Parent's Guide: The First Templar - Age rating, mature content and difficulty

The First Templar is a co-operative action adventure game, set in the late 13th Century, in the middle of the Crusades. Playing as two of the Knights Templar, and their female companion, Marie, you'll explore the medieval world, taking in a story of corruption and conspiracy within the Church, on a quest to find the Holy Grail.

Sadly, the story doesn't really do enough with its historical grounding to qualify as an educational game, and the inclusion of strange, fantasy monsters that resemble trolls doesn't win it any accuracy points either. That said, there's a lot to like here - the combat's simple, yet fun to play; you can level up your characters as you gain experience; and there's a huge amount of variety in both the places you'll visit, and the objectives you need to complete. From quietly making your way through a dungeon, being careful not to set off any traps, to rescuing innocent people who've been trapped in a building that's then been set alight, there's more to this than simply hacking at your enemies, with plenty of secrets waiting to be found by those who're more willing to explore.

While it's not the goriest game out there, The First Templar, by its very nature, is a pretty violent game. With two Knights Templar dispatching baddies however they can, the game features a lot of swordplay, and with it, a fair amount of stabbing. For a sword based game, there's actually surprisingly little blood, with tiny, tiny puffs of red coming out of enemies when you attack them with a standard attack, while the fancier moves get even less gore, despite being arguably more violent. From the coupe de grace, which you perform on an enemy you've already knocked down, which sees you stabbing them in the chest, to one of the fancy counter moves, that seem to randomly trigger, and see you doing anything from moving behind your enemy and slicing his throat with your blade, or stabbing him in the back of your neck, the moves are pretty violent, but there's little gore. There is, however, mild swearing (the word b*stard is heard on occasion).

With full support for split-screen co-op play, the First Templar is a great choice for a parent looking to play along with a child, or for two kids to play together. Letting you play through the entire story mode together, the game's actually a lot more fun in co-op than it is in single player, as the game's been designed for two people to play through together. The combat becomes easier, the exploration is quicker (with an extra pair of eyes spotting things you may have missed), while the game's generally easier, thanks to the ability to revive your partner when they get knocked down.

Age Ratings

Format Reviewed: Xbox 360