Deal | Atmospheric sword-fighting adventure with 90% positive reviews for under $2 on Steam

In En Garde!, players step into the role of Adalia de Volador, an acrobatic and self-assured swordswoman who takes on the cruel Count-Duke in a bright world inspired by early 17th-century Spain. With its swashbuckling flair, the game recalls classic adventure comedies and places far more emphasis on pace, humor and spectacular duels than on realism. Palaces, dungeons and marketplaces provide the backdrop for a linear single-player campaign spread across several story episodes.

Combat is very clearly the heart of En Garde!. The game blends parries, counters, evasive maneuvers and lunges with active use of the environment. Barrels, tables, bombs and even falling chandeliers can all be turned against enemies to stun them, split them up or take them out altogether. The game also features special abilities, an arena mode with randomized scenarios and unlockable modifiers.

Softpedia awarded En Garde! a strong 8.5 out of 10 and praised the game above all for its varied combat, clever use of the environment and charmingly humorous tone. Criticism, by contrast, focused on the somewhat limited platforming and exploration sections, as well as battle arenas that can become repetitive over time. Softpedia also noted that some boss fights are noticeably more difficult than the rest of the game, which can quickly become frustrating, especially for newcomers to the genre.

On Metacritic, En Garde! holds a Metascore of 76 and a User Score of 6.6. The response on Steam is far more enthusiastic: 90% of more than 4,200 user reviews are positive.

First time at 90% off on Steam

En Garde! was developed by French studio Fireplace Games and released in August 2023 in collaboration with publisher Kepler Ghost. The action-adventure normally costs around $20 on Steam, but the current 90% discount lowers the price to $1.99 until May 3. According to SteamDB, the game had previously been discounted by up to 75%, most recently in mid-March. The current deal therefore marks a new all-time low. En Garde! is also rated “Verified” for Steam Deck and should therefore run smoothly.

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