Software:The First Templar

The First Templar
Developer(s)	Haemimont Games
Publisher(s)	Kalypso Media FX Interactive (Italy and Spain)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows Xbox 360
Release	EU: May 6, 2011 NA: May 17, 2011
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, hack and slash
Mode(s)	Single-player multiplayer

The First Templar is an action-adventure video game developed by Haemimont Games and published by Kalypso Media for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was released on both platforms in May 2011 in Europe and North America.

The First Templar follows the story of two characters - French Templar Celian d'Arestide, and his companion, Marie d'Ibelin, a noble lady who has been proclaimed a heretic by the Dominican Inquisition. Taking control over these two unlikely allies, the player must uncover the mysteries behind the Templar Order, play a role in a grand conspiracy, and discover the secret of the Holy Grail. The First Templar features both single player and co-op modes. When playing solo, the player can switch between the two characters, leaving the control of the second hero to the game's AI. At any moment a second player can join in and take control of the AI controlled hero.

Gameplay

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.

Plot

Characters

• Celian d'Arestide - The player character, Celian is noble, chivalrous knight who fights to preserve his order amid the Inquisition. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Celian received a formal education in addition to his combat training. Due to him falling from a tower in his past, Celian has lost all of his memories prior to adulthood.
• Marie d'Ibelin - The granddaughter of Guy d'Ibelin, Marie was raised in Saracen traditions. She joins Celian after being branded a heretic by the Inquisitors. Taught to fight and defend herself at an early age, she utilizes twin daggers in combat.
• Roland de Saint-Omer - A senior member of the Templar order who fought alongside Celian in several campaigns in the East.
• Lady Isabelle - a French messenger sent by Phillip IV, you later find out that she is trying to destroy the templar order and she masks her goals to Celian and his friends.
• Wilhelm of Beaujeau - The Grand Master of the Templar Order and Celian's longtime mentor. He is described as a wise leader who is physically robust despite his advanced age.
• Phillip IV - The King of France, and one of the primary antagonists. He betrays the Templar Order and allies himself with the Inquisition.
• The Byzantine - A secondary antagonist introduced in the Arena DLC pack. He lives in a fortified castle with a large arena, and forces his prisoners to engage in gladiatorial combat.

Story

In 1291, the Crusades, as well as the Kingdom of Jerusalem, are coming to an end. Acre, the last Christian city in the Holy Land, is under siege and about to fall into Mamluk hands.

Celian and Roland, two Templar knights, have just arrived in Cyprus in order to talk to the Templar Grandmaster, seeking advice in their quest for the Holy Grail. Upon their arrival, they find that the island is being attacked by Muslim warriors, and they hurry to protect it. In doing so, they encounter a kidnapped messenger from Guy d'Ibelin, who tells them that the Grandmaster's daughter, Marie d'Ibelin, is being held prisoner by the Inquisition.

After consulting their Grandmaster, the two go to an undetermined location in Europe, where they discover that the Inquisition (led by a shadowy agent named Isaiah) is plotting something of monumental proportions. They release Marie, but Roland is left behind during their escape, presumably killed – thus, Marie becomes Celian's partner for most of the subsequent game.

Celian and Marie continue their quest for the Grail, fighting a great deal of Muslim enemies in the process and helping those in need – even though the idea of helping always comes from Celian and is criticized by Marie, who remarks that they are wasting time doing so. At some point, the pair discovers that Guy d'Ibelin is also dead, and that the Holy Land is lost for good. They finally find the Holy Grail Temple, but they learn that it was emptied long ago. Inside the temple, they find a dying Templar who mistakes Celian for the Grandmaster. Running out of options, they decide to go to France in order to get some advice from the Grandmaster and the main body of the Order.

They arrive in France in 1307, the year in which King Philip IV and Pope Clement V start their accusations against the Templar Order. Both heroes fall into the Inquisition's trap; but just when they are about to be imprisoned, they find Roland, who has not been killed but instead was tortured and then pledged his allegiance to the anti-Templar movement, therefore becoming its Black Knight.

However, Roland's friendship to Celian turns out to be much stronger than his newly found allegiance, so he helps his friend reach an escape port through the forest, where Celian is reunited with Marie. From that point on, Roland tells them they are on their own, and so they depart for a fortified Templar stronghold, where they intend to join forces with the Grandmaster to fight back against the French army.

The Grandmaster reveals that Celian is in fact Hugues de Payens, the founder of the Templar Order. His memory loss was a side effect due to an assassination attempt by the current Grandmaster himself, because he had hidden the Grail, which was responsible for prolonging the lives of the nine founders far beyond the natural lifespan of a normal human being. After three of the original nine died (probably due to internal power struggles), Hugues realized that the Grail was dangerous, and so he took it away and hid it. But the Grandmaster – who is himself one of the original nine – wanted the Grail back; he thus took advantage from Hugues' memory loss and gave him the task of finding the cup, in hopes that something inside him would lead him straight to it.

After the plot twist, the player realizes that the true enemy is actually the Templar Order, who becomes the main antagonist from now on. By remembering his true identity, Celian (aka Hugues) also concludes that his castle would be just the place where he would hide something he didn't want anyone to ever find.

In the end, the player defeats both the Grandmaster and Isaiah (the agent from the Inquisition), and he is given a choice to use the Grail or destroy it. This affects only the final narration, describing either immortal guardians or humanity free to make its own decisions.

Reception

The First Templar received "mixed or average reviews" according to review aggregator 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."

External links

• Official website
• Official website at Kalypsomedia.com
• Official website at Haemimont Games
• "Interview with designer of The First Templar". Gamestar.com. 5 October 2010. http://gamestar.ru/article/1646.html.