Raise mighty armies, wield ancient magic and forge an empire. This turn-based strategy adventure game fuses strategic decision making, tactical combat and kingdom management.
Players praise the deep combat system, which allows them to utilize troop abilities and powerful magic spells. They can combine different troop types to maximize damage potential and spell effectiveness. The ability to deploy troops in specific formations before battles, exploiting terrain differences, adds an extra layer of strategic depth. The game's implementation of unit stack limits prevents players from simply overwhelming opponents with massive "doom stacks", encouraging them to build more varied army compositions.
The four playable factions - Arleon, Rana, Loth, and Barya - each offer unique playstyles and strategic considerations. Players can customize their hero (called "Wielders") by investing in different skills and abilities, enabling a wide range of viable strategies. The magic system, where the composition of the player's army determines the available spells, adds an engaging depth to army building and tactical decisions.
As players venture across the diverse maps, they encounter a variety of enemies, valuable loot, and contrasting biomes. The game's kingdom management aspect requires players to carefully plan the development of their settlements to match their playstyle. The limited build slots in each town force players to make meaningful choices about their infrastructure, rather than simply building everything.
The game offers a high degree of replayability, with handcrafted maps for the "curious adventurer" and randomized maps for endless replayability. The in-game map editor allows players to create their own adventures, scripting events, controlling the soundtrack, and writing dialogue. This level of customization and user-generated content further extends the game's longevity.
Players can enjoy the majority of the game's content in single-player, co-op, or multiplayer (both local and online). The option to enlist AI allies and enemies further enhances the game's flexibility and caters to a wide range of player preferences.