like adventure: a ruined world, corrupted people, mysterious guides, and bosses shaped by tragedy. A dark maiden helps direct the guardian, while hints of a previous relationship create a personal thread beneath the larger quest. The setup is familiar, but it provides a useful framework for explaining why ordinary characters become major enemies.

The most important qualification is the review version. The RPGFan review of The Relic: First Guardian was published on July 29, 2026, using an early copy supplied by the publisher. The editor noted that a major patch was planned before public release, but existing save files would become unusable. As a result, the findings below should be read as a critical analysis of the reviewed build rather than a guarantee that every launch-version issue remained unchanged.

The combat system is the clearest source of potential appeal. The reviewed build included several expected weapon approaches, including a two-handed longsword, sword and shield, and magic battle staff. Each style had an unlockable skill tree, and the player could switch builds through the dark maiden by using an inexpensive item.

That flexibility supports experimentation. A sword-and-shield setup can emphasize parrying, while a more mobile build may be preferable against enemies with large area attacks or punishing timing windows. The combat is described as quick and punchy, suggesting that the game rewards direct engagement rather than passive defense.

The boss roster contains several encounters that stand out more positively than the broader world. A cursed knight recalls the tone of Artorias of the Abyss from the original Dark Souls, while a thunder-wielding warlock provides a distinct visual and mechanical identity. Later fights against knights and priests add a more disciplined, ceremonial style to the endgame.

A key concern is inconsistency. Many bosses could reportedly be defeated on the first attempt with repeated parries and special attacks, while a smaller group relied on one-hit-kill mechanics that created abrupt difficulty spikes. One curse-wielding witch could apply a curse through a difficult-to-avoid attack, after which a follow-up snap ended the fight regardless of remaining health.

Other encounters combined several hazards at once. One battle took place in burning crops while the player had to manage parrying, fire damage, a curse, and restricted healing. Environmental debris also affected some arenas by disrupting the camera. These mechanics can create tension, but they become frustrating when the player cannot clearly identify the intended counterplay.

The open-world structure is the largest design weakness identified in the review. Main quests and side stories are not clearly marked, so players may struggle to understand which boss or objective advances the central narrative. A difficult encounter can either unlock meaningful progress or provide a small amount of gold and no obvious continuation.

Fog gates add another layer of uncertainty. Progression can remain blocked until an unstated condition is met, encouraging players to search across forests, hills, villages, and other areas without knowing what they are looking for. Exploration is normally a strength in this genre, but it becomes less satisfying when the game does not communicate the purpose of each detour.

The world also appears to rely heavily on repeated assets. The review describes numerous similar farm villages, recurring enemy groups, and foliage that makes different zones feel visually alike. This weakens the sense of place that a large fantasy continent needs. Repetition can support atmosphere when used deliberately, but it becomes a problem when exploration feels like crossing the same space repeatedly.

The reward economy appears unusually flat. The review describes small pickups granting roughly 30–40 gold, larger chests providing about 600 gold, and glowing rocks awarding 600 magical relic points. These rewards do not seem to scale meaningfully across the full adventure, which can reduce the excitement of discovering late-game treasure.

Weapon upgrades require gold spent on stones and gems in town. Enemies do not appear to drop these materials consistently, and the upgrade resources are usually not found in the wild. This creates a progression loop where exploration supplies currency but does not necessarily provide the materials needed to improve combat power.

By the third and final zone, the reviewer had largely stopped fighting ordinary enemies and upgrading weapons because repeated activities had produced little noticeable impact. That response is important: a build system can be mechanically flexible yet still feel unrewarding if upgrades do not create clear milestones.

A sensible approach is to avoid upgrading every weapon style at once. Select one primary weapon and one backup style, then reserve resources for encounters that expose a clear weakness. A shield-based build may handle conventional bosses efficiently, while a dodge-oriented alternative can help against attacks that are difficult to parry.

The narrative aims to give each enemy a backstory, but the presentation reportedly weakens that goal. Long item, weapon, and skill descriptions are described as pseudo-poetic and difficult to use as practical explanations. Centered text and vague phrasing may create atmosphere, yet they can also obscure what an ability actually does.

Many quests involve ghostly mirages that open text boxes, with dialogue delivered through artificial-sounding voiceovers. Villagers and other NPCs reportedly use similar voices. The review also notes frequent mismatches between voice lines, subtitles, and written text. For a game built around transformed people and tragic boss identities, inconsistent localization can make emotional moments feel accidental rather than deliberate.

Technical problems further affect combat reliability. The early build reportedly suffered severe frame-rate drops, input failures, reloads that could cost progress, fog walls that did not lower after boss fights, and bosses becoming stuck outside their arenas. The final boss was also described as having serious input and healing issues during the reviewer's playthrough.

The result is a sharp contrast between the game’s intended identity and the reported experience. Trailers may suggest a polished modern Souls-like, but performance, collision, camera, and localization issues can prevent the core combat from reaching that standard. The RPGFan review remains useful for identifying these risks, while official 2026 patch notes should determine whether they were addressed after the reviewed build.