Fantasy General
- September 15, 2021
- Strategic Simulations
- 6h median play time
Get on SteamFantasy General is a turn-based strategy game set in a fantasy world with distinct factions, each with their own unique units, abilities, and campaign. Lead your army to victory in tactical battles, managing resources and territory to ensure your faction's dominance. Engage in epic battles against powerful enemies, utilizing terrain, spells, and special abilities to emerge victorious. Experience a rich and immersive world filled with lore, magic, and adventure.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- A classic strategy game that has stood the test of time, offering engaging gameplay and a nostalgic experience.
- The game features a fantastic choral soundtrack and unique high fantasy units that enhance the overall atmosphere.
- Replayability is high due to the different characters and scenarios, providing a variety of tactical challenges.
- The user interface can be confusing and clunky, making it difficult for new players to navigate.
- The game has a frustrating time limit mechanic that can lead to tedious and challenging gameplay experiences.
- Some elements of the game, such as the lack of explanations for mechanics and the balance issues with AI, can detract from the overall enjoyment.
- story26 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as simple yet engaging, encouraging players to use their imagination to fill in narrative gaps rather than being overwhelmed by extensive lore. The campaign features a variety of missions that enhance gameplay, though some mid to late-game missions can feel repetitive. The final missions ramp up in difficulty, providing a tense and challenging experience that keeps players invested.
“But the game really redeems itself in the final two missions where the difficulty goes from medium to quite difficult (expect a lot of your expert troops to start being killed off towards the end to make it a brutal final few scenarios).”
“One mission contains two huge armies on a small open map which gives the feel of a traditional Warhammer wargame across open fields (I really enjoyed that scenario and wished they did more like it!).”
“As a slight drawback, the missions in the mid to end game can drag on for a bit and feel very similar, so I look for shorter scenarios.”
“Couple this with the fact that there is basically only one type of mission, and that is the player assaulting the map under a time limitation.”
“This makes you always want to find more about the world and use your own imagination to fill in the many gaps in the admittedly simple story, rather than being overwhelmed by lore dumps of yet another fantasy setting.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by hand-drawn 2D artwork that, while not graphically impressive by modern standards, are clear and serviceable, reflecting its early 1990s origins. The animations are minimal, and the overall aesthetic has a timeless quality that appeals to fans of the genre, despite the limitations of the technology at the time. While some players may find the graphics dated, they effectively support the gameplay and display a wide variety of unit types.
“It's a game made with love, as the individual hand-drawn artwork for each of the units shows.”
“The graphics are clear, simple, and do the job, displaying the hundreds of unit types possible to buy or fight clearly.”
“The 2D graphics are almost timeless; the animations are simple and rare, with only certain actions being animated.”
“Graphics don't hold up too well, but are serviceable. What can you expect for a game that only needed 8MB RAM and a 1MB graphics card and ran in DOS?”
“It's early 1990s DOS sprites on the playfield, so don't expect to be overwhelmed by graphics.”
“The issue with FG2 is they go into all this graphical overkill at the expense of the basic game of tens of scenarios and hundreds of possible campaign paths, resulting in a more linear campaign.”
- music22 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its fantastic choral soundtrack, performed by actual musicians and inspired by classical and Celtic music, making it unique and charming. Many reviewers consider it a standout feature, with some rating it a perfect 10/10, while others note minor audio issues in certain versions. Overall, the soundtrack is described as memorable and integral to the game's appeal.
“It has a fantastic choral soundtrack.”
“The tracks were performed by actual musicians and singers and inspired by classical music, and it is very unique and charming.”
“Listen to it on YouTube if you haven’t heard it; to me it’s a 10/10 soundtrack, up there with the best of PC games.”
“I rebought it here to see if it would run better than on GOG, which has had some small issues (music audio sometimes abruptly cutting off and screen being too sensitive).”
“The soundtrack is the first thing you'll notice.”
“Soundtrack was neat for its day, especially since it originally came on CD-ROM and the audio could be played in a CD player.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 32 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is highly praised for its engaging missions, tactical depth, and nostalgic charm, appealing to both veteran players and newcomers. While some characters, like Marcas, lack unique gameplay options, the overall combat system is robust, though not thoroughly explained in-game. Players appreciate the variety of troops and mechanics, with many expressing a desire for a remake that could enhance the experience further.
“Great missions and gameplay, still no game quite like it.”
“Good tactical gameplay and an interesting campaign.”
“The combat system and other game mechanics are not explained in-game, but the manual is very comprehensive and can be found online or accessed through Steam.”
“Gameplay is pure gold.”
“Huge nostalgia, but enough here to keep new generations entertained with classic gameplay.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game features moderate replayability due to its four distinct characters, though player preference for these characters can limit this aspect. The varying difficulty levels and the ability to choose battles, along with branching paths in later stages, provide additional incentives for multiple playthroughs. Overall, while players may find satisfaction in completing the game once or twice, the depth of strategy and character differences can encourage further exploration.
“The game offers replayability because each of the four available characters plays quite differently.”
“You have the option to pick which battles you want to fight and the later islands have branching paths that have small differing outcomes that help replayability.”
“The fact there are only four characters means that if even one really doesn't appeal to you, it already limits replayability quite a bit, though the game is long enough that most players will probably be satisfied beating it once or twice.”
“Difficulty offers replayability because while normal offers an adequate challenge, increased or hard difficulty gets really difficult and requires you to go in with a plan and build your army very carefully.”
“You have the option to pick which battles you want to fight, and the later islands have branching paths that have small differing outcomes that help replayability.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively establishes a strong atmosphere and tone right from the start, consistently maintaining it throughout the experience while revealing lore through carefully placed text and events.
“It establishes its atmosphere and tone immediately and maintains this throughout the game, only giving up snippets of lore through bits of text and events here and there.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the added pressure of a time limit that exacerbates the experience.
“The grinding feels endless, and the time limit only adds to the frustration.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes the game feel tedious and unenjoyable.”
“The constant need to grind for resources turns what could be an enjoyable experience into a chore.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is highly optimized for the latest Windows version, running flawlessly without any stability or performance issues, even in a DOS box environment.
“There are no stability or performance issues on the latest Windows version; the game runs perfectly straight from install into a DOS box environment.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find humor in the nostalgia of past gaming experiences, reflecting on how certain concepts were not commonly recognized or discussed at the time. This lighthearted perspective highlights a sense of appreciation for the evolution of gaming and its terminology.
