1348 Ex Voto

1348 Ex Voto is a failed experiment. The concept is interesting, but its potential is completely unrealized. Ultimately, it's a frustrating game to play, with a negligible (and neglected) plot. The beautiful landscapes and evocative lighting aren't enough to sustain the game, which feels crude and unfocused, despite some moments featuring some good visuals.

1348 Ex Voto isn’t a total disaster, because at several points it manages to show flashes of personality and a world that would have deserved to be explored with more solid tools. However, it’s hard to ignore the feeling that the project needed more time, more resources, and above all a more focused vision.

A missed opportunity for an exciting take on medieval history, that’s inferior to Kingdom Come: Deliverance in every respect.

It's a shame, really, because the period is interesting, and the idea of following a female knight through plague-ridden Italy could easily have been the starting point for something really exciting. But in its current form, 1348: Ex Voto is difficult to recommend. Perhaps some patches could improve the experience in the long run, but as the game stands right now, I simply didn't have much fun with it.

Sadly a compelling setting, great performances and some occasionally stunning visuals aren't enough to overcome the horrendously uneven and frequently broken combat system which sits at the heart of 1348 Ex Voto and threatens to cast this otherwise intriguing and ambitious indie effort into the ninth circle of mediocrity.

Although it has its moments, 1348 Ex Voto is a game that feels terribly underdeveloped and fails to live up to its narrative and mechanical potential.

EX Voto 1348 is an experience that leaves a bitter taste—that of a missed opportunity. While one is initially captivated by its Tuscan panoramas and carried along by a voice cast of rare authenticity, the title crumbles the moment you scratch beneath the surface. Between its expressionless faces, game-breaking bugs, and a linear structure desperately devoid of any environmental storytelling, the journey is cut short. Where benchmarks like *A Plague Tale* or *Blasphemous* succeed in making their medieval worlds feel tangible and oppressive, this title settles for the bare minimum. Despite the passion of its voice actors, the overall offering—whether in terms of technical execution, immersion, or gameplay—unfortunately remains insufficient.

The overall technical execution leaves a lot to be desired. This is an indie title, so certain dispensations can be made. However, a wildly inconsistent frame rate, constant texture pop-in, and a truly bizarre facial animation system test the patience more than most low budget releases.

1348 Ex Voto is a missed opportunity. A medieval game with incredible voice acting that is overshadowed by soulless combat, terrible performance, and a gameplay philosophy that falls short in every way.

It’s a title so utterly devoid of ambition that it’s painful to consider how such a massive opportunity was squandered; we’re left with a by-the-numbers experience that takes zero risks, feeling more like a project built on the recycled foundations of countless other games. In today’s oversaturated market, playing it this safe does the game no favors.