Eador. Masters of the Broken World
- April 19, 2013
- Snowbird Games
- 118h median play time
Get on Steam"Eador: Masters of the Broken World" is a turn-based strategy game where you become a powerful Master, controlling and shaping the fantasy world of Eador consisting of countless drifting shards. The game features 4 different campaigns, a wide variety of heroes and units, and various gameplay mechanics, including controlling populations, building your empire, and engaging in tactical combat. The "Allied Forces" DLC adds 14 new units to enhance your combat potential.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging and deep gameplay with a mix of strategy and RPG elements.
- Variety of units and heroes, each with unique abilities and leveling systems.
- Challenging combat that requires careful planning and strategy.
- Frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay.
- Repetitive gameplay as players must restart with new heroes and units on each shard.
- Poor AI that can lead to frustrating encounters and unbalanced difficulty.
- gameplay326 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by deep and addictive mechanics, blending elements from classic titles like Heroes of Might and Magic and Age of Wonders, offering a mix of strategic and tactical layers. While many players appreciate the complexity and innovative features, such as the market value mechanic for resources and a karma system affecting gameplay, others criticize the repetitive nature, steep learning curve, and technical issues that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game presents a rich but sometimes frustrating gameplay experience that may appeal to dedicated strategy enthusiasts despite its flaws.
“Great game with deep and addictive gameplay mechanics.”
“Absolutely awesome long strategy - slow-paced, challenging on levels above expert, feels polished gameplay-wise, no one optimal way to conquer.”
“Perfect blend of grand strategy, turn-based gameplay and original fantasy RPG elements.”
“This wouldn't be so bad if the gameplay was more fun, but as it is I finally gave up because I just wasn't having fun.”
“After the shine of a new concept, the novelty of the gameplay, and the fascination of the storyline wore off, I realized that I was really just playing the same battle over and over and over again.”
“This game runs, but gameplay is a broken half-finished mess that is just ridiculous.”
- story198 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its depth, character development, and engaging narrative that evolves based on player choices, while others criticize it for being slow-paced, repetitive, and lacking a cohesive direction. Many appreciate the humor and writing, likening it to classic fantasy tales, but some feel it falls into generic tropes and becomes tedious over time. Overall, while the story has potential and interesting concepts, its execution can lead to frustration and a sense of grind rather than immersive storytelling.
“I was enraptured by the story and the characters, and as I played, that love deepened - I experienced so much fun in the first half of the campaign; everything felt just right.”
“Now after all that... this game's storyline is one of the best I've seen in ages (be ready and willing to read a lot, and enjoy it; the humor of the creators is fantastic).”
“The campaign has an interesting story, there are also choices to be made, especially regarding what kind of ruler you want to be and the relationships you want to build with others.”
“The game is mostly a grind and the 'story' moves forward far too slow.”
“The story is also atrocious.”
“There isn't much of a story and the battles kind of plod on.....”
- graphics150 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the aesthetic and artwork, particularly in the context of its age, while others criticize technical issues and distracting visuals during combat. Some users note that the graphics are solid but dated, suggesting a need for a significant overhaul, while others find them charming despite their simplicity. Overall, the graphical presentation is seen as acceptable, with a score around 6.5/10, but plagued by bugs and performance issues on certain platforms.
“When I first played this a long time ago, I had a lot of fun - it was a difficult, compelling game with a beautiful aesthetic and some really interesting combat.”
“The graphics are very pleasing to the eye.”
“The aesthetics of the game are nice, there is good detail in the area tiles and the unit models are decent considering the large availability of characters to recruit.”
“Graphics during combat are distracting, difficult to see details, recognize terrain, and so on.”
“The game feels really dated with mechanics, graphics, music, and themes that belong at the turn of the century.”
“Doesn't launch on most platforms, huge graphical problems with NVIDIA drivers, and when it does start, it's so hard to see anything that it is unplayable.”
- stability140 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern among players, with many describing it as "buggy" and "unfinished," leading to frequent crashes and glitches that can disrupt gameplay. While some users report improvements over time and a few have experienced minimal issues, the overall consensus is that the game remains plagued by technical problems, making it difficult to recommend without reservations. Players are advised to approach the game with patience, as the bugs can detract from an otherwise enjoyable experience.
“Nice game, and seemed to be bug free before the patch.”
“Eador: Genesis is bug free and due to its age suffers no lag or delays.”
“Four months after release, this game is totally bug free (in my experience, of course) and offers a combat system that is very different, balanced, deep and challenging, more than any other recent turn-based games like Heroes of Might and Magic, King's Bounty, and Fallen Enchantress.”
“The game is completely full of bugs and glitches, making it very nearly unplayable for any long period.”
“This game had so much potential, but script and dialogue box errors and glitches make the game unplayable.”
“With so many bugs, glitches, and crashes, at this time it is not worth your investment.”
