Fantasy General II: Prologue
- July 2, 2020
- Owned by Gravity
- 10h median play time
Get on SteamThe fantasy wargaming classic is back! Lead powerful heroes and mighty armies into battle in this free-to-play turn-based strategy game. Level up and train your units and guide them through the Curse story campaign.The Curse Campaign The Curse is a free procedurally generated campaign for Fantasy General II. Everyone can play the Curse by downloading and installing Fantasy General II: Prologue, c…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers enjoyable and strategic gameplay, with a good variety of units and upgrade options.
- It's free to play, providing a solid introduction to the mechanics and features of the full game.
- The graphics and music are well-received, enhancing the overall experience of the game.
- The game suffers from balance issues, particularly in later missions where difficulty spikes can feel unreasonable.
- The interface can be clunky and units may blend into the background, making it difficult to see and manage them effectively.
- Many players feel that the game lacks the charm and character of the original Fantasy General, making it feel generic and less engaging.
- story19 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The game's story has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the branching missions and RPG elements, while others criticize it for being generic and poorly balanced. Many express frustration over specific missions that feel unfair or lack strategic depth due to terrain advantages. Overall, while the art and soundtrack are praised, the narrative itself is seen as lacking inspiration and coherence.
“The missions themselves follow a storyline with some interesting decisions and mission branches.”
“The full game has a much longer (30+ maps) campaign, with stronger RPG elements and an extensive story.”
“Most of all the beautiful (but not over-engineered) art and story, combined with what must be one of the best soundtracks for a game ever.”
“I really wanted to buy this game, but the final mission of the prologue campaign against the lizardmen is ridiculous and really turns me off to the game because I suspect there will be many more missions like this one where you have zero advantages, the terrain is completely against you, and you have no hard counters for the fact that a certain race is basically unbeatable in certain terrain.”
“Also, since the prologue is a procedurally generated campaign, maps are randomized which makes absolutely no sense neither in exploration terms, strategic/tactical planning (the actual point of a strategy game), nor in terms of the story.”
“Having mentioned early the generic story, I'd like to add that even as such it doesn't make much sense.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally smooth and features interesting mechanics, such as a fog of war that encourages exploration, though it lacks depth in strategic elements like city building. While there are minor improvements and a decent amount of content that offers replayability, some players find the experience to be generic and grindy, with issues like unit visibility and a lack of grandeur detracting from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the game strikes a balance between engaging mechanics and some persistent weaknesses from its predecessor.
“Now they have a fog of war mechanic that you have to explore the map before you can see what you are going to run into.”
“Not easy at times, but if you plan and proceed carefully, the gameplay flow will be very satisfying.”
“It is not overloaded with gameplay mechanics, but there are enough to keep you interested, and the ones that are in there are quite deep.”
“There are some minor gameplay improvements over the first game, but unfortunately it also carries over some of its weaknesses.”
“Yea, sure, the music and the world map are present and accounted for, the gameplay is somewhat the same, but, unfortunately, the devil's in the details.”
“In short, there's no grandeur and specificity to be found here, only slow grinding, generic gameplay, more reminiscent of Order of Battle than of Fantasy General.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their quality and variety, enhancing immersion with diverse troop compositions and terrain types. However, some players express concerns about gameplay issues caused by the graphics, such as units blending into the environment and difficulties in selection, leading to a preference for lower settings on less powerful hardware. Overall, while the visuals are appealing, they may detract from the gameplay experience in certain situations.
“Great graphics and enough variations in the troop composition and terrain types to keep me immersed in the game.”
“The graphics are nice enough, but especially the hex-based game concept intertwined with RPG elements and many nice upgradeable units makes it a lot of fun.”
“The artwork is decent enough.”
“It's Battle for Wesnoth with 3D graphics and very weird sound design.”
“Graphics may be pretty, but shouldn't hinder gameplay, like units getting lost in the scenery (spiders in a forest, for instance) or making guesswork when selecting units (choosing between aerial and ground units, for instance).”
“As it is, I set all the graphics options to their lowest and the game plays fine on my laptop (without meeting minimum specs), albeit running very hot (not ideal for this type of basic hex game)!”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise, with many reviewers highlighting it as one of the best soundtracks in gaming history. It complements the beautiful visuals and storytelling, evoking nostalgia for classic titles and enhancing the overall experience.
“They nailed the music, however.”
“Most of all the beautiful (but not over-engineered) art and story, combined with what must be one of the best soundtracks for a game ever (and there were some back in the day – think Age of Wonders, Civilization 2 – perhaps all helped to become legendary because of the soundtrack).”
“Yea, sure, the music and the world map are present and accounted for, the gameplay is somewhat the same, but, unfortunately, the devil's in the details.”
“I defy anyone who played Fantasy General not to find the soundtrack on YouTube and be taken back to that time.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has been positively received, with many players finding it to be a pleasant and unexpected highlight.
“The character development aspect was a welcome surprise.”
“The depth and complexity of each character's journey kept me engaged throughout the game.”
“I loved how the choices I made influenced the characters' growth and relationships.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity, as players find themselves in comically dire situations where even a hard-fought victory leads to facing overwhelming odds, such as battling hordes of swamp dragons and troll chargers.
“And the funny part is that even if you manage to win by tooth and nail, whatever broken leftover forces you have are expected to go against literal hordes of swamp dragons and troll chargers.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users consistently highlight the game's high replayability, indicating that it offers engaging content and varied experiences that encourage multiple playthroughs.
“The game offers incredible replayability with multiple paths and endings to explore.”
“Each playthrough feels fresh due to the diverse character choices and dynamic events.”
“I keep coming back to this game because there are always new strategies to try and secrets to uncover.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is characterized by slow, generic gameplay that lacks excitement and depth, drawing unfavorable comparisons to other titles like "Order of Battle" rather than the more engaging "Fantasy General."
“In short, there's no grandeur or specificity to be found here, only slow grinding and generic gameplay, more reminiscent of 'Order of Battle' than of 'Fantasy General'.”
“The grinding feels endless and tedious, making it hard to stay engaged with the game.”
“I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel more like a chore than fun.”
