Elemental: Reforged

About

Elemental: Reforged is a single player tactical role playing game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes. It was developed by Stardock Entertainment and was released on March 17, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

The Titans are gone. The magic they stole remains.When immortal Titans descended on the world of Anthys, they stripped its magic and bound it into crystal shards buried deep in the earth. Mortal sorcerers rose against them and won, but victory came at the cost of civilization itself. The Cataclysm shattered continents, drowned cities, and left the survivors to crawl from the ruins and start again.…

Skip User Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 284 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

stability25 negative mentions

Engaging mix of 4X, RPG, and tactical combat with deep unit and hero customization enhances replayability.
Strong nostalgia factor and a labor of love from the developers, combining features from previous Elemental titles with improvements.
Active development team responsive to community feedback with ongoing updates improving stability and content.

Frequent crashes and bugs severely impact playability and stability, with some game-breaking issues persisting from earlier iterations.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, with incomplete tutorials and inconsistent UX elements hindering new players.
Graphics and visual presentation remain outdated and underwhelming compared to modern standards, detracting from immersion.

gameplay
43 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
46%
7%
Gameplay in this game is generally praised for its unique blend of 4X, tactical combat, and RPG elements, offering depth, customization, and engaging mechanics reminiscent of Fallen Enchantress. However, it is often hampered by bugs, crashes, and occasional lack of clear information, which can disrupt the experience. Despite these issues, many players find the core gameplay fun and promising, anticipating future updates to refine and expand its systems further.
- “The core gameplay is unique and fun.”
- “Elemental manages to combine the civilization-building gameplay style with a battle system that is much like a tactics game, such as Final Fantasy Tactics or Fire Emblem.”
- “The story is good, gameplay fun, combat strategy with depth and exciting twists and turns.”
- “There is a ton of missing and disjointed information in the game that stops the player from being able to understand what is actually happening from both the strategic and tactical gameplay.”
- “The RPG unit upgrade clashes with the standard unit upgrade mechanics.”
- “I think this game has the potential to become one of the greatest 4X games, but don't get me wrong, there are some aspects that will be better in AOW4, like the graphics and tactical combat. In E:R, tactical combat is simpler, armies are smaller, and it lacks newer graphics, so if you prioritize shiny visuals over gameplay, this might not be the game for you.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
67%
14%
The game's graphics are a notable improvement over previous versions, featuring updated visuals, smoother animations, and a cleaner UI, though many still find them somewhat outdated and simple by modern standards. The isometric, old-school style carries charm and draws positive comparisons to classic titles, but some players feel the graphics lack polish and could benefit from further enhancements. Overall, while not aiming for AAA-level visuals, the graphics effectively support gameplay and show promising potential for future refinement.
- “The graphics are pretty good and even give distinctly Civ IV vibes, which is great as that is my favorite iteration of Civ.”
- “The graphics are noticeably improved, with smoother animations, sharper textures, and a cleaner UI.”
- “Graphics: more polished with better shading and lighting, but still familiar.”
- “The graphics are a little simple for today's standards, and the UI could do with an overhaul so players can see what is actually happening in the strategic and tactical game for control and decisions.”
- “It was inexcusably ugly for its day, and it is even more so now that we have graphical power.”
- “I found the graphics to be severely outdated, which for a game in today's day and age is hard to overcome.”
story
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
55%
9%
The story is generally praised for its engaging fantasy setting, redemption themes, and varied quests that add depth and replayability, appealing especially to fans of RPG elements within a 4X framework. However, many users note significant technical issues and quest bugs that hinder full story enjoyment, expressing hope for future updates to improve stability and expand unique narrative content.
- “I like the numerous encounters and quests for flavor which engage the imagination.”
- “The story is good, gameplay fun, combat strategy with depth and exciting with twists and turns.”
- “A 4X fantasy sandbox RPG game with different factions, heroes, monsters, quests, and dungeons to challenge for loot and XP.”
- “It's still the same old story, Stardock: 'now what?' How about delivering a finished product without overwhelming bugs so one can complete a game without needing to restore over and over again?”
- “I've had Elemental: Fallen Enchantress since pre-release way back in 2012, and it was never playable. Same old story with this it seems.”
- “I tried to like this game because of the dedication by Stardock to bring this back from the grave, but it constantly crashes and quest links are broken. So frustrating, even though this is supposed to be still in beta it is way too buggy to play.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game is currently plagued by numerous bugs, crashes, and glitches that significantly impact playability, especially in areas like workshop items, AI behavior, and visuals. While many players acknowledge it remains enjoyable with solid core mechanics and potential, stability issues persist and updates are needed to address these problems. The developer is actively working on fixes, but overall the game feels more like a beta release rather than a polished full launch.
- “Looking forward to the additional content and factions being filled out, but so far I have found it smooth and bug-free.”
- “They say they released it finally - but I have never seen such a buggy game (literally unplayable because of bugs).”
- “Edit: played a couple more tests and this is an incredibly buggy mess at the moment, with city defenders being dragged into parties departing cities, moving troops into a city prior to an enemy arrival and attack will regularly exclude them as being present, visual elements regularly disappear and reappear (for example units will be shown moving then the icon is put ahead of their actual progress in movement so you have to hunt the actual location to cast spells on them at which time they swap back in, or fertile land with radiance will vanish from the view of pioneers when starting the round on them till the pioneer moves).”
- “If you are reading this review that means you are on the fence not a hardcore fan driven by pure nostalgia. For those fans this game is buggy, not very impressive but still enjoyable trip down memory lane. For anyone new to the series this is the culmination of Stardock's work indeed, unfortunately that includes their work in overselling and underperforming and never fixing bugs, errors, or crashes for decades after release. If you decide to buy this game wait a year or two; by then it should be at least 50 percent off because this is not a full release but a beta and if the previous games in the series are anything to go by so it will remain for the foreseeable future.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Optimization in the game is mixed, with some users experiencing stable and fluid performance, especially compared to older titles, while others report significant bugs, crashes, and lag on lower-end setups due to the game's unpolished early access state. The developers have made noticeable engine optimizations and remain responsive, promising improvements in quality of life and performance over time.
- “I'm not having any of the big performance issues others are having, as well as no crashes thus far.”
- “Performance feels stable and fluid; it definitely looks and runs better than the older titles.”
- “Performance: I assume there was some heavy optimization done to the engine.”
- “Stability and performance: this part is rough.”
- “When they said this is a true EA title, they meant it: there are tons of bugs, new and half-polished features and content, and performance issues.”
- “Lags, freezes, outright crashes due to performance issues on older setups will plague you.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
62%
Replayability is highly praised due to extensive customization options for units, factions, and sovereigns, along with deep mechanics and difficulty customization. Players appreciate the game's early access depth and large, explorable maps filled with quests, though many hope for expanded content and multiplayer to further enhance replay value. Overall, the game's variety and potential for growth make it feel rich and enduringly replayable.
- “Replayability is excellent as there are so many ways to design units, factions, and sovereigns.”
- “You can make absolutely massive maps full of quests and monsters and special realms to explore, and the difficulty customization is deep and allows for an enormous amount of replayability.”
- “There's a lot of replayability and even in early access it feels like a good deep game from a mechanics perspective.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music is generally very quiet and overly mellow, lacking intensity or military-inspired elements. Even combat tracks feel subdued and fail to convey the urgency expected in such moments. Overall, the soundtrack tends to be too soft and relaxing for the game's tone.
- “The music is extremely quiet and has too 'chill' of a vibe.”
- “Better games of this type have music with more military/march influences or at least a little bass.”
- “Even the combat music is very quiet and wimpy.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere effectively captures a fantasy post-apocalyptic vibe, immersing players in a compelling and unique world.
- “Elemental nails the fantasy post-apocalyptic vibe.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-executed, with some quests featuring clever and entertaining writing that adds to the overall enjoyment.
- “Some of the quests are well written, funny and interesting.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is somewhat tedious, similar to the original titles, but players are hopeful that it will be improved in future updates.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a strong emotional connection to the game, highlighting their heartfelt appreciation for the developer's commitment to updating it, which reflects a deep bond between the player community and Stardock.
- “I cried and begged for an updated version of this game, and Stardock delivering this is a huge testament to their ongoing love for their player base.”

Skip Game Offers

Buy Elemental: Reforged

Elemental: Reforged
€30.49
See offer on Steam

18h Median play time

41h Average play time

6-92h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 5 analyzed playthroughs

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like Elemental: Reforged

80%2.4kreviews

Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes

2013

Tactical City Builder

66%326reviews

Sorcerer King: Rivals

2016

Tactical Role Playing

83%6.1kreviews

Age of Wonders 4

2023

Strategy

72%364reviews

Sorcerer King

2015

Role Playing

69%1.2kreviews

Warlock 2: The Exiled

2014

Role Playing

More games like Elemental: Reforged

Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Elemental: Reforged is a tactical role playing game with fantasy and dark fantasy themes.

Elemental: Reforged is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 41 hours playing Elemental: Reforged.

Elemental: Reforged was released on March 17, 2026.

Elemental: Reforged was developed by Stardock Entertainment.

Elemental: Reforged has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Elemental: Reforged for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Elemental: Reforged is a single player game.

Similar games include Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, Sorcerer King: Rivals, Age of Wonders 4, Sorcerer King, Warlock 2: The Exiled and others.

Elemental: Reforged

Platforms

About

Buy Elemental: Reforged