- grinding78 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has been widely criticized for being excessively tedious and repetitive, with players often feeling bogged down by long play sessions that require significant time investment to progress. Many reviews highlight that each map or "shard" plays similarly, leading to a sense of monotony, while the mechanics and AI contribute to a frustrating experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment. Despite some interesting concepts, the overwhelming grind and lack of engaging gameplay mechanics have left many players feeling that the game is ultimately unfun and overly laborious.
“The biggest problem with the game is that once you've gotten a foothold on a shard/map, you're committed to several hours of grinding trench warfare against an AI that makes up for utter stupidity with unlimited resources.”
“The concept of the game is great, but in practice the limits on troops, building ranks, and the failing of the astral campaign options results in a very tedious game where your choices are generally limited not by any sort of story or strategy, but just purely pragmatic necessities.”
“But you will quickly see (within the first non-tutorial map) that the game is incredibly repetitive and grindy.”
- music50 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in Eador receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its atmospheric and dreamy quality, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking variety. Many users prefer to mute the game music in favor of their own playlists, indicating that while the soundtrack has its merits, it may not enhance the gameplay experience for everyone. Overall, the music is described as decent but ultimately limited, with a need for more diverse tracks to match the game's expansive world.
“It's art and music is really fantastic, feels like you're playing a storybook.”
“I love the music, the atmosphere, the feel of the game, the artwork.”
“The soundtrack is very well done, and it is easy enough to forget about time and spend several hours to take over another shard and advance past it.”
“I typically mute the game sound/music and play my own relaxing music in the background.”
“The game feels really dated with mechanics, graphics, music, and themes that belong at the turn of the century.”
“The music was repetitive beyond all measure; the sound effects and animations were amateurish.”
- replayability30 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game boasts exceptional replayability, with players noting the potential for hundreds of hours of gameplay through various tactics and difficulty levels. Many reviewers appreciate the game's depth and randomness, which contribute to a feeling of nearly infinite possibilities, although some mention that transitioning between shards can feel punishing. Overall, the replay value is a significant highlight, making it a compelling choice for those who enjoy revisiting games.
“Eador is the sort of game you can easily spend hundreds of hours in; the replayability is great.”
“This is a true 'one more turn' game. It has lots of replay value, and even now I still discover new little things in the game.”
“The amount of replay value the game has is nearly as staggering as the amount of time it takes to even beat it the first time.”
“This is what makes the game feel like it has nearly infinite possibilities and replay value for me, but I've heard others comment that moving from shard to shard feels punishing as you have to keep 'starting over'.”
“So with all of that, I'd say the gameplay and replayability are worth it.”
- humor22 mentions
- 91 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is frequently highlighted as a standout feature, with players enjoying the colorful dialogue and absurd scenarios, such as a ghost single-handedly defeating an army. While the humor is often well-integrated, some players find it inconsistent, with odd tooltip texts and exaggerated task requirements detracting from the experience. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted tone, particularly in its comedic portrayal of good and evil choices.
“I mean, really, some of the dialogues of the campaign are hilarious.”
“The dialogue is often humorous and the various masters you meet are just as colorful.”
“Nice humor (you can either play a good or evil 'god' and the evil options are really funny to read).”
“Completing some tasks becomes more difficult because, if you need to kill 10 dwarves, you'll have to kill 100 dwarves, and that's not funny at all.”
- optimization16 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues regardless of their hardware capabilities. Many users experience slow performance even on low settings, frequent crashes, and stuttering, particularly those using NVIDIA graphics cards. While some improvements have been noted, the overall consensus is that the game remains largely unplayable for many.
“The game might run smoothly for 5 hours or crash 5 times in 30 minutes...”
“Code's been optimized at last!”
“First of all, the game is not optimized at all!”
“Pretty unplayable, and my rig has no problem with games that have higher performance requirements.”
“Wtf is wrong with performance seriously, it's slow even on low settings. What is the problem?”
- atmosphere12 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere in Eador is generally praised for its strong fantasy elements, impressive artwork, and atmospheric sound design, which effectively sets the mood for gameplay. However, opinions on the music are mixed, with some players finding it distracting and suggesting it detracts from the overall experience. While the graphics and art are appreciated, the storyline is seen as a weaker aspect, leaving some players wanting more depth.
“I love the music, the atmosphere, the feel of the game, the artwork.”
“It might seem repetitive, and I am not sure if the balance is good or not, but it creates a unique atmosphere and sets up my mood in a very good way.”
“The art is amazing, the sound is atmospheric, the story might be interesting; I can barely tell though, and I think you can see the love and thought that went into this game. There are a lot of nice concepts packed into it.”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally satisfying due to its unique leveling system and the heartwarming interactions with the AI, which allows for a variety of strategies. The overall experience is enhanced by the game's distinctiveness and the emotional engagement it fosters.
“I have enjoyed this game a lot, because there are very few others quite like it, and the constant leveling is emotionally satisfying in an odd way.”
“The AI is very good, and it's heartwarming to see how many different strategies can be played out in this game.”
