I write this as a guy who doesn't like city builders and am hesitate to recommend Early Access games. I like this game a lot and would recommend it in its current state. I played the demo of this a ton when it first came out, I was impressed in how many hours I sunk into it. I enjoy how each map is different from the others in how each race specializes in different production, the many different ways you can aquire materials for production, the Deed system and hex modifers give each map much needed variety, and the atmosphere gives off this sense of dread when it comes to tackling the unknown yet is oddly relaxing. I even like how the game eventually forces a reset on all the towns you built as it feels apporiate for the world that they have created. Gameplay-wise it is very intutitive and easy to figure out in-game as I haven't had to go to a wiki to figure out how to beat games or complete quests. The only people who might find it frustrating would be people who like city builders as it's not really a game where you build this efficiant utopia of complex, interlocking systems. The randomness of RougeLite elements prevent you from having every building and it's more about building a strategy around what little resources you have. I'll update this review when we get a full release or abandonment, but right now, I do recommend it. Worth putting on your wishlist if you want to wait, although they do give a date on when the next update is coming.
TL;DR: If you liked the last game, you will absolutely LOVE this game. Note that this version is the base game without the DLC. If you want the all-in-one package, select the Definative Edition. It pretty much takes all the elements that worked in the last game and vastly improved them. Combat has been streamlined, some abilities that came from The Bright Lord DLC were added, and we even got some new abilities to play with. We got two new enemies to fight and dominate in the form of trolls and feral fire wyverns that add new depth to the gameplay. The maps environments have been expanded and each has a fortress for you to take and defend. But the biggest selling point is the Nemesis System which has been cranked up to 11. The amount of dialouge, classes, and abilities these orcs can now do has made it so that you can have a unique story with each playthrough. But it definely isn't perfect as I have a couple gripes. They replaced the set equipment Talion had with a gear system, which is not bad but I am personally fatigued playing games that have randomized gear systems. It's still the same combat system from the last game but instead of runes you get new variations of your equipment based on the Warchiefs you defeat. The next two gripes deal with the story and the DLC. I go into more detail in the Definative edition review (which is seperate BTW), but the short version is your enjoyment of the story depends on how much of a lore nerd you are and the DLC carries on the tradition of WB games having DLC that you can skip. But none of these complaints are deal-breakers considering I 100% the Steam version and bought this game at sale price AGAIN. That should speak to how good this game is.
I saw a review on this game that called it a "woke piece of trash" who said it was for those that liked "action over quality" which really annoyed me in particular as a guy who 100% the Steam version last year. Namely because it's a disengenous take on a game that is a massive improvement over the last one. I recommend it without hesistation but I have two major nitpicks with this game: 1. I will say right off the bat that if you're a lore-nerd, this game will drive you crazy, but you should have expected it going in from the last game. And while the last game was subtle about it, this one took it to a level where it got me, a causal fan from the movies, going, "WAIT A MINUTE. That didn't happen!" And it's not a case of original characters having major effects but established well-known characters going through events that completely change their role in the story if this was considered canon. But compared to what Rings of Power is doing, this actually has a level of respect for Tolkien lore and what came before. Which is the exact opposite of woke works. 2. The second point is this game continues the long tradition of WB games having really mediocre DLC. Plus they are both focused on the two side characters that I think set off the "woke" accusation: The Blade of Galaderial, a girl boss elf, and Baranor, a black Haradrum. Baranor's DLC is actually a cool idea as it's essentially a rouge-lite in an open-world game with a focuses on the underexplored Easterlings. My problem with it is it doesn't go far enough with the concept mechanically or narratively. The other DLC focuses on BoG, or to give her proper name: "Brie Larson the Elf". Seriously, NOBODY in the SoW community likes this character despite their attempts to set her up as the hero for a possible sequel. And on top of that, you are fighting two new villians that were clearly pandering to China and the DLC has problems with balance as enemies can become immune to a lot of her attacks.
