Part of the low score for this game is the fact it's standalone - people who purchased original Sorcerer King are upset they need to pay $30 for few extras this game has over original. I expect Startdock will fix this on GOG, on Steam you can already pay $15 and upgrade from original to Rivals. Game itself is pretty neat, definitely has that one more turn feeling. For some players it may feel too simplified - like if you like huge tactical battlefield in Age of Wonders you may be upset that battlefield is way smaller. I actually prefer it this way - battles end up being much faster and you can better focus on empire building. The biggest downside for me, as with most similar games, is AI. Like, higher difficulty levels don't get computer to "play smarter" - it just gives his units more HP, more damage, more of everything. So at some point you really don't have much choice but to play certain strategies... and here is one of them: For 1st game I recommend you take Tinker and rush Archivist abilities. Have two explorers ready and when you get first Archivist ability all you really need to do in order to progress fast is keep picking up chests and going to taverns/libraries/other locations - you'll get so much Lore and Soverign points. In the meantime keep leveling up your hero (Drogon the Dwarf Lord) toward Polar Vortex. Once you have that ability battles are pretty much over. Build/enchant items for your Dwarf Lord that raise his Initiative and Damage and then every battle will be: Polar Vortex, Dwarven Fury, done.
This is the type of the game that I grew up playing and that got me to GOG in the first place. So, it's great to see newly developed game that can be called a spiritual successor to Caesar 3. Now, being "a spiritual successor" is a double edged sword - it can be a good thing, it can be a bad thing. In this particular case, I think bad outweighed good: you can see this game getting a lot of negative reviews on basis of being compared with Caesar 3 and criticized for small / silly stuff. I simply don't understand that type of harsh criticism especially when you take into account the price point and the fact that this is fundamentally solid game with lots of content (sandbox + scenarios) and quite interesting setting. So, if you like these type of builder games, don't be scared away by lack of hype-train and lots of 5 star reviews. Use Money Back Guarantee GOG offers, buy the game and give it a try. By the time you complete Tutorial and first few missions you'll probably be well on your of enjoying building up your virtual city state and completing available scenarios. Pros: Modern Caesar 3, plays well, interesting setting and mechanics (collect Faes to create absinth), lots of content (sandbox + scenarios) Cons: Nothing groundbreaking, mouse movement feels a bit weird at the start
I've played around 25 runs and I am yet to complete the game (successfully finish all missions). There is simply too big of a random element to the game in a sense that you can make all the "right" choices and still end up in situation where you are unable to complete the game (you get to last mission which has bunch of mountains and you have no money for dynamite). Add occasional game crash and bugs (title is still in development) and that can add further frustrations... for example my best run ended with game crashing - I've had tons of money, supplies, desired companion composition and game crashed when I started final mission. Obviously I went back into the game to reload - and, surprise, the only option allowed to me was starting new game. So, definitely solid and interesting title, but if you are not at least partially masochist, wait for final version and then purchase.
I am extremely sorry to see this game rates at 3.5 stars at this point of time; it certainly deserves more. After finishing the game I think the biggest issues people have with Dungeons 2 are: -Short campaign -Frame rate drops during play -Small number of units, controlling units late game can be an issue (sorting out which units you want for attack can be tedious) Now that we've talked about cons, you may ask - what are pros? Well, actually - everything else. It's pretty charming setting with like-able narrator and it plays well especially for those who are fans of building games. I've certainly enjoyed it. So, sure, $40 may be too much because campaign is pretty short, but if the game is on sale for $20 don't have any doubts - give the game a chance and I'm sure you'll like it.
