Empires Shall Fall

About

In "Empires Shall Fall" , command your troops in a dieselpunk world embroiled in the Great War between the Black Empire and Blue League. Utilize terrain and strategy to outmaneuver opponents in turn-based combat with various unit types and boss fights. Engage in local hotseat multiplayer to test your tactical prowess against friends. Non-random combat and grid-based maps hearken back to classic strategy games.

Genres & Tags

Strategy

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 80 reviews

graphics14 positive mentions

story6 negative mentions

The game successfully captures the essence of Advance Wars while introducing new mechanics like temporary customization points and a perk system for units.
Graphics and animations are visually appealing, and the gameplay is smooth and engaging, making it enjoyable for fans of turn-based strategy.
The campaign offers a good length and solidly designed stages, providing a nostalgic experience for players who enjoyed the original Advance Wars.

The overall difficulty is low, making it easy for experienced players to dominate the AI, which can lead to a lack of challenge and excitement.
The writing and narrative are weak, with minimal character development and dialogue that fails to engage players.
The game lacks variety in factions and commanders, as all commanders have set abilities, which diminishes the strategic depth and uniqueness of gameplay.

story
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
80%
13%
The story in the game is generally considered weak and forgettable, with many reviewers noting a lack of interesting characters, voice acting, and dramatic elements. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and the integration of temporary customization points for strategy, the overall narrative fails to engage players, leading to a desire for more depth and content. Despite these shortcomings, the gameplay remains enjoyable, with a fun tactical experience that doesn't overly challenge players.
- “Story makes a lot of sense and the soundtrack is hot.”
- “Advance Wars clone from the Game Boy Advance console adding some interesting new ideas with some aliens mixing with the story, great nostalgia effect on the game.”
- “It doesn't have much else in the way of single player content (there's always the opportunity to replay missions for better ranks), and I don't see its PvP scene taking off (especially without online), but I've enjoyed my time with the campaign.”
- “The writing and overall story is utter trash.”
- “Do not buy this game for the story, because there more-or-less isn’t one.”
- “The story and characters are very weak, but the dialogue sections are so short that those elements only come across as forgettable, rather than annoying.”
graphics
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
43%
10%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the vibrant pixel art, engaging animations, and unique dieselpunk aesthetics, while others criticize the limited graphical options and unappealing art style. Overall, the visuals are described as decent but not particularly captivating, with a notable divide in player satisfaction regarding the game's artistic direction.
- “The artwork in the game looks great, the gameplay is quick and smooth, and it does a great job scratching that Advance Wars itch.”
- “The graphics pop, the battle animations are great.”
- “An Advance Wars-like game with nice dieselpunk aesthetics.”
- “Not for me, whilst the graphics are half decent there isn't anything especially engaging about this game.”
- “Options are severely limited with the only graphical option being windowed mode.”
- “Art style: I didn’t like the art style here.”
gameplay
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
63%
13%
The gameplay is generally well-received, with a focus on refined mechanics that maintain the essence of the Advance Wars formula while offering a smoother experience. Players appreciate the balance among unit types, quick gameplay, and customizable speed options, although some express disappointment with the character powers and overall gamefeel. The visuals and animations are praised, contributing to an engaging and enjoyable gameplay loop.
- “A lot of care was taken in tinkering with the mechanics without changing the overall formula, and the result is an Advance Wars that's less spiky and wild, but still highly playable.”
- “Interesting gameplay, great balance in terms of different types of units, plus animations and visuals are super good.”
- “The artwork in the game looks great, the gameplay is quick and smooth, and it does a great job scratching that Advance Wars itch.”
- “For all the custom art poured into Wargroove, I didn't really click with its mechanics and game feel.”
- “My main gripe comes from how the game handles COs: CO powers are determined by faction, not character, and characters themselves have no gameplay specializations.”
- “Mechanics: each map you have an objective and most of the time it's kill all troops or take the HQ.”
music
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
50%
38%
The music in the game is generally described as decent, with a soundtrack that enhances the overall experience and keeps the momentum of gameplay. While some users found the music engaging and fitting for the story, others rated the audio aspects, including sound effects and voice acting, as average.
- “The soundtrack is hot and enhances the overall experience.”
- “The music kept things going, and the sound effects were immersive enough to 'feel' the battle.”
- “[h1] [b] audio (sound effects/music/voice acting/ambient) – [5/10] [/b] [/h1]”
- “Music: decent.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with users noting that while there are no performance issues on desktop systems, the overall experience, particularly on the Steam Deck, falls short compared to previous titles. The ability to hot-swap in multiplayer is a positive feature, but it does not fully compensate for the game's lackluster optimization.
- “No performance issues on my desktop.”
- “Perhaps the largest positive I can give ESF is the Steam Deck performance while mimicking the ability to hot-swap with multiplayer like in War Room.”
- “Perhaps the largest positive I can give ESF is the Steam Deck performance while mimicking the ability to hot-swap with multiplayer like in War Room, but as close as that gets, it's still not where AW was.”
- “[h1] [b] graphics (quality/art style/animations/ui/performance) – [3/10] [/b] [/h1]”
- “[h1] [b] graphics (quality/art style/animations/ui/performance) – [3/10] [/b] [/h1]”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in this game has been criticized for lacking depth and charisma, with reviewers noting that it feels overly edgy and pandering. The removal of unique commanders from the franchise has led to a bland and unengaging portrayal of characters, detracting from the overall experience.
- “You take a franchise like Advance Wars, strip it of its commanders, suck it dry of charisma, make it edgy, and then pander to the point I started feeling the character designs hitting me in the face.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its stability, being described as not broken, buggy, or incomplete, which contributes to a smooth and enjoyable experience. Additionally, its fast-paced nature and great sound design enhance the overall quality without compromising performance.