I bought this a few years back and decided to wait before reviewing it, but as it's still in development ad-infinitum, may as well give it to you straight. The essence of the game is a sand-box RPG with some good things, and lots of meh. Unlike Battle Brothers where you can command a small platoon, here you are limited to six characters on the field of combat. That's ok I guess, but it is limiting as combat is one of the better aspects of the game. There are multiple classes of characters to recruit, multiple races, and they all get along fine even when they shouldn't. But here's the main problems. The world map is always the same in every session, killing some replay value. The Dungeons graphically look like you are traversing a crossword puzzle. You walk across some tiny tiles, and usually nothing happens. Sometimes though you'll be informed that you've encountered something, at which point a small screenshot will break the monotony. In 2024 this is un-acceptable. The quests are ok, and perhaps have a higher variety than what you find in Battle Brothers, but again, these usually lead you to the inadequately depicted dungeons. Where the game is quite good is that it isn't actually low magic, it's high. There's lots of exotic loot and equipment, lots of spells to learn and use. The battle maps are simple, ( consisting of tiles and some terrain), and combat itself isn't bad at all. Tactics do matter here. Overall this a game with an excellent concept that seems improperly executed, the fact that it's still in development after all these years is also not a positive. By all means give it a try if you like RPG games and want some freedom, but pick it up on discount only, it isn't worth the full price.
I’ve never played the game books, so I went into this without preconceived notions or expectations, here’s what I found. In one sense, this is an open-world RPG adventure game with some very sharp mechanics that make the game very easy to get into it. That said, it doesn’t mean that those sharp mechanics are adequate for what the game is trying to accomplish. You start by selecting a character with pre-defined stats, and based on your difficulty setting, some equipment and cash…and off you go. To where you ask? well, that depends on your character class. After that the game, much like your character, is all over the place. At times it’s engaging, at others frustrating. You will feel that the game is well thought out…only to question the developers grasp of reality a short time later. Combat is cute but simplistic, and played out on a field of maybe two dozen hexes, it works well. But combat isn’t the only way to die in this game. In fact, I would say that combat is far more manageable than the random dice rolls during other parts of the game as those can kill you; and you have far less control in influencing the outcome. This in turn (massively) encourages save-scumming, and that to me is a flaw in any game as it kills immersion and the flow of the session. The art is…strange. The world map, (which is huge), is done pretty well, the character portraits on the other hand belong in a JRPG from twenty years ago. The writing is excellent without being verbose, (which is a good thing because you will be reading a lot). That means that if you aren’t into a lot of text in your game, this title won’t work for you. It’s an old school game with little guidance for the player and it can be both fun, or induce rage-quit. In the end, it’s probably the type of game that you will either love or hate with few gamers falling in-between. My advice is to only grab it on sale if you aren’t already familiar with, (and like), game books.
I’ve got a lot of respect for indy devs and small studios, (I’ve supported some directly, and others through articles I’ve written at SSC and eXplorminate)…so this below is with a heavy heart. If you’ve ever read a good book/novel, one thing you’ll notice is that you don’t have to read the same page, (or passage), twice in order to understand what’s going on and keep up with the story. In one sense, a good game should be like that as well, fluid and intuitive. Serpent in the Staglands is anything but. While I’ve always favored content over graphics, this game is hideous. Yes, hideous, and that’s an understatement. When I have to set my cursor over an animal to see what species it is, or look at my inventory and try to decipher what it is I’m looking at, it goes beyond “old school” and becomes downright atrocious. It kills the flow of the game. Then there’s the UI, wtf? I like to be challenged by the game itself, not the interface. And I dislike complexity for complexity’s sake. It isn’t fun or original, it’s counterproductive. Throw in some poor balancing and you get a title that is best left alone. (In this respect BG 1 did a great job of throwing credible threats at a first level character but still allowing a path to victory, this game…) First time I’ve regretted a purchase here, not for the money mind you, but the time I spent. Two stars, it’s exactly what it deserves.
This game brings back memories of Sega Genesis and SNES, (titles such as Tactics Ogre and Gemfire come to mind). But what does that mean for anyone but the old timers? Graphically we’re talking about RPG maker quality, nothing to really wow you, but passable for a game like this. The concept itself is actually very nice, having the player nurture and deploy multiple squads against the AI on a series of maps. But make no mistake, tactics are superficial at best. For example, a player can execute flanking and rear attacks, but they offer no additional benefit, the odds are still calculated as a frontal assault. Maybe this was intentional as the AI is not anything to brag about. It will look for your weakest unit and target that, regardless if it exposes itself to catastrophic counter-strikes. In all honesty, elevation and terrain are the only factors that will increase/decrease your chance of success. The UI is…horrible, the story un-imaginative; and the lack of an editor readily apparent. Between, the typos, missing text, etc. sometimes it’s hard to figure out exactly what the game is trying to say. Obviously the most fun aspect of the game is leveling up your characters, creating squads, and optimizing them. But even here, that horrendous UI will quickly make what should be an enjoyable task, an utter chore. A game with some interesting ideas that were executed poorly, one where an additional two months of development, (as well as a half decent writer), would have made a world of difference, “Symphony of war” is a title with little replay value and many lost opportunities. If you must try it, at least wait for a discount. That said, I want to see more from Dancing Dragon Games, as there is certainly talent on that team.