If the answer is yes, you will love this. If no, you can move along. This is clearly a love-letter to the NES/SNES days where games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Chrono Trigger ruled the roost. And yet, this is the game that gets nostolgia right in that it evokes the feeling of those games but remembers that there have been improvements to the formula over the years. Two notable ones I noticed are warning if you are approaching the point of no return and to cut to the chase and skip the cutscenes if you want. As far as the gameplay goes, it's your standard JRPG turn-based combat with each character being a set class with different abilities/spells. The game is quite helpful at giving you a general idea of what they do without holding your hand. The story, while simple, is pretty epic in it's scope, the characters are likable and have good story arcs, and sheer ambition of the world is kinda what I want from a fantasy world like this. I played this mostly without a walkthrough as the game is fairly intuitive when it comes to figuring it out. My only complaint is the level design as the entrances and exits tend to bend in with the scenery and the path forward is not obvious. The map you get is kinda useful but the sheer sprawling nature of the level design can make navigation a bit of a chore. There are also some movement gimmicks like the ability to swim that aren't really utilized too much, such as the ability to crouch under traps. But overall, I enjoyed the game. It's been sitting in my GOG libarary for over a year as I bought it on a whim and I came away pleasently surprised that I went through most of the first chapter when I booted it up. I wouldn't put it up there as my favorite JRPG (that's tied between Dragon Quest 11 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon) but I feel like this game is criminally overlooked. Don't skip it.
There are a lot of reviews that are clearly from gamers who are willing to play a broken Ubisoft release but not for a game with a big cult following. Having played through and beaten the game, it definetly shows its age in terms of graphics, controls and UI. It's still playable but there are aspects of the game that feel dated. BUT what makes it worth your time is the writing and the unique approach to the RPG in the fact that it expects you to actually ROLE PLAY. You aren't some badass that's taking on the world but the denizen of a world where if you misbehave, there will be consequences. And with a world that has such awesome lore, you can't help but get immersed in this early 2000s style that evokes the spirit of the Blade movies. There's not really a game quite like it where talking your way out of situations is a viable option as shooting your way out. This game would have been an all-time favorite of mine, EXCEPT the ending kinda... sucks. When I looked into it, it turns out this has a really rocky development to the point where the developer had to rush the ending. And it shows in one of the boss fights that is just AWFUL along with the writing, particularly with one character that they built up for some big reveal but the payoff never materialized. Because time constrants. A tradition that seems to be carried on by the development of the sequel that has been delayed indefinately at the time of writing. But, as someone with no nostologia for this game, I reccommend it. It is such a unique gem of a game that doesn't really have an equivalent. Well worth picking up on a sale if you're unsure. It's not perfect as its development was troubled but it came out surprisely well considering.
...and so are you. I bought this on Steam and it's just as silly and cute as you think it is. As for the game, it takes a lot of cues from top down Zelda games with fetch quests, basic combat and simple well-written dialouge about a smiling, silent, and potentially psychotic, turnip who has become an errand boy for an onion mayor by force as he refused to pay his rent. He then goes out on a ridiculious journey that goes out of his way to help and yet NOT help people out in the end. I not only beat it but I got 100% in ~2 hours. But that's long enough in my opinion as the joke would wear thin after a while and the quality and price is just right for this kind of game. I reccommend it at the end of the day though as I did enjoy it.
I played this on Steam and played it long enough to get the true ending achievement. And doing that was not worth it. As far as gameplay goes it's similar to Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim as it's a combination of city builder, SIMs npc interaction, and RTS. The main differences is resources are spread out over islands that you have to explore and use magic spells to create/move/destroy islands which is kinda cool. The problem is it has NONE of the personality that made Majesty good. No voice acting, no sounds, and text boxes to explain the story. Overall, it's a cool idea with a mediocre execution. But you are missing nothing by skipping it.
I currently have 42 hours on Steam. I would say that it's one of the best deck-building Rouge-Lites since Slay the Spire. Absolutely worth it if you like these kind of games The primary gameplay loop is a combination of deck-building and tower defense. There are 3 floors in which you can play units and spells against waves of enemies to stop them from reaching the heart of your train, with a boss every third round. And even then, you still have a chance as core can fight back but it is not something you should rely on. As you go on you go through the nine circles of Hell collecting new cards for your deck, upgrading them in shops, and collecting relics to try and give you a chance. To add variety to the game, there are multiple paths FTL-style with events that can get you more cards, higher difficulties known as Covenents which add a modifier that makes the run more challenging, and you have 5 different clans that have different playstyles in their cards in which you pick two of them. The first clan that you pick comes with a free champion that you will always have that can be upgraded at least three times during the game with different powers. If I had any complaints its that some runs can be easily ruined by RNG and just not finding the cards and buffs that you need. Also there are just some clans that are just flat out better than others in terms of buffs and cards. Otherwise, you can get through at least 3 runs in just under 2 hours, there's a lot of depth that allows experimentation, and gives you the classic feeling of "Just one more..."
