Disciples III: Renaissance
- October 11, 2011
- .dat
- 124h median play time
Disciples III: Renaissance is a historical turn-based strategy game with single and multiplayer modes, set in a richly detailed 3D fantasy world with a compelling plot and excellent soundtrack. It offers action-packed gameplay with three playable races and multiplayer functionality, but some bugs can affect the experience. The game is a standalone title in the award-winning Disciples series, featuring new features and improved gameplay over its predecessors.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features great graphics and a dark, moody art style that appeals to fans of the genre.
- The turn-based gameplay is engaging and can provide hours of fun, especially for strategy enthusiasts.
- The game has a rich atmosphere and interesting story elements that can draw players in.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
- The AI is poorly designed, leading to unchallenging gameplay and repetitive battles.
- Many players feel that the game deviates too much from the beloved mechanics of its predecessors, resulting in disappointment.
- graphics43 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful gothic art style and overall visual quality, which is considered an improvement over previous installments. However, some players express disappointment with the lack of polish and detail in certain areas, as well as issues with object distinction due to excessive detail. Overall, while the graphics are generally regarded as stunning and atmospheric, they do not fully compensate for other gameplay shortcomings.
“The graphics, audio, style of gameplay, and the amount of races within the game are all above average.”
“Lovely graphics, ambient music, altogether an absorbing game.”
“Sublime graphics, dense atmosphere, and a very good story, combined with interesting tactics and animation.”
“The graphics are better (obviously) but that really really doesn't make up for the multiple shortcomings found within this title.”
“I was looking forward to playing this one but I have had nothing but disappointment due to the graphics and the lack of effort put into this game.”
“The art does not seem as polished as prior installments, which is sad; the art style of the previous games was always a highlight.”
- story40 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it shallow and lacking the depth and immersion of its predecessor, Disciples II. While some appreciate the improved graphics and find the narrative interesting, others criticize it for being generic and repetitive, with a confusing plot that fails to engage. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a significant step down from previous installments, leaving players disappointed despite some positive elements.
“I am a fan since Disciples II, to experience a game that has so much progression and still can stay on the storyline is rare.”
“Beautiful game, beautiful graphics and several interesting story modes.”
“Sublime graphics, dense atmosphere and a very good story, combined with interesting tactics and animation.”
“The story is shallow, to say the least.”
“I loved Disciples II, and I really wanted to like the third version, but the longer I played the game the more I kept asking myself 'why?' The story is drivel.”
“The storyline is a cluster-fuck of confusion that left me giving zero cares about any of the characters or plot.”
- gameplay29 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the fun mechanics and beautiful graphics, while others criticize it for being repetitive, clunky, and lacking depth. Many noted significant changes in mechanics that detracted from the experience, alongside game-breaking bugs and a lack of strategic variety. Overall, while some find it an entertaining distraction, others feel it falls short of the series' previous standards.
“For the time I could play, it was great - gorgeous graphics, fun gameplay, really enjoyable to me.”
“Turn-based, somewhat interesting combat, and all kinds of fun mechanics to learn and optimize.”
“But if you are looking for an entertaining, easy-going distraction with simple (not too complicated) gameplay, it is worth taking a look at.”
“The third installment introduces vast changes to the game mechanics that completely ruin the game, not to mention the game-breaking bugs.”
“Started disappointing due to the clunky dialogue and lackluster gameplay, but I continued on if only to keep me visually stimulated whilst listening to audiobooks.”
“The gameplay, however, was slow, sluggish, and very repetitive.”
- music17 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its charm and contribution to the overall experience, while others find it repetitive and less impressive compared to previous titles. While many appreciate the soundtrack and ambient themes, a few note that it can become monotonous over extended play sessions. Overall, the music is generally seen as a positive aspect, though it may not reach the heights of earlier games in the series.
“The music still holds up, too, and adds to the experience.”
“- amazing soundtrack”
“The art and musical score in this game were great!”
“Every so often, the textures disappear, the music stops playing, and the game crashes after the next battle.”
“Started disappointing due to the clunky dialog and lackluster gameplay, but I continued on if only to keep me visually stimulated whilst listening to audiobooks (the background music's alright, but not for over 50 hours of play).”
“The positives were the fancy graphics and the music... which actually still pales in comparison to the previous games in my opinion.”
- stability10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with users reporting frequent bugs, rendering glitches, and crashes that significantly disrupt gameplay. Many players noted that these issues persisted even after adjusting settings, leading to a frustrating experience. While some found the game relatively stable after initial release, the overall consensus is that it feels rushed and in need of further polish.
“For example, the rendering glitches constantly, and even if you play with your settings, it still crashes; it just takes longer.”
“By mission 4, the game was either freezing or had graphical glitches every 5 minutes.”
“The game is quite buggy, unfortunately, and it does seem as though the company rushed it.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its sublime graphics and dense, immersive quality, reminiscent of the intense feelings evoked in titles like Disciples II. Reviewers express a desire for more games that capture this unique art style and atmospheric depth, highlighting the effective combination of visual artistry, storytelling, and tactical gameplay.
“Great art, great atmosphere.”
“Sublime graphics, dense atmosphere, and a very good story, combined with interesting tactics and animation.”
“Lacks that 'special feeling' atmosphere that was so intense in Disciples II.”
“Not saying it's great, but I wish there were more games with this art style and atmosphere out there.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that it detracts from the overall experience due to a lack of engaging content and a poorly designed difficulty curve. The linear maps and numerous bugs further contribute to a sense of monotony, leaving players disappointed by the absence of a climactic final battle after investing significant time in grinding.
“Not only is the game bugged beyond belief, with issues in almost every aspect of the gameplay; after countless hours of tedious grinding through a semi-engrossing and ill-conceived plot, you find yourself at the end of the line, braced and ready for the final confrontation in a pitched battle only to find it missing.”
“The maps were a series of linear paths, the campaign was pretty tedious for me and the difficulty curve was pretty crazy.”
“The game feels more tedious than fast-paced and could possibly bore a gamer.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that character development is closely tied to both music and character design, suggesting that these elements significantly enhance the overall depth and engagement of the characters within the game.
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to frequent crashes to desktop and a variety of other bugs that hinder the overall experience.
“Constant crashes to desktop, poor optimization, and various other bugs.”
“The game runs poorly on high-end hardware, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
“Frequent frame drops and stuttering make the experience frustrating, showing that optimization is severely lacking.”
