American Conquest
- August 26, 2011
- GSC Game World
- 4h median play time
Get on SteamAmerican Conquest is a real-time strategy game that transports players to the early days of North America. Players can choose from several European nations and Native American tribes, each with unique strengths and weaknesses, and lead them in battles to expand their territories. The game features a variety of single-player campaigns and skirmish modes, as well as online multiplayer for up to 16 players. Emphasis is placed on resource management, troop movement, and historical accuracy.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique historical setting that appeals to fans of RTS games and history enthusiasts.
- Many players appreciate the nostalgia and fun factor, recalling enjoyable experiences from their childhood.
- The gameplay features large-scale battles and diverse factions, providing a challenging and strategic experience.
- The game suffers from significant technical issues, including crashes and compatibility problems on modern systems, particularly Windows 10.
- Players have reported that the game runs at an excessively fast speed by default, making it difficult to control and enjoy.
- The AI and gameplay mechanics can feel outdated and unbalanced, leading to frustrating experiences during missions.
- gameplay17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a blend of historical events and strategic mechanics, offering a nostalgic experience for fans of the genre, though some mechanics feel outdated and may not perform well on modern systems. While it features enjoyable graphics and a compelling campaign mode, players may encounter issues with gameplay speed adjustments and certain mechanics that reflect its age. Overall, it is seen as an upgrade to its predecessor, Cossacks, but may not captivate new players as much as it does those with a fondness for classic strategy games.
“The campaign mode takes you on a journey through key events like the Mayflower voyage and the Battle of Bunker Hill, offering a compelling mix of historical accuracy and strategic gameplay.”
“This is an awesome game with great atmosphere and very cool detailed gameplay!”
“Good graphics, enjoyable gameplay, and interesting mechanics.”
“20 years ago computers were slower and I think this entire game was programmed with old technology in mind to the point where the gameplay is impossible nowadays.”
“If you like history or want some nostalgic feeling if you played this before, this game is for you; otherwise, you could be disappointed by some gameplay mechanics or issues with newer systems.”
“I couldn't play it very long because the mechanics seemed very 90s.”
- story13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game features multiple campaigns based on historic events, but players find the storytelling method—primarily through lengthy text passages—tedious and uninspired. While the campaign structure includes a variety of missions, many players feel that the lack of diversity leads to burnout after a few missions, and the overall experience can be frustrating due to mission difficulty and repetitive gameplay. Despite these drawbacks, nostalgia for the story mode remains strong among long-time fans.
“The story mode was the main thing that kept me playing as a kid, that and the scenario creator.”
“+8 campaigns, each with 5 missions.”
“For the story campaigns - historic events like:”
“Storytelling is done through walls of text, which can be quite boring.”
“After I've beaten each mission, I felt completely burnt out.”
“But it lacks in variety; missions sometimes feel the same.”
- music11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its thematic diversity and ability to enhance immersion, particularly in relation to the game's epic scale. While some users rate it highly, noting it as a standout feature, others mention issues with volume levels and technical glitches that detract from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect, though not without its flaws.
“The soundtrack adds an extra layer of immersion, complementing the game's epic scale.”
“One of the most revolutionary games ever made, with a powerful soundtrack and a fantastic narrative.”
“Set during an interesting historical period, has great music.”
“Never have I seen a game so broken that after exiting, the god awful music still plays.”
“Options are there for you to change your mouse and scroll speeds and the game/music volume sliders are serviceable, but there are no options for re-binding keys.”
“The soundtrack is a banger.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are primarily 2D and, while not cutting-edge by modern standards, they were impressive for their time, showcasing detailed unit models and expansive landscapes. Players note that the visuals have aged well, with enjoyable aesthetics despite some minor glitches, and the overall experience is enhanced by solid gameplay mechanics. While some reviews mention the graphics as "chunky" or "not very good," they often emphasize that the engaging gameplay compensates for any visual shortcomings.
“The graphics, while not cutting-edge by today's standards, were quite impressive for its time, capturing the vast landscapes and detailed unit models.”
“It aged pretty well; in terms of graphics, it's really enjoyable. There are some glitches that can bother you, but no game-breaking bugs.”
“Great game indeed, one of the best RTS available. The graphics are beautiful and the animations are detailed.”
“The visuals are entirely 2D, including units, buildings, and props.”
“The graphics are chunky, but that's to be expected from a 20-year-old game.”
“The graphics, while not cutting-edge by today's standards, were quite impressive for their time, capturing the vast landscapes and detailed unit models.”
- stability9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players report significant stability issues with the game, citing frequent bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay and make it nearly unplayable at times. While some enjoy the game, the prevalence of technical problems, such as freezing and incomplete features, detracts from the overall experience.
“Fun game but very buggy.”
“Don't get me wrong, I love this game and I'd play it for hundreds of hours if it didn't have bugs and glitches that make it unplayable.”
“The game appears to be incomplete and buggy.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant challenges in launching and running it, particularly for newcomers. While some users have attempted adjustments like changing resolution and disabling fullscreen optimizations, these efforts have not yielded noticeable improvements. Conversely, others note that once running, the game can perform smoothly and is highly engaging.
“Runs smoothly, and it's easy to lose hours to.”
“No changes or considerations were made for the newer players vying to purchase the game, and it is so poorly optimized that getting into a game at all is a challenge.”
“I clicked run in 640 x 480 screen resolution and disabled fullscreen optimizations, but I'm not sure if these help.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive at times, despite its overall quality and engaging gameplay. The ability to build freely and manage large squads adds depth, but the repetitive nature of certain tasks can detract from the experience.
“Still, both sides can feel very tedious and repetitive.”
“Great game indeed, one of the best RTS available. The game lets you build anywhere you want and recruit hundreds of troops, with squads of 120 men each and different choices of formation and stances. Graphics are beautiful and animations are detailed, very challenging indeed; sometimes it gets tedious, however.”
