Legends of Eisenwald
- July 1, 2015
- Aterdux Entertainment
- 38h median play time
Legends of Eisenwald is a slightly rough-hewn romp through Germanic legend that's engaging and entertaining despite its lack of depth.
Get on Steam"Legends of Eisenwald is a single-player historical turn-based strategy game with RPG and tactical battle elements, set in a dark and atmospheric medieval world. The unique combat system offers dynamic battles, and you can customize each fighter in your army. Though there are no elves or dragons, the world is filled with superstitions and the tangible forms of human passions, sins, and fears. The Knight's Edition includes an artbook and OST in MP3 and FLAC formats."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging storyline with rich lore and moral complexity, allowing for meaningful choices.
- Unique turn-based combat system that emphasizes pre-battle positioning and strategy.
- Beautiful graphics and atmospheric soundtrack that enhance the medieval setting.
- Frequent loss of companions and inventory between chapters can be frustrating and disrupts player investment.
- Vague quest objectives and poor translation can lead to confusion and require external guides.
- Combat mechanics can feel simplistic and limiting, reducing tactical depth during battles.
- story589 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story in "Legends of Eisenwald" is noted for its depth and complexity, featuring a nonlinear narrative where player choices significantly impact quests and outcomes. While many players appreciate the rich lore and engaging character development, some criticize the quest design for being vague and occasionally frustrating, leading to confusion and reliance on external guides. Overall, the game is praised for its immersive storytelling and medieval atmosphere, despite some technical issues and a lack of clarity in quest objectives.
“The storyline is nonlinear: your decisions affect the quests available, the ending, and even the gossip shared in taverns.”
“The story is well written, philosophical even, and I enjoyed it a lot.”
“Legends of Eisenwald is a wonderful game, with a compelling story no strategy fan should overlook.”
“The quests are heavily scripted, making it easy to 'break' progression and get stuck.”
“The story is confusing and objectives are often vague.”
“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.”
- gameplay166 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Legends of Eisenwald" is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its turn-based combat and RPG mechanics, while others criticize its lack of tactical depth and numerous bugs. The game features a day-night cycle and castle management, adding some strategic elements, but many find the mechanics clunky and the overall experience repetitive and slow-paced. Despite its charm and potential, the gameplay often suffers from technical issues and a lack of engaging depth compared to other strategy titles.
“The gameplay is fun and kind of a mix of Mount and Blade (in that there is an overhead map view for the main world) and any turn-based combat game.”
“The gameplay mechanics are great, the story and historical-mythical background even better.”
“The gameplay is challenging but not overly complicated.”
“These restrictions limit tactical depth, which, as a fan of strategic gameplay, I found disappointing.”
“The gameplay embraces old school design issues and never lets go.”
“The core gameplay is dreadful.”
- graphics119 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are visually appealing and create a rich atmosphere, they also appear dated and can suffer from performance issues, especially in more complex scenes. Some players appreciate the hand-drawn art style and the overall aesthetic, while others criticize the lack of modern graphical fidelity and the presence of bugs. Overall, the graphics are generally considered good for the game's price point, particularly for those who enjoy a nostalgic or retro feel.
“The game also has beautiful, hand-drawn graphics that create a stunning medieval atmosphere.”
“Graphically, I think this game is gorgeous; a true feast for the eyes.”
“The graphics are rich, the music is excellent, and the writing is extraordinary.”
“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 first impression can be somewhat off-putting because the graphics and animations look simple and feel outdated for at least 5 years.”
- music67 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its quality and ability to enhance the immersive experience, with many praising the beautiful soundtrack that features a mix of epic chorales and traditional medieval melodies. However, some players noted that the limited variety of tracks can lead to monotony during extended play sessions, and there were occasional technical issues with audio playback. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout element that significantly contributes to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
“The soundtrack is a glorious repetition of tracks that I’d usually bash for lacking any form of variety, but during my days playing Eisenwald I found myself humming the theme everywhere I went.”
“The music is simply wonderful and the art is very well-polished.”
“Beyond the formal facade of a medieval society, presented among sunny landscapes and joyful tracks of traditional music, the player steadily realizes that there is no good in this world as everybody clings to their personal interests, beliefs, and sins.”
“Confusing quests, terrible translation, tedious grinding, generic music, boring campaign, and buggy as hell.”
“The soundtrack of the game isn’t bad but doesn’t particularly stand out in any way; the only thing that did stand out about the audio was the few bugs that would cause the audio to go off.”
