Planar Conquest

61%
Game Brain Score Based on 348 reviews
  • graphics
  • gameplay
  • music
Planar Conquest Game Cover
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Planar Conquest is a turn-based 4X strategy game, where you must explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate across multiple planes of existence. Inspired by the Master of Magic game, it offers a wide range of magical spells, creatures, and artifacts to help you conquer your enemies. With a focus on empire building and tactical combat, Planar Conquest provides a deep and immersive experience for strategy fans.

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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

61%
Audience ScoreBased on 348 reviews
graphics28 positive mentions
stability17 negative mentions
  • Faithful recreation of Master of Magic with many spells and customization options.
  • Diverse races and units, each with unique abilities and playstyles.
  • Engaging tactical combat that allows for strategic spellcasting and unit management.
  • Clunky user interface that can be unintuitive and frustrating to navigate.
  • AI behavior is often poor, leading to unchallenging gameplay and immersion-breaking moments.
  • Numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and unresponsive elements during gameplay.
  • graphics94 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they feel dated and below current standards, reminiscent of titles from the early 2000s. While some appreciate the colorful and imaginative designs, others criticize the cartoonish style and graphical glitches that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the visuals are considered decent but not impressive, with calls for improvements to better align with modern gaming expectations.

    • “The graphics are nice, the music is nice as well.”
    • “Graphics are clearer and easier to make out; it's much simpler to tell what is on the map now, and it also allows you to double-click on visible features to see what is inside them and what rewards are possible.”
    • “It is by all means the closest successor and a faithful re-imagining of Master of Magic with better graphics, UI, and seven planes to discover and conquer.”
    • “It's far below the state-of-the-art visuals gamers expect as a result of their decisions.”
    • “The fact that you have to meticulously mouse over every tile to figure out what the blocky cartoon graphics are supposed to represent is a real killer in a 4X type of game.”
    • “The absolute worst part of the game that I've experienced so far is the graphical errors on loading.”
  • gameplay79 mentions

    The gameplay of this title is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its deep mechanics and nostalgic ties to classic 4X games like "Master of Magic," while others criticize its clunky UI, repetitive patterns, and poor AI. The game offers a unique spellbook system and extensive customization options, but some find the overall experience generic and lacking in innovation. While it has solid core mechanics and can be enjoyable for fans of the genre, it may not satisfy those seeking modern gameplay advancements.

    • “I really love 4X games: Civ, AOW, HOMM, etc. I would recommend this game for people that have tried a few and would like to see a different take and some new interesting mechanics.”
    • “Technology is replaced with a spellbook, and sorcerer customization determines which 'technologies' are available for research, which is the main replayability element, as it significantly changes gameplay whether you fight with an army of basic troops backed up by fireballs, armies of basic troops buffed to ludicrous degree, or if you have an army purely made of summon monsters.”
    • “The gameplay is there; it's more of a question to make sure it's what you are looking for.”
    • “Some game mechanics made the game frustrating and the UI was too clunky to make learning this game fun.”
    • “While it takes the races, schools of magic, and spells of the old masters of magic, the implementation of D&D-esque game mechanics is so poorly executed it makes the game fall completely apart.”
    • “The biggest issue is simply the gameplay.”
  • music22 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising the soundtrack as pleasant and well-composed, while others find it bland or repetitive. Many appreciate the music's unobtrusiveness, making it suitable for extended gameplay, though a few opted to turn it down or off entirely. Overall, while there are positive remarks about the quality of the music, there are also criticisms regarding its repetitiveness and lack of impact.

    • “Great soundtrack and gameplay.”
    • “The music and art are top notch, and the graphics are good for an indie dev team, especially considering the price point.”
    • “The music is pleasant, unobtrusive, and won't impale itself into your brain even after many hours of gameplay.”
    • “The controls are bad, the music is bland, the graphics are okay, and by my second game I can already tell there are some pretty serious game balance issues.”
    • “Music is terrible and unit sounds are just as bad.”
    • “Sounds/music are reasonable, though I found too much repetition and thus have turned down the background music.”
  • stability18 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and unfinished features that hinder gameplay. While some users note improvements over previous titles, many still experience significant issues, including freezing and clunky controls, making the game feel unpolished and frustrating. Overall, the consensus is that the game suffers from serious stability problems that detract from the experience.

    • “Runs great on my iMac with Big Sur OS.”
    • “Buggy from the start, lacking necessary studio support and left to die after a short period of time, this game was born to fail.”
    • “The game freezes on me every time I try to play a new game at the same point, making it literally unplayable.”
    • “This game is extremely buggy.”
  • story10 mentions

    The game's story is considered adequate for a 4X title, with appealing character portraits and a nostalgic style, but it lacks depth and a structured campaign mode. Reviewers express a desire for a more engaging narrative and character development, suggesting that the absence of quests and a compelling backstory detracts from the overall experience. While the foundation is promising, many feel that the game needs significant improvements in storytelling and content expansion to fully realize its potential.

