I adore Songs of Conquest. This wonderful game drips atmosphere. Music and SFX especially is fantastic. Whether you're looking to fight with all you've got against intelligent, non-cheating AI, or you prefer a cozy game to relax under a blanket with, Songs of Conquest has you covered. Gameplay is accessible and deep. Turns evolve from chill "get-resources-build-some-simple-stuff", to fifteen-minute grand strategy epics. The Essence system gives the four factions different spells to rely on; and you'll be switching up your tactics depending on it. I grew up playing HoMM 3 and 5. Trust me when I say SoC's changes to the formula make for a better game. There's DLC and free updates planned throughout 2024 and 25. Is it perfect? No. The first campaign is too bland of an introduction. Initiative is somewhat OP. Is it wonderful, and worth your time and money? Yes!
Darkest Dungeon is extremely atmospheric. The narrator is just orgasmic, not to mention the Lovecraft-inspired writing in the one-liners and occasional stories he'll share. This, along with the gritty art style, makes returning to familiar locations on familiarly designed quests feel no less immersive than the first time around. The stress mechanic amplifies this exponentially. The feeling of danger is superb. In the beginning especially, as you'll be unfamiliar with which foes perform which attacks, based on their positioning. As your knowledge (and roster, party, hamlet, trinket stash, experience and progress into the different dungeons) increases (and upgrades) over time, the thrill never leaves, as DD loves dishing out the most decisive blows whenever the player feels at their most confident. I have just under 200 hours spent on this game, and while a lot of comments here are critiquing the RNG, it has been improved immensely. Strategy is king, and it's application is also unique - most of it happens during the preparation phase, which in and of itself is full of choice and consequences. Through my experience with the game, I've had parties be both astoundingly victorious and brutally slaughtered. I've found some party/trinket compositions that almost always guarantees a stress-free victory, given that you still pay attention, but this still doesn't mean my heroes are 100% safe. Playing on the hardest difficulty with all DLC enabled (don't do this your first time around) has elevated the game even further for me. Never will I forget the stories (which were all made as they went) of Flintlock Oliver the Highwayman, who avenged his father during the last quest, or Payback Jonah the Bounty Hunter, who met his end in a final stand against the Formless Flesh. One of the best games I've ever played, along with Dark Souls, The Last of Us, Fallout: New Vegas, Heroes of M&M 3, etc.
