Legends of Eisenwald

About

Legends of Eisenwald is a single player tactical role playing game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by Aterdux Entertainment and was released on July 2, 2015. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

Legends of Eisenwald is an original mix of RPG and strategy. Gather your troops and embark on a dangerous journey to carve your name into the legends of the grim lands of Eisenwald where all the supernatural superstitions of medieval times are found to be true.

+19

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66%

Audience ScoreBased on 672 reviews

story172 positive mentions

grinding27 negative mentions

Unique blend of turn-based tactical combat and RPG elements with strong character progression and item customization.
Engaging medieval German setting with rich lore, mythology and a well-written, immersive story.
Solid, challenging gameplay with a pacing that encourages strategy and careful resource/party management.

Lack of meaningful tactical options during combat due to movement and targeting restrictions leads to repetitive battles.
Progression is hindered by losing recruited troops, equipment and money between chapters, which frustrates player investment.
Gameplay suffers from technical issues like bugs, crashes and poor UI/navigation leading to frequent player confusion and slowed progress.

story
605 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
66%
6%
Legends of Eisenwald offers a richly detailed, immersive medieval story with deep lore, numerous intertwined quests, and meaningful choices impacting the narrative and multiple endings. While praised for its well-written, thought-provoking, and atmospheric story—often found in side quests rather than the main path—players frequently cite vague quest instructions, obscure objectives, and quest log shortcomings that can hinder progression and require external guides. Despite occasional bugs and a somewhat linear narrative, the game's story remains its strongest feature, providing a compelling and engaging experience for fans of story-driven tactical RPGs.
- “Consequences are regarding so many hidden quests and events that could happen in game - some rumor you hear in one mission might end up in a quest or event five missions later.”
- “The storyline is nonlinear: your decisions affect the quests available, the ending, and even the gossip shared in taverns.”
- “It has a polished lore, complex story and quite unique taste - I've never encountered a game with so many interesting legends, fables and stories - not only that, but the majority of them are also connected to the core plot of the game!”
- “The quests are vague and unintuitive; after the tutorial, the game gives you little direction and it's very easy to screw things up for yourself.”
- “The quest log is absolute garbage; not only does it cheapen immersion, but it makes it especially difficult to decipher dialogue, cutscene descriptions, and essential quest cues needed to finish quests and progress.”
- “Many quests require you to be in the exact right spot at the right time to trigger the next stage, turning quest progression into a frustrating pixel hunt; combined with vague instructions, this makes the story progression confusing and tedious.”
gameplay
169 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
63%
11%
The gameplay of Legends of Eisenwald combines real-time global map exploration with turn-based tactical combat, offering a mix of strategic and RPG elements. While combat mechanics provide some depth with tactical options and unit management, they are often described as dated, clunky, and occasionally unbalanced, leading to a slow and sometimes repetitive experience. Despite bugs, grinding, and limited character development, fans of old-school turn-based strategy and immersive storytelling may find the gameplay engaging, though it falls short compared to deeper modern titles in the genre.
- “The gameplay is mainly divided into two parts: first is the global map exploration that includes completing quests, buying and selling weapons, armor, potions, equipping the army, managing castles, and other possessions; the second consists of the battles themselves.”
- “The addition of light castle economy management is a nice bonus that adds depth to the gameplay.”
- “Co-existence of variety and depth in combat mechanics; for example, weapon type diversification, unlike the almost purely visual differences in most other RPGs, carry significant inherent differences that make weapon type choice a strategic decision; a multitude of functionally distinct units, troop count limitation and intentionally confining combat map mean that homogeneous unit composition will be countered hard, thereby forcing the player to build for complementing roles rather than legions of identical units.”
- “These restrictions limit tactical depth, which, as a fan of strategic gameplay, I found disappointing.”
- “For me it's unplayable due to slow paced gameplay, take a quest and then travel 5 minutes in slow motion to get somewhere then go back to heal units all in slow motion, very sleepy game and the great combat aka disciple 2 can't save it.”
- “The gameplay is really not Eisenwald's forte; anyone who tells you that Eisenwald's gameplay is exceptional has clearly not played that many strategy games.”
graphics