    • “It's got several nice things going for it - the story is good enough (for a 4X game, anyways), the character portraits are great, and it has much of the style of the old game on which it is based.”
    • “The game is doing things right; it just needs more polishing and, most importantly, a good story and expansions to build on the narrative. The combination of Master of Magic and NWN RPG-like elements, such as equipment stats, abilities, and terminology, are perfect.”
    • “Note that there is no story/campaign mode (despite the nice intro movie).”
    • “No quests or linear paths in this one like many of the others in this genre.”
    • “More focus on the heroes and storyline purpose of the game might have improved it, in my opinion.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    The game offers high replayability due to its extensive customization options, allowing players to experiment with various spell and trait combinations, as well as different races. Each playthrough can feel distinct based on the chosen strategies, and the balanced achievements encourage multiple runs rather than grinding. Overall, players find the game addictive and enjoyable, with significant replay value stemming from its diverse gameplay mechanics.

    • “It has good replay value since most of the races are so different and there are endless spell/trait combos for your lord.”
    • “Finally, even with some caveats, I recommend Planar Conquest, as it's fun, very addictive, and it has a high replay value.”
    • “Technology is replaced with a spellbook, and sorcerer customization determines which 'technologies' are available for research, which is the main replayability element, as it significantly changes gameplay whether you fight with an army of basic troops backed up by fireballs, armies of basic troops buffed to a ludicrous degree, or if you have an army purely made of summoned monsters.”
    • “It has a lot of replay value: I did one playthrough so far, and I didn't get nearly all the spells researched.”
    • “Achievements are reasonably balanced and geared more towards replay value to acquire them rather than raw grinding.”
  • optimization8 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players report smooth performance and well-optimized graphics, others highlight significant issues with low-quality visuals, UI flaws, and performance drops, particularly in late-game scenarios. The disparity in experiences suggests that optimization may vary depending on specific gameplay elements and user setups.

    • “And speaking of lightness, this game is exceptional when it comes to optimization.”
    • “The game maps and battle grounds are 3D, zoom and rotate are used appropriately, everything seems optimized.”
    • “The game runs smoothly, and I haven't experienced any gameplay bugs so far.”
    • “The 'plane' maps and UI seem low quality and pixelated compared to other games, yet performance (often an issue late game with this genre) seems even worse than those other titles.”
    • “The thing seems to be poorly optimized.”
    • “There are flaws in the UI, the optimization, and in some of how the game informs you of things (took 3 hours of play until I figured out what the point of great watchtowers were and how to use them)... but overall?”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and repetitive, with battles often feeling like busy work due to AI tactics that overwhelm rather than challenge. The similarity of cities across maps adds to the monotony, and unit movement can be confusing, particularly when managing multiple units. While achievements offer some replay value, the initial hours are marked by a lack of engaging content.

    • “Instead of improving this, the developers chose to just have the AI launch barrages of units against you, which results in many tedious battles in the form of busy work instead of challenge.”
    • “Everywhere and every city will be pretty much like everywhere else, except spread over 7 maps, making it even more tedious to attempt to conquer.”
    • “The first couple of hours are very tedious.”
  • humor5 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its unintentionally hilarious sound effects, particularly the exaggerated "death cries" of characters, which some players find amusing despite their questionable quality. Additionally, the chaotic design of the mini-map adds to the comedic experience, making the game enjoyable for those who appreciate its quirky charm. Overall, while some players have mixed feelings about the game's humor, many find it entertaining.

    • “The sound effects are bursting and sometimes even unintentionally hilarious, like the 'death cry' of humans and elves, which sound like they were taken from a trash movie.”
    • “For me, the game is funny and I like it.”
    • “I find it funny that my old review was downvoted because I did not recommend it due to genuine issues that were later fixed. Might I remind those people that the game was put into 'released' status and not 'early access'.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely criticized, with users noting a significant lack of engagement and appeal. Complaints include a poor user interface, bland animations, and an absence of immersive elements like cutscenes, leading to a feeling of purposelessness and disconnection from the gameplay experience. Overall, many find the atmosphere to be a major drawback.

    • “Atmosphere, this is by far the largest pain point.”
    • “Especially the atmosphere feels really off.”
    • “This is one of the least appealing games I've ever played... no purpose, no decent guidance, no tutorial, and lack of atmosphere make this game a 'no' for me.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviewers praise the character development in the game, highlighting its fantastic mechanics and extensive customization options that enhance troop and research elements.

    • “The mechanics are fantastic, with character development, troop management, research, and tons of customization options.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Reviewers highlight the emotional depth of "Planar Conquest," comparing it to a classic black and white film that evokes nostalgia and resonates with the essence of beloved old-school titles. Its well-crafted narrative and presentation effectively capture the emotional nuances that make it memorable.

    • “If Endless Legend is a high-definition 3D movie, then Planar Conquest is a crisp and refreshing black and white copy of Casablanca. It is well put together, touching on all of the things that made several old school titles lasting favorites.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

8hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
8-8hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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