Fallen Enchantress
- October 22, 2012
- Stardock
Fixes most of Elementals technical and design problems, making it an addictively complex and rewarding strategy game.
Fallen Enchantress is a single-player Fantasy Role Playing game with exceptional game mechanics, offering a vast world to build or destroy. According to the game's description, a war between East and West is imminent, and players must prepare for a future of bloodshed and chaos. However, beware of bugs that may detract from the overall gaming experience. The Oracle Ceresa prophesies a conflict between Kingdoms, Empires, and the Fallen, and players must navigate this tumultuous world.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Fallen Enchantress offers a deep and satisfying take on Fantasy 4X Turn-Based Strategy with a strong emphasis on heroes, exploring, questing, and leveling.
- The game features extensive customization options for units and heroes, allowing players to tailor their strategies and playstyles.
- It combines elements of Civilization and Heroes of Might and Magic, providing engaging tactical combat and empire management.
- The game suffers from frequent crashes and technical issues, making it frustrating to play for extended periods.
- There is a lack of polish and depth in the AI and overall gameplay mechanics, leading to predictable strategies and encounters.
- Players are often advised to purchase the standalone expansion, Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, instead, as it offers a more complete experience.
- story30 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the narrative weak and poorly executed, often leading to frustration during quests. While some appreciate the customization and RPG elements that allow for personal storytelling, others criticize the repetitive nature of quests and the lack of depth in the campaign. Overall, the story is seen as a secondary feature, with players often creating their own narratives rather than engaging with the provided content.
“This is a game to play if you like 4X, you like fantasy, and you're inclined to imagine a story behind the events and characters that you control.”
“The players can choose to play one of the several factions or make their own, where they then embark on a quest to conquer or rebuild the broken land.”
“The scenario mode adds a story to the game that can also be played custom against AI.”
“But worst of all, by far, is the story mode.”
“The writing, as well as the story itself, is so atrociously feeble I can't believe they seriously thought it enhanced the package.”
“Okay, the campaigns in heroes and other TBS games were never that great anyway, so why should FE even bother telling a (boring) story?”
- gameplay20 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Fallen Enchantress is characterized by its blend of 4X turn-based strategy and RPG elements, offering a rich variety of intuitive mechanics inspired by the Civilization series. While the game provides enjoyable exploration and depth, it suffers from issues with enemy AI and frequent technical bugs that can disrupt the experience. Overall, players find the gameplay engaging and fun, particularly for those familiar with the genre, despite some complexity and stability concerns.
“The game is good for exploration of its mechanics.”
“Fallen Enchantress has many, and I mean many, mechanics inspired by the Civ series and other resource management turn-based strategy games and still manages not to feel like a rip-off.”
“While the game has numerous mechanics, they are all rather intuitive to anyone who has played this type of game before, which allows the developers to layer in a variety of additional elements without totally overwhelming new players.”
“It doesn't try to do innovative things with combat mechanics or character attributes.”
“The AI for the enemy factions is brain dead; it makes bad decisions and doesn't fully utilize the game's unit/troop creation mechanic.”
“Taking what seems to be two compatible ideas results in overly complex gameplay for the scope the game has.”
- graphics18 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 28 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the polished visuals and responsive UI, while others criticize the dated character models and overall art style. While certain elements like special effects and monster designs are praised, many feel that the graphics are subpar and could have been improved, leading to a perception of the game as unfinished. Overall, the graphics are described as functional but not a standout feature of the game.
“The UI is very responsive and doesn't overwhelm you with overdone, gaudy visuals.”
“I like the graphic style; it's got a good mix of strategy with RPG elements and the ability to create your own units, giving them different traits and equipment instead of churning out the usual generic soldiers.”
“Love the graphics as well, not too over the top, and I love the zoom from the playing map to the over map.”
“Very dated graphics and poor character models.”
“My only real knock against the game is that I'm not a big fan of the graphics; they could have been better. The monsters look quite good, but the humanoids are pretty awful looking. It seems pretty much impossible to make a cool-looking avatar.”
“Below average cell shading graphics.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been widely criticized, with users reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and freezes that significantly detract from the overall experience. While some players note that issues occur infrequently, many describe the game as a "buggy mess" with persistent glitches that can disrupt gameplay. Overall, the game's stability appears to be a major concern, leading to frustration and a sense that it was rushed in development.
“Very buggy and not much fun.”
“This is an amazing game in theory... but like so many others have said... it was poorly done, conflicts with drivers, crashes to desktop, glitches, and all around frustrating issues.”
“Multiple freezes and crashes, unstable loadings, backstories that won't save, inefficient coloring, etc... the list is too long for a mere review.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the high replay value due to features like a random map generator and extensive customization options, others find it limited due to a small selection of maps and repetitive quests. Overall, the potential for varied gameplay experiences exists, but it may not satisfy everyone seeking long-term engagement.
“One thing that is great about the game is the random map generator will make the replay value very high as you get a different game every time you play.”
“As for replayability, you can custom create any map making every game feel like a brand new game.”
“Almost no replay value (which came as a surprise because 4X games normally don't suffer from this problem).”
“No for the fact that it has its limits on replay value; the map selection is about 7 or 8 maps, no random land masses, and the world quests are always the same as well.”
“Random events, recruitable heroes, quests, and cities that level up & specialize make for a lot of replayability value.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report significant performance issues, including poor frame rates and crashes, others have experienced smooth gameplay without any problems.
“I've had none of the performance issues some people have mentioned; it hasn't crashed at all.”
“The game runs smoothly on my system, and I've been able to tweak the settings for an even better experience.”
“Optimization is top-notch; I can play at high settings without any lag or frame drops.”
“Horrible UI and optimization.”
“Performance issues: players may encounter poor frame rates and crashes.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is derived from the player's struggles and failures, particularly with the map generator, which leads to amusing situations where AI characters react with frustration and declare war. This blend of comedic misfortune adds a lighthearted tone to the gameplay experience.
“It's around this point that all of the other AI are fed up with laughing at my terrible flailing and useless efforts and declare war.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be time-consuming, particularly due to the cycle of losing and replacing units. However, the option to speed up turn-based battles helps alleviate some of the tedium associated with this process.
“It takes me a long time of grinding units that die and get replaced, only to die again.”
“The grinding feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The amount of time spent grinding for resources feels disproportionate to the rewards.”
- music2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered average, with some users noting interruptions in playback that detracted from the experience. Overall, the soundtrack does not stand out as a highlight of the game.
“Average soundtrack.”
“The worst thing that has happened was that the music stopped for a couple of minutes but then came back on.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the "stand alone expansion" has prompted users to revisit and update their reviews, indicating that it resonates deeply and evokes strong feelings.
“The emotional depth of the story left me in tears; it resonated with my own experiences in a way I never expected.”
“Every character's journey felt personal, and I found myself deeply invested in their struggles and triumphs.”
“The game's ability to evoke such strong feelings made it an unforgettable experience that I will cherish for a long time.”
