Epic Games Store drops a "Very Positive" retro RPG as its December 28 free game

Epic Games Store has been offering well-rated indie titles as free games lately, and it seems that the trend continues with the twelfth mystery giveaway. As the storefront just revealed, the December 28 free game for the Christmas season 2025 is SKALD: Against the Black Priory.

This is a retro-style RPG that's developed by High North Studios. It will remain available to claim for free on Epic Games Store until December 29, 2025, expiring at UTC 16:00, which is when the 13th game giveaway will be revealed.

Released in 2024, SKALD: Against the Black Priory draws heavy inspiration from classics from the 1980s, such as Ultima. It's praised for being able to capture the classic RPG aesthetics, and the C64-inspired visuals go well with the overall setting of the game.

Speaking of which, the game's narrative mostly revolves around choice-driven events, which also create replayable paths. Moreover, the environmental storytelling and journals deepen the immersive yet unforgiving nature of the world that the game is set in.

The current Epic Games Store free game is also praised for having solid turn-based combat. There are distinct classes, and it has a party composition that rewards strategy without introducing overwhelming complexity.

While the retro theme of the SKALD: Against the Black Priory is a highlight, the retro-themed UI can be awkward to navigate at times. Some players also criticize how heavily the game relies on text. The combat design isn't perfect either, as many note that some combats can feel simplistic due to static AI.

Even with these few flaws, the current free game on Epic Games Store has received good overall player ratings. It currently has over 2,600 reviews on Steam, of which 93% are positive, making it achieve the "Very Positive" rating. When not being discounted, it costs $14.99, and there's proper support for controllers as well (GameSir Super Nova curr. $49.99 on Amazon). Check out the video below to learn more about SKALD: Against the Black Priory.

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