- atmosphere31 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game excels in creating a captivating medieval atmosphere through its beautiful hand-drawn graphics, immersive storytelling, and well-chosen music, which together transport players to a richly detailed world reminiscent of the past. While some players noted minor audio glitches, the overall ambiance is praised for its depth and ability to engage those interested in the lore and culture of medieval Germany. The combination of relaxing gameplay and atmospheric elements makes it a standout experience for fans of the genre.
“The game also has beautiful, hand-drawn graphics that create a stunning medieval atmosphere.”
“It successfully captures the spirit and atmosphere of the medieval ages aesthetically and runs ever so smoothly doing it.”
“It's a vacation, a trip into a simpler time and place, and there is a beauty and innocence to the atmosphere that few games could hope to capture.”
“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.”
“Atmosphere / immersion factor - 10 (the main quest line is average to be honest; however, take your time and read everything. It's the tales and stories you hear at the pubs that make the game fun).”
- grinding28 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and slow, particularly after completing quests and facing limited respawn opportunities for enemies. While some appreciate the depth of the story and gameplay mechanics, the repetitive nature of grinding for experience and upgrades often leads to frustration and a sense of combat fatigue. Overall, players feel that the grinding detracts from the enjoyment of the game, making progress feel time-consuming and monotonous.
“After you complete the quests, there are a few enemies that respawn but not many, so once you 'do everything' on a map, it becomes very tedious and slow to grind for more XP.”
“It’s a well-written game, but the game mechanics make progress time-consuming and tedious, especially since after grinding for a few hours, your army’s progress is undone and you’ll have to start the grinding process all over again.”
“It becomes a tiresome and tedious grind until you can take on enemies that you think you can beat.”
- stability23 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is plagued by numerous bugs and stability issues, including frequent crashes, long load times, and glitches that can disrupt gameplay. While some players find it enjoyable despite these problems, many express frustration with the game's performance and unclear user interface. Overall, the stability of the game is a significant concern, detracting from its potential.
“Buggy -- had to uninstall and reinstall twice because it would crash in loading screens often.”
“Game freezes every time I enter an area or open my inventory.”
“After years in early access, it is still bug-ridden.”
- optimization15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 53 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering during combat and lag on larger maps. Many players find the game buggy and restrictive, leading to frustrating experiences, particularly with quest progression and dialogue transitions. While the graphics are noted as decent, they do not compensate for the poor optimization that detracts from the overall gameplay experience.
“The game runs smoothly.”
“Visuals: 7/10 - the game looks quite pretty but I do notice some performance issues in heavy forest.”
“Had performance issues with some lag on bigger maps and battles with a lot of people.”
“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.”
“The game is currently poorly optimized.”
- character development11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and integration with the storyline, offering meaningful choices that impact gameplay and world dynamics. While some players note that the progression can be slow, described as "glacial," many appreciate the immersive experience and the balance between character growth and combat mechanics. Overall, the character development system is seen as a rewarding aspect that enhances the game's narrative and tactical elements.
“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 backstory), pretty well balanced fighting, and a good character development process.”
“Very immersive storyline, and I have found the character development is both challenging and rewarding.”
“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 experience period right after launch).”
“In my opinion, Legends of Eisenwald is first and foremost a turn-based squad-level tactical combat game with a character development system that is focused almost exclusively on combat.”
“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.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is enhanced by a dedicated community that produces mods and additional content, offering players new experiences. However, some users feel the game may be too short or lack sufficient replay value on its own, suggesting that breaks between playthroughs are beneficial. Overall, while the potential for replayability exists, it largely depends on community contributions.
“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.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players appreciate the enticing story filled with moral dilemmas and impactful choices, others find the emotional depth lacking and feel it is overshadowed by a somewhat boring narrative. Overall, the emotional engagement varies significantly among players, with some feeling a strong connection while others see it as an afterthought.
“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 like an afterthought to telling the somewhat boring story of the game.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as interesting and well-integrated with challenging tasks, featuring sophisticated writing and hilarious dialogues that enhance the storytelling experience. While the combat is noted to be humorously flawed, it adds to the overall enjoyment without making the game overly difficult.
“Interesting and good humor together with challenging tasks.”
“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.”
“Getting involved in a sophisticatedly written story with many turnarounds, lots of reading of (sometimes hilarious) dialogs, finding clues in the quest log, saves and loads, and searching for walkthroughs.”
