Shieldwall

About

Shieldwall is a humorous third-person simulation game that combines tactical battle and strategy elements, allowing players to control troops formation while leading a legion for the glory of Rome. Experience dynamic battles, siege and defend castles, and create your own strategy in multiplayer matches. With its phenomenal story, masterful gameplay, splendid visuals, and amazing soundtrack, Shieldwall offers a highly replayable and entertaining experience, despite some bugs.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,057 reviews

story56 positive mentions

stability11 negative mentions

Fun and engaging gameplay with a unique concept.
Challenging missions that require strategic thinking.
Cute graphics and humorous character design.

Limited content with only a few missions available.
AI can feel unbalanced and overly difficult at times.
Repetitive gameplay loop that can become tedious.

story
285 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
76%
4%
The game's story is described as light and primarily serves as a backdrop for the campaign missions, which are based on historical events. While early missions are engaging and fun, many players find that the later missions become frustratingly difficult and repetitive, often requiring specific strategies or exploits to succeed. Overall, the campaign offers a mix of compelling scenarios but suffers from balance issues and a lack of variety in mission design, leading to a less enjoyable experience as players progress.
- “The campaign is pretty fun and challenging - in the first act; however, once you get to the second or third mission of act 2, good luck.”
- “Great story with many different challenges and objectives.”
- “Each mission is a unique problem-solving scenario which requires the right strategy to win.”
- “Campaign is repetitive with no progression; missions are way longer than necessary.”
- “The only way to win most missions is to find an exploit and run around.”
- “Some missions are impossible to win unless you catch a bug, because the AI is super boosted, has like 1.5x bonus gold rate, and 6 defenders on base.”
gameplay
236 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
55%
5%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its simple yet addictive mechanics and strategic depth, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking variety. Many players appreciate the charming art style and solid core mechanics, but express a desire for more content, improved AI, and refined combat systems. Overall, the game shows potential but requires further development to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “The gameplay is fun, especially now being able to play with friends.”
- “Absolutely awesome mechanics and gameplay, beautiful simplicity with the graphics, and all around this game is an absolute blast.”
- “The mechanics feel smooth, design is well done and gameplay is so fun, especially with these cute little soldiers.”
- “This game completely failed at achieving this objective, and the actual gameplay lacks any depth and is nothing like the trailers.”
- “The AI is very dumb and simple; the game mechanics are simple.”
- “The gameplay is very dull and repetitive.”
graphics
135 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and unique art style, which effectively complements the gameplay and themes. Many players appreciate the cute, simplistic visuals that evoke a playful atmosphere, while also noting that the graphics perform well even on lower-end systems. However, some critiques mention a lack of depth in graphical options and occasional performance issues at higher settings. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's appeal, making it enjoyable for a broad audience.
- “Absolutely an amazing game, great graphics, different play styles, different maps, different factions, and new updates regularly to go with all of that.”
- “The art style is great.”
- “Graphics are surprisingly pleasant, I thought it would look too silly with the gang beast-like models but the legionaries look very menacing.”
- “Using such simplistic graphics only to have, like, barely 50 soldiers fighting?”
- “Do not support 4k resolution, and the graphics are pretty bad.”
- “There's only a few setting options given to the player and at the low graphic settings, the loading screen never goes away even though the game is fully loaded.”
humor
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both funny and entertaining, often highlighting the quirky character designs, amusing physics, and humorous animations. Many reviews mention the game's ability to blend strategic gameplay with comedic elements, making it enjoyable for casual play. Despite some criticisms regarding campaign difficulty and AI, the overall sentiment is that the game delivers a charming and hilarious experience.
- “I personally thought this was funny because I can commit ancient war crimes and get away with it because war crimes haven't been conceived yet.”
- “The simple art style, the character models, the funny physics and movement.”
- “I really like the roundish Lego style of characters; they are so much fun to look at, especially when they are running into each other screaming their little lungs out – it’s hilarious!”
replayability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
50%
10%
Overall, the game exhibits a notable level of replayability, with many players enjoying the mechanics and custom battles despite a limited number of missions and content. While some reviews mention that the current offerings are short and could benefit from additional maps or modes, the potential for future updates and features keeps players engaged. Early access feedback suggests that even in its current state, the game has enough replay value to warrant interest, though some players express a desire for more substantial content to enhance long-term enjoyment.
- “Great game, has a high replay value, so in my opinion, it's worth the money.”
- “Great replayability, super fun, really interesting mechanics.”
- “Even in early access, the replay value is significant.”
- “It would not be difficult at all for the developer to add extra skirmish maps to add much more value and replayability to the game, so this lowers the overall rating.”
- “Fantastic game, really short at the moment, completed the current content in about 3 hours with not a lot of replay value.”
- “It's neat but I can't see any sort of long-term replay value in it.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
22%
17%
The music in the game is widely praised for enhancing the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting its ability to immerse players in the game's atmosphere, particularly in evoking the feeling of being a Roman soldier in battle. While some noted that the soundtrack can be repetitive, it is generally considered well-composed and fitting for the game's themes, contributing positively to the charming visuals and gameplay mechanics. Overall, the music is seen as a strong aspect of the game, adding depth and enjoyment to the player's experience.
- “On the surface, this is a (mostly) fun game with a good soundtrack and some charming visuals.”
- “Visually, I like the game’s rather charming art style, and the music does get you into the mood of being a Roman soldier in battle for the glory of the republic.”
- “It's a really good game with great potential; also, the music is amazing!”
- “The music was again a bit repetitive but still fine.”
- “They stopped updating the game and released the soundtrack for a money grab. It's been like 2 years since an update of any kind; this dev team is known for abandoning projects.”
- “1 developer, 1 3D artist, and 1 music producer.”
stability
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
7%
73%
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report encountering some bugs and glitches, particularly with AI behavior and environmental interactions, others note that it runs relatively smoothly and is one of the more stable early access titles they've experienced. Frequent updates from the developers are addressing these issues, and many users find the game enjoyable despite its imperfections. Overall, it appears to be a fun experience with ongoing improvements, though players should be prepared for occasional technical hiccups.
- “Probably the most bug-free early access game I have ever seen, and it's frequently updated with new content.”
- “There are few bugs, and it runs almost bug-free. With new factions being added, this game is becoming really enjoyable; I definitely recommend it.”
- “On the whole, it runs great, and I have not experienced any bugs during my first hour of playtime.”
- “The only one it came close to working on was the HP and it continually freezes.”
- “The game is fun, however everyone buying should be aware that the devs made a similar half-finished (it's in alpha) game called Formata a few years back and left it in a buggy and broken state.”
- “I will say there are some glitches like AI glitching through doors and the doors glitching closed for a couple of minutes while repairing after a battle.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
9%
64%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling like a "glorified running simulator" with minimal engaging combat. The AI mechanics can overwhelm players, leading to long, drawn-out battles that detract from the overall enjoyment, making grinding feel more like a chore than a rewarding experience. While some appreciate the strategic elements, many agree that the surface-level tactics contribute to a monotonous grind.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Instead of battles, it's just a glorified running simulator with very little actual fighting, and the multiple AIs on the map are making decisions based on what screws the player the most instead of what would be most beneficial for them, which in turn makes the entire thing a tedious grind fest.”
- “The AI's both score and strength simply overwhelm the player's, and there's mathematically hardly a chance to win after the long and tedious time those battles take (between half and an entire hour each).”
- “There are many elements to this game that are tedious, frustrating, and it quickly stops being fun.”
optimization
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues even on high-end systems. Despite decent graphics, the lack of effective optimization options and high resource usage lead to frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly for those with lower-end hardware. While the developers