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The game's graphics are generally appreciated for their hand-drawn, medieval art style that effectively conveys atmosphere and storytelling, though many note they appear dated or simple compared to modern standards. While not cutting-edge, the visuals remain charming and functional, running well even on low-end hardware, with some users highlighting beautiful artwork and immersive scenery. Minor performance issues and lack of advanced effects are noted, but overall the graphics support the game's setting and lore effectively.
- “The game also has beautiful, hand-drawn graphics that create a stunning medieval atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are amazing and I found myself enchanted by the scenery and some of the cut-scene artwork.”
- “Graphically, I think this game is gorgeous, a true feast for the eyes.”
- “This game is just like King's Bounty, but with poorer graphics, poorer interface, poorer battle and much poorer story.”
- “The world map graphics suck from a quality of life standpoint, it looks terrible and you often can't really see what is passable and what isn't.”
- “The UI is clunky and the graphics and animations are on par with early 2000s games.”
music
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
24%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric, medieval-style soundtrack featuring epic chorales and traditional melodies that enhance immersion and complement the setting. While some reviewers note a limited variety and occasional repetition or audio glitches, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is memorable, high-quality, and a standout aspect contributing significantly to the game's mood and appeal.
- “Beyond the formal facade of a medieval society, presented among sunny landscapes and joyful tracks of traditional music, the player steadily realises that there is no good in this world as everybody clings to their personal interests, beliefs and sins.”
- “Musically, we are served epic chorales, which are partly seconded by typical medieval-style music that one likes to listen to - the selection of pieces is quite manageable, but here too, the tactical game elements are so captivating that you quickly forget.”
- “It mixes smart tactical combat, solid looting and leveling gameplay, good art, amazing music, a sense of immersion I struggle to find nowadays in games (I'm an older gamer) and an absolutely great story.”
- “- monotonous music”
- “Confusing quests, terrible translation, tedious grinding, generic music, boring campaign, and buggy af.”
- “Poor performance, annoying music, bad ui.”
atmosphere
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
39%
9%
The game delivers a richly immersive medieval atmosphere, combining hand-drawn art, well-chosen music, and deep storytelling to evoke the spirit of the Middle Ages convincingly. While some find the narrative and lore particularly engaging, others feel the atmosphere could lack depth at times, but overall it is praised for creating a relaxing, authentic, and stylistically distinctive experience that appeals especially to fans of historical and tactical RPGs.
- “If you're looking for something with strong narrative, medieval atmosphere, and satisfying strategy elements, this one’s absolutely worth your time.”
- “The game also has beautiful, hand-drawn graphics that create a stunning medieval atmosphere.”
- “Legends of Eisenwald is a turn-based dynamic strategy game that perfectly conveys the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.”
- “Maybe it really is that way but this is just another point where the game's atmosphere lacks some depth.”
- “I just don't feel captured in the game's atmosphere and story.”
- “Darklands 2 it isn't, but there is a very similar feel to the game and atmosphere.”
grinding
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is frequently described as slow, tedious, and sometimes frustrating, particularly due to limited enemy respawns and repetitive battles required to level up units and gear. While the story and lore receive praise, the gameplay mechanics demand significant time investment that can feel like a tiresome grind, especially when progress can be easily undone. However, some players find combat engaging and manageable despite the pacing and occasional tedious questing.
- “After you complete the quests, few enemies respawn, so once you've done everything on a map, grinding for more XP becomes very tedious and slow.”
- “It's a well-written game, but the mechanics make progress time-consuming and tedious, especially since after hours of grinding your army's progress can be undone, forcing you to start over.”
- “It becomes a tiresome and tedious grind until you can take on enemies you believe you can beat.”
stability
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from frequent crashes, glitches, and long load times that significantly hinder gameplay, with many users describing the interface and strategic map as buggy and confusing. While some minor issues are typical, the overall stability problems are persistent enough to frustrate players and impact progression. Despite its potential and tactical appeal, the game's heavy instability remains a major drawback.
- “Buggy -- had to uninstall and reinstall twice because it would crash in loading screens often.”
- “Game freezes everytime I enter an area or open my inventory.”
- “After years in early access, it is still bug ridden.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
22%
57%
Optimization for Legends of Eisenwald is generally poor, with frequent performance issues such as lag, stuttering in larger battles or maps, and long loading times during transitions. These bugs and low frame rates disrupt immersion and frustrate players, though some report smooth gameplay in less demanding scenarios. Overall, the game's optimization detracts from an otherwise unique experience.
- “The game runs smoothly.”
- “Had performance issues with some lag on bigger maps and battles with a lot of people.”
- “Visuals: 7/10 - the game looks quite pretty but I do notice some performance issues in heavy forest.”
- “The combat system feels restrictive, optimization is poor, and some quests are prone to breaking.”
- “Legends of Eisenwald is good and unique but I won't play it again due to horrible performance in some areas.”
- “Poor transitional optimization; when triggering dialogue, buying/selling an item, or exiting a shop, the wait time seems a bit too long.”
character development
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
28%
27%
Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and meaningful choices that influence the storyline, factions, and combat, though some find it slow or limited in scope. The system is compared to titles like Mount & Blade, focusing heavily on combat progression within an immersive, historically inspired narrative. Overall, character development is considered challenging, rewarding, and integral to the game's RPG experience.
- “Good character development with options and a 'real' life storyline.”
- “Overall, I very much enjoyed this game: great storyline (traditions, lore, and history from Germany all developed this back story), pretty well balanced fighting, and good character development process.”
- “Very immersive storyline, and I have found the character development is both challenging and rewarding.”
- “I'd say if you don't mind the lack of character development/permadeath stuff, and are looking for a somewhat brutal RPG experience, it's worth picking this up.”
- “There is a small character development 'road,' and your decisions are important; if you choose the wrong path when leveling, the game can become difficult.”
- “The character development is really slow, I've seen it described as 'glacial,' but it fits the game. I wouldn't say it's a bad thing (though I must say I liked the short 3x EXP period right after launch).”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
Replayability is generally viewed positively, with a dedicated community contributing mods and additional content that extend the game's lifespan. However, some users feel the base game may be too short or lacking in replay value without these extensions, suggesting breaks between playthroughs to keep it fresh.
- “Finally, the game has a passionate and dedicated community of fans who have created mods, fan fiction, and other content that enhances the game's replayability and personalization.”
- “Highly replayable, although I would take a couple of months break between attempts.”
- “When modders create more campaigns, this game will have endless replay value.”
- “It kills the replayability of the game.”
- “Maybe it's too short, and I doubt the replayability value.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed, with some users finding the story rich and engaging, featuring moral dilemmas and impactful choices, while others feel it is shallow, lacking emotional investment and depth. Overall, the emotional impact is limited but can still enhance the experience for some players.
- “Overall, I give it a 9/10 as it made me feel great playing it.”
- “First, it is rich with an enticing story in the main campaign, full of turmoil and wicked twists, moral dilemmas, and heartbreaking choices.”
- “Yet it is implemented in a shallow way and feels almost as an afterthought to telling the somewhat boring story of the game.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is highlighted as clever and enjoyable, often infused within its witty dialogue and story turnarounds. Players find the comedic elements, including amusing developer moments and absurd combat scenarios, add a fun and lighthearted layer to the experience.
- “Interesting and good humor together with challenging tasks.”
- “Getting involved in a sophisticatedly written story with many turnarounds, lots of reading of (sometimes hilarious) dialogs, finding clues in quest log, saves and loads, and search for walkthrough :).”
- “The game isn't that tough, despite the hilarious video posted here of the developer losing repeatedly, as long as you wear down individual enemies, don't hire mercenaries longer than you need them, and keep enough gold on hand to heal your troops.”

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71%Critics’ scoreBased on 6 critic reviews

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35h Median play time

36h Average play time

30-50h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 7 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Legends of Eisenwald is a tactical role playing game with fantasy, medieval and historical themes.

Legends of Eisenwald is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 36 hours playing Legends of Eisenwald.

Legends of Eisenwald was released on July 2, 2015.

Legends of Eisenwald was developed by Aterdux Entertainment.

Legends of Eisenwald has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked Legends of Eisenwald for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

Legends of Eisenwald is a single player game.

Similar games include King Arthur: Knight's Tale, Expeditions: Viking, Blackguards, King's Bounty II, Tower of Time and others.

Legends of Eisenwald

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