Songs of Conquest is a strategy turn-based RPG that took heavy inspiration from several iconic titles of the genre from the 90s. The game has steadily been growing followers since the announcement of its trailer last June 2019, with many dubbing it to be the spiritual successor of Heroes Might and Magic.
The game has been warmly received by its community and has been overwhelmed by very positive reviews on steams in the first week of its release.
A first dive into the game’s campaign introduces us to Cecilia Stoutheart, the new baroness of the House Stoutheart who is making her way through the quarries of Flinthills to quell the suspected uprising of her people.
After overcoming several battles and liberating the captured settlement of Barkspur, peace and order is restored once more. Yet, the presence of bannerless knights and mercenaries from faraway lands hints to her of schemes that lie ahead.
The first mission gives us a clue of what to expect from the game. Its lore is a mix of medieval politics with a flavor of fantasy. Considering how the developers have hinted at different factions in the game—which mind you, includes a civilization of swamp frogmen—you know that you’re really in for intricately woven lore and a promising world-building.
With most of the game developers in the recent years scurrying around to determine whichever of them can give the most visually stunning realistic 3d game world, some of us may have forgotten how to appreciate the beauty of 2d pixel art. This game will remind you of that.
The details the developers have put into the trees, the mountains, the buildings, and all the variety of land features in the game make for a very picturesque landscape. Pair that with the mesmerizing selection of background music that never fails to set the mood, it can offer a really great playing experience in the aesthetic department.
Its gameplay is simple enough, and clearly stays true to the classic title that it took inspirations from. The players takes command of wielders (or heroes) to explore the map at intervals to secure resources, gather armies, and capture settlements to form strongholds and battle their opponents.
By overcoming battles or approaching landmarks, the wielders are able to gain experience and increase the level of their wielders to unlock passive skills accordingly to their classes, and eventually powers, which is the stronger variant of skills that not only affect battles but also base building.
The players also features the use of artifacts (or equipment) to gain stats bonuses that would give them a further edge in battle, which they are able to obtain as they explore the entirety of the map.
Likewise, the game’s battle mechanics is also straightforward. The players take turns at controlling their units to battle each other until only one side remains. It also introduces features such as obstacles, zone of control, and high ground advantages, all of which are something most of us are already very familiar with as staple mechanics of tactics and strategy games.
The players are also able to use combat spells in the battle through the wielders; a variety of buffs and debuffs to cast on their units and the enemy, which can give players a more immersive control of the tides of the battle. Although, these spells can be either stats increase/decrease or additional tile movement of only varying potency, which for some players, can be a little bland, to say the least.
To put it simply, the game’s battles allows you to imagine yourself as a commander directing your army while providing supportive spells as you oversee the entirety of the battle from afar.
Although largely inspired by classics of the 90s, the game also showcases some modernity in its features. Most particularly, its quick battle function which allows players who doesn’t want to go through each and every battle to skip them. Although as much as possible, we advise the players to use the battle skip function sparingly—yes, even with the seemingly weak mobs!
The game’s degree of difficulty will be felt starting from campaign’s mission two onwards and it urges the players to manage his manpower well—like a real lord, if you may—and fatal mismanagement can at a certain point, get you stuck trying to win impossible fights with dwindling troops at your disposal.
All in all, the game is loaded with a lot of in game features, which on the plus side, can make the game very engaging, but on the minus side, can be a little unwelcoming to the players who are new to the genre.
Nevertheless, the attention that Lavapotion put in the game’s visuals, gameplay, lore and other in game features, speaks of all the love and passion crafted in the game’s making—truly, a love letter to the genre’s loyal fans. Songs of Conquests is without a doubt, an addition to the delightful instances of developers living up to the expectations that they’ve built.
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