Songs of Conquest Fun and Accessible Strategy

Yes, I'm talking about Songs of Conquestthe game that arrives to fill the void left by the classic series and bring a little nostalgia to our gaming hearts.

Developer and Release:

Songs of Conquest is developed by Lavapotion and published by Coffee Stain Publishing. After two years in Early Access, the game was officially released on May 20, 2024 for PC (SteamGOG, Epic Games Store) for 75 reais.

And let me tell you, these two years of development were very well spent. It's not every day that we see a game of this caliber come out of the oven so well-polished.

Plot and Campaign:

Game Mechanics and Economy:

Songs of Conquest doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it refines what we already know and love about turn-based strategy games. You control heroes who lead armies made up of different units. These heroes gain experience by exploring the map and winning tactical battles. It's like a mix of Civilization and the good old Heroes of Might and Magic. Maintaining a healthy economy is crucial as units tend to die frequently and replenishing your armies is not cheap. Conquering gold mines, segheries and cellars is essential to maintain the flow of resources. If you've played Total War, you'll understand the importance of mastering these sources of income.

Balance and Content:

Despite some imbalances in the campaign missions, continuous feedback between the community and developers has resulted in a very balanced game in most aspects. Songs of Conquest offers a huge amount of content, with many handcrafted missions, a procedural map generation system, and even an editor that allows you to create custom campaigns. The community can therefore contribute to further increasing the game's longevity. It's almost as if they mixed the best of Fire Emblem with the charm of old tabletop RPG games.

Factions and Strategies:

Each faction has its unique characteristics:

• Arleon: A mix of human troops and forest creatures, preferring a defensive approach. Imagine the elves of Warcraft III with a medieval twist.
• Barony of Lot: Unkilled units that use curses and poison to weaken enemies. If you like the vibe of Diablo's necromancers, you'll love this faction.
• Rana: Swamp creatures that are weak defensively, but attack with devastating force. Think of the zergs from Starcraft, only greener and slimier.
• Barya: Desert merchants who use exotic units and gunpowder weapons. They're like the techies from Command & Conquer, always ready to blow something up.

Accessibility and Tutorial:

Songs of Conquest stands out for being accessible to everyone. With a simple and straightforward tutorial, anyone can learn to play quickly. This makes the game an excellent choice for strategy game veterans as well as beginners and even children. Furthermore, the game is localized in Brazilian Portuguese, making life even easier for national players. If you remember what it was like to explore the old tutorials Final Fantasy Tacticsyou will feel at home here.

Compatibility and Performance:

One of the big surprises was testing the game on the Steam Machine. For those who don't know, the Steam Machine is that Valve console that tried to combine the best of PCs with the simplicity of consoles. And, look, Songs of Conquest ran perfectly! No crashes, no bugs, and beautiful graphics at full resolution. It was a smooth experience, like buttering hot toast. Lavapotion really got the optimization right, making the game run well even on machines that aren't exactly performance monsters.

Conclusion:

Overall, Songs of Conquest is a fun and accessible turn-based strategy game. Despite some flaws in the single player campaign, it offers a near-perfect balance between playable factions and a huge amount of content. With its beautiful aesthetics and captivating gameplay, it's a title that deserves a place in any strategy game fan's library. It's like a meeting of the best elements of several classics of the genre, with a modern touch that makes it unique.

Pros:

• Stunning and detailed visual art
• Refined and accessible classic mechanics
• Wide range of content and community support
• Simple tutorial and localization in Brazilian Portuguese

Cons:

• Artificially high difficulty in some campaign missions
• Some minor imbalances

Final Grade: 8.5/10

Songs of Conquest is the answer for Heroes of Might and Magic fans who have waited patiently for a worthy successor. It manages to capture the essence of the classics while bringing enough new features to stand out. If you're looking for an engaging and beautiful turn-based strategy game, this is an excellent choice.