This game...it's actually quite good and a lot of fun, as long as you understand what you're getting into. The RPG elements of the game are very light, because Battle brothers isn't an RPG, it's a squad based tactical sim, with some RPG flavor thrown in. Yes, you can equip your team with armor and weapons, and level up your characters, but there's no story or campaign for you to go through. It's all just one big sand-box, and the freedom to do your own thing is unmatched. You will however be fighting a lot, and you will lose characters. This is the essence of the game. So then let me tell you a bit about the fights, and maybe save you some headaches. Learn to fight as a squad, not as individuals...or suffer losses. Learn to swallow your pride from time to time and run. That's right, you will often find yourself in no-win situations, that's ok, recognize it and remember that discretion is the better part of valor. Understand that equipment is very impactful in surviving, perhaps more so than leveling up. Now throw in some events, late game crises, exploration, and a ton of randomness...and this is a game that will give you tremendous replay value. P.S. Don't let the weeble-wobble looking guys turn you off, believe it or not, you quickly learn to love them. Overall an excellent small-unit tactical simulator where terrain (elevation, LOS, etc) plays a role. If on discount, an absolute recommend.
I’ve never given a 5 star rating before, that requires perfection in my book. This DLC by Praxis games though deserves it. You have the introduction of minor civilizations that are abstracted in a sense, yet offer specific benefits. More than that, the minors are tailor made for the ISG universe, the way they impact the game would not really work anywhere else, and careful attention has been paid to ensure that game-play balance isn’t distorted. (Unique leaders can be recruited from these minors as well). The new evolutions tree is a nice addition to space culture and offers the player additional choices to make without losing anything in return. In other words if you go with a pick on evolution, you don’t lose a pick in culture, you only delay it. Other more subtle additions can be found in new leader skills that offer benefits to the owner without being op. To top it off we also get some beautiful artwork that admittedly works very well in creating further immersion into the game world. That’s a nice plus in my opinion. In conclusion, this is exactly what a great DLC should be, an optional enhancement to a game that doesn’t feel as if it were left out on purpose.
If you’ve ever played the first one, the first thing you will notice (and love) is the look of the map. However once you get past that you will encounter many changes that were made with the intention of reducing micro that instead reduced player choice. To add insult to injury, micro wasn’t reduced either, just replaced with new micro. Want to go to war over specific provinces? You can’t, now you must take the entire state, even if you don’t want to. Want to promote your pops? Nope, you can only encourage them to take on new jobs, but once you stop doing so, they will likely switch to a different profession, meaning you’ll be constantly fiddling with them over and over. For those that never played the predecessor, this is more of a sim than strategy game, and as the red-headed stepchild of paradox, it is full of un-reached potential. Victoria was always a niche game, one that accepted a lot of micro for an astounding level of freedom and choice as the trade-off, Victoria 2 has gotten away from that and is just “meh” Do not get it at full price Stay away from the heart of darkness DLC, (more bone-headed decisions by paradox await you there)
I've been playing this game since it was still in Pre-Alpha, man I can't tell you how far its come. The Natural law DLC is a very solid addition to the game. While most studios with similar games tend to milk expansions and introduce a single race only, Praxis is adding two new races in a single module. Considering the base game consists of six races, (though you can add custom ones if you like), this is an excellent move. It doesn't end there though, there are other goodies included to flesh out what is one of the more promising TBS 4X games I've seen in a while. Overall, the additional Faction rulers, 2 new races, 4 new heroes, new music tracks,etc... make this expansion a must for for current fan
Sometimes, offering something new and unique, is not as important as offering something that’s been done before…but doing it better. Interstellar space: Genesis manages to do both. For fans of the genre, or space based game enthusiasts in general, the most striking feature of this game is the unique approach to exploration, it is not only multifaceted, but it never ends. Where other games see exploration as a finite and “early phase” of the game, ISG has made it an integral part of its universe. The player will see a more familiar approach with other aspects of the game, such as colony management and exploitation in general. But where many games lacked depth in this area, ISG brings them to a new level. Heroes in ISG have an RPG feel to them and they could almost be a sub-game of their own. They progress, increase skills, gain levels, and entire new attributes. More than that, some double as your spies. But be careful, they have their own agendas, wants, needs and personalities…sometimes you will wish they were real just so you can throttle them in person. All the things you’ve come to expect from a 4X are here. Do you want to terraform every rock you find? . Want to customize your own race? Perhaps tactical combat is your thing? It’s there, and the choices are quite satisfying, while the customization allowed when setting game parameters means you can play the way you like. Be aware though, this game has a learning curve. The first time you play, it is hard to understand all the nuances and synergies involved. It may seem slow, especially at the early phase, but once you have a few games under your belt, you will realize it is anything but. Yes, there is still room for improvement, with perhaps an additional victory condition or two being the greatest need, but this game is supported in a way that would make a large, established studio, green with envy. A deep, nuanced game, designed to please both 4X fans and strategy gamers in general not a 4X "lite"
“Well we thought it was a good idea” That quote has been uttered by many developers when trying to explain a blatant game flaw, and as I played this game, I wondered how many times the guys/gals at 4 Dimension Games uttered words like this. The game itself isn’t bad, though it isn’t great either. In all fairness it reminded me a lot of Spiderware games… with some really questionable decisions thrown in. The main fault I find in this game is the super grind. You can’t rest outside of a village and will find yourself heading back to one quite a lot before completing a task. Problem is, that every 12 hours game time, the bad guys re-spawn. This means you may have to come back to town again as you may not be able to finish a mission. This isn’t fun, it’s lazy development. By all means restrict resting, that’s actually kind of cool, but when combined with infinite re-spawn, it makes the game boring and an unnecessary grind. Graphics are on the poor side, the story is “meh” (but there are many side quests to at least give the game a non-linear feel). Character selection and development is quite limited, and equipment and potions quite expensive. This in turn adds to both the grind and lack of player immersion. You also want to be real careful about hiring a mercenary to aid your character, sometimes they are helpful, at other times you are protecting them At a discount, go ahead and grab it, just know what you’re getting before you do so.
