Etherlords

About

Etherlords is a fantasy turn-based strategy game with elements of a trading card game, featuring four distinct races with unique attributes. It offers multiplayer and single-player campaigns, with over 300 spells, 10 levels, and 64 heroes, each with their own abilities and progression. The game features a combination of tabletop game-inspired battles and strategic resource management. However, it's worth noting that the game has been reported to have bugs.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

33%

Audience ScoreBased on 115 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

stability18 negative mentions

The card combat system is surprisingly entertaining and offers many different cards and deck construction possibilities.
The game combines elements of strategy and card games, reminiscent of Heroes of Might and Magic and Magic: The Gathering, which can be enjoyable for fans of those genres.
With dedication, the campaign can provide a lengthy playtime and features challenging enemies that require strategic planning.

The game is plagued by constant crashes, especially on modern systems like Windows 10, making it nearly unplayable for many users.
There is little to no documentation or tutorial, leading to confusion about game mechanics and objectives.
The campaign lacks progression and is structured as a series of puzzle maps, which can feel uninteresting and frustrating.

stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is severely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent freezes and crashes, particularly on Windows 10. Many players find it unplayable due to these persistent issues, which disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences. Despite its potential as an enjoyable game, the overwhelming consensus is that its current state is too buggy to recommend.
- “Completely unplayable - freezes after a few moments.”
- “I'd recommend this game and say yes grab up this classic jewel, but unfortunately the game freezes up and/or crashes literally every 3 minutes.”
- “This game is a good game if it worked... I have tried 2 different computers and the same result, unplayable... constant crashes, freezes up.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
69%
19%
The story aspect of the game is criticized for its reliance on timed missions, which detracts from exploration and narrative immersion. Players express disappointment over the lack of dialogue between missions and the challenging final boss, which requires specific strategies that feel exploitative. Overall, the campaign's structure leaves a bitter taste, as it prioritizes speed over storytelling.
- “The last campaign mission/boss is quite challenging; it left a bitter taste due to having to use an extremely niche, bordering on exploiting lineup to win it on hard difficulty.”
- “In the mission 'Avaik's Nest', take the bottom path; you don't need to fight the guys guarding the right, as they are overly powerful and you'll have to save/load abuse to get good RNG to defeat them if you try that way.”
- “Half of the vitality campaign consists of timed missions; you can't stop and smell the roses, you have to rush to the enemy castles in those missions.”
- “The last campaign mission/boss is extremely difficult (I only managed to defeat him with vitals; maybe the other three races have an easier time finding a working setup). It left a bitter taste due to having to use an extremely niche, bordering on exploitative lineup to win it on hard, which is the third highest of five difficulty options.”
- “I had hoped to see at least some dialogues between the missions.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The gameplay has been criticized for its slow combat and frustrating mechanics, making it feel tedious and confusing. While it incorporates familiar elements from the Heroes of Might and Magic series, players find the learning curve steep and the overall experience buggy and unengaging.
- “You get most of the familiar HOMM mechanics: castles, heroes, resources, buildings.”
- “It can take some hours until all the mechanics are clear (the castle stuff was/is irritating all the way).”
- “Combat is just painfully slow, the mechanics of the game are infuriating, and all in all it just drags and drags.”
- “It can take some hours until all the mechanics are clear; the castle stuff was irritating all the way.”
- “Buggy and clunky mess, and the few minutes of gameplay I managed to get were less than intriguing.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, yet they retain a certain charm that some players appreciate. While comparisons to more polished titles like Etherlords 2 highlight its shortcomings, those who are not deterred by older visuals may still find the experience enjoyable, especially given the solid 3D graphics and engaging gameplay.
- “Still good 3D graphics, and hard, turn-based battles!”
- “I like Etherlords 2 more, because of better graphics and it's more polished, but the first can be good as well.”
- “If you don't mind old graphics, it is enjoyable.”
- “Graphics are fairly outdated, but still charming enough in my opinion.”
- “Still, if you enjoy games such as Hand of Fate, and are not put off by aged graphics, you should give this game a try.”
- “I like Etherlords 2 more, because of better graphics and its more polished, but the first can be good as well.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game appears to be linked to technical issues, as several users reported that turning off the sound and music volume prevented crashes, allowing them to continue playing. Once the sound was re-enabled, the game functioned without further problems. This suggests that while the music may enhance the experience, it could also contribute to stability issues.