Age of Fear 3: The Legend
- August 31, 2017
- Leslaw Sliwko
- 26h median play time
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Get on itch.io Store"Age of Fear 3: The Legend" is a fantasy turn-based strategy game with RPG elements. Lead a party of heroes, build and manage your army, and engage in tactical combat against monstrous enemies. The game features a rich story campaign, random skirmish maps, and a map editor for creating your own scenarios. However, some players have criticized it for having a steep learning curve and lacking in tutorials.
Mac OS
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Windows
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Reviews
- Engaging tactical combat with a variety of units and strategies, appealing to fans of turn-based RPGs.
- The game features a humorous narrative and well-written dialogues, enhancing the overall experience.
- The developers are responsive and actively update the game, adding new content and improving mechanics.
- Graphics are dated and may not appeal to players looking for modern visuals.
- Some gameplay mechanics, such as unit movement and control, can feel clunky and unintuitive.
- The game can feel incomplete at times, with limited factions and features that may not justify the price for some players.
- story98 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a mix of humor and engaging narratives, though some quests can feel lackluster. While the main storyline may not be deeply interconnected across the series, individual campaigns offer unique characters and plots that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the comedic elements and the ability to explore optional missions, although some feel the storytelling could benefit from more depth and player agency.
“Game has a sense of humor and a good storyline.”
“The story is related in a very interesting way: the bad guy reading letters reporting the events.”
“The story is actually pretty good, and the way you get to build your squad is nice also, getting to add a lot of characters quickly and level them up to compete as the story moves along, which is cool.”
“Just as a warning, the free game does not contain a storyline; it just lets you understand the mechanics of the game's combat system and character development.”
“Compared with previous titles, I found the story bland.”
“I simply do not enjoy someone 'telling my story'.”
- gameplay44 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by enjoyable turn-based strategy mechanics, offering a blend of tactical depth and light-hearted fun, reminiscent of classic titles like Heroes of Might and Magic. While the graphics may not impress, the game features a variety of interesting mechanics and balanced progression, making it appealing to both casual and hardcore players. The core gameplay remains consistent across the series, ensuring that fans of previous installments will find familiar and engaging experiences.
“Enjoyable mechanics and well-paced and balanced progression.”
“Great game, good mechanics make for deep interesting tactics... it's not the easiest of games but to me that only means I'll be playing this for a while.”
“The game's mechanics are all about turn-based strategy, the power cooldowns, hidden objects, secret endings, and areas where it is fine to die flesh out the game and make the world alive in some ways.”
“Just as a warning, the free game does not contain a storyline; it just lets you understand the mechanics of the game's combat system and character development.”
“Despite the connectivity in mechanics between games, the storylines aren't connected any more than being mentioned or briefly encountered in one another's campaigns.”
“The core gameplay remains the same, so it's unlikely to win over anyone who disliked the previous games, but the ambition and dedication on display by the developers – introducing new characters and factions with each game, and releasing free patches and upgrades at what seems to be a rate of more than once a week – should be applauded, especially in these times when the monetization of video games is a much-debated issue.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple and functional, lacking in impressive visuals but serving their purpose effectively. While some players find the art style clean and the animations basic yet adequate, others note that the graphics are not a selling point and may even detract from the experience for those seeking modern aesthetics. Overall, the focus seems to be on gameplay mechanics rather than visual appeal, making it a suitable choice for players who prioritize strategy over graphics.
“The visuals are simple but effective; different units are easily recognizable, and although the animations are pretty basic, they get the job done.”
“Age of Fear might not be a treat for the eyes, but it's no eyesore either – I'd much rather have functional graphics that work reliably than a glitch-ridden mess, and I'm glad AOF has the former.”
“If you are looking for an older Genesis game but with modern graphics, then this is your game.”
“Don't buy it for the graphics; they are nothing special.”
“Very fun to set up the army with bribed troops, etc. The only thing is that some units are very slow graphics-wise; is it a Java issue?”
“I don't consider it a bad thing; it's a nice, clean art style, but then again there are people who send threatening emails to developers if any texture in a game is less than 4 gig in size, so your mileage may vary here.”
- humor18 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humorous dialogues and quirky character interactions, particularly between diverse fantasy races, which add a lighthearted touch to the gameplay. Players appreciate the blend of twisted humor and campy elements, making the experience enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny. Overall, the humor enhances the game's charm and keeps players engaged throughout their adventures.
“Deep turn-based battles, RPG management of a huge team of fantasy characters (spanning many different fantasy races), and some great twisted humor makes for a fantastic package!”
“The forest folk campaign is pretty good, with a lot of funny moments because one of your heroes is a dryad, a nature-lover character, while the other is a drider, an evil unit full of violence.”
“I find the text dialogue between your 'heroes' or them and the enemy leaders is a little campy but can be funny at times.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's extensive endgame grinding options, allowing for unlimited gold and troop acquisition, which adds depth to the strategic gameplay. While initial concerns about slow unit progression and limited grinding areas were noted, recent updates have introduced random encounters that enhance the experience without forcing players to grind if they prefer focusing on the story. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as both rewarding and flexible, catering to different playstyles.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“My original gripe in my review was about the lack of grinding areas and slow unit progression.”
“Grinding feels tedious and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
- character development6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted to have some depth, allowing players to make informed decisions, though it lacks a strong narrative context. Comparisons to Fire Emblem highlight that while the combat mechanics are superior, the writing and overall character development are considered weaker. Additionally, the free version of the game focuses primarily on combat mechanics rather than a cohesive storyline.
“Good character development (some depth but clear enough to make good guesses as to what will work).”
“Just as a warning, the free game does not contain a storyline; it just lets you understand the mechanics of the game's combat system and character development.”
“Somewhat like Fire Emblem, with better combat and worse writing/character development.”
- music6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and suitability to various settings, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players feel that the combat music lacks the necessary intensity, making battles feel less engaging. Overall, the soundtrack is considered good and varied, complementing the game's charming story and art.
“The audio sounds and music are nice and fit the various settings/maps.”
“Other than that, decent army building & level up system, good and varied music & art, with a charming story.”
“Dialogues and encounters are interesting, music is beautiful.”
- monetization6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed feedback, with praise for the developers' commitment to providing free patches and regular updates, which contrasts with common concerns about monetization practices in the industry. However, there is criticism regarding the misleading promotion of a level editor as part of the core game package. Overall, the developers' dedication to enhancing the game experience is acknowledged, despite the ongoing debates surrounding monetization in gaming.
“The ambition and dedication on display by the developers – introducing new characters and factions with each game, and releasing free patches and upgrades at what seems to be a rate of more than once a week – should be applauded, especially in these times when the monetization of video games is a much-debated issue.”
“My main beef is advertising a level editor as if it was an app included in the program.”
“The core gameplay remains the same, so it's unlikely to win over anyone who disliked the previous games, but the ambition and dedication on display by the developers – introducing new characters and factions with each game, and releasing free patches and upgrades at what seems to be a rate of more than once a week – should be applauded, especially in these times when the monetization of video games is a much-debated issue.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant performance issues, including stuttering animations and a noticeable drop in responsiveness during gameplay, often necessitating a restart to restore functionality.
“Every bit of animation was stuttering.”
“Sometimes, after a while of playing, the performance when doing any action tanks and I need to restart the game.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have reported significant stability issues, particularly during a specific battle against Lexa, where the game frequently hangs, requiring multiple restarts to progress. This has led to frustration and disrupted gameplay experiences.
“One of the battles was very buggy for me [spoiler](the one where you fight Lexa)[/spoiler]: the game hung near the end of the opponent's turn, forcing me to quit and start the game about twenty times at different points in the battle.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through its role-playing elements, allowing players to customize their heroes in various ways, such as choosing between becoming an evil necromancer or a holy paladin. This flexibility in character development encourages multiple playthroughs to explore different builds and story outcomes.
“There is a lot of role-play replayability depending on how you kit out your heroes (e.g., they can become an evil necromancer versus a holy paladin, for example).”
