I have always loved the idea of a spell slinger with a sword in one hand but continuously ran into the problem that unless you are very specific with your build in either open world video games like Oblivion (Remastered improved this a bit), Skyrim, or even tabletop RPGs its hard to get a battlemage character that is actually competent. Usually if you go a split with strength / dex and magic you end up being mediocre at both, and maybe you get one armor set or weapon that fits that play style but it seems very underused.
Playing Fall of Avalon has been fantastic because I feel like a true battlemage, a sword and magic user with medium armor, not only getting rare drops that require a high mix of str/dex and magic, but also encountering battlemage enemies who have crappier version of battlemage gear. Its just nice to see it an actual focus on the battlemage playstyle when I feel like open world RPGs allow you to hold a sword and cast magic sure, but you don't get a lot of unique equipment to fit that playstyle. Not only can I pick and choose from a few battlemage style armors, but I also am wielding a powerful magical greatbow, my sword that can create water slices in the air using my mana, and a spell that will turn someone into cheese. Its nice to finally see a battlemage not only be viable but encouraged as a playstyle.
For those who are not familiar, Fall of Avalon has already been a big sleeper hit with me, I have not played an RPG with this much creativity and interesting quests in quite some time, I highly recommend it if you enjoy open world RPG style games. It can be jank at times, but I was expecting a Two Worlds level of game, but ended up with a less polished Oblivion with more RPG elements than Skyrim.
Are there any other great games that let you be a battlemage that isn't just a half baked warrior / half baked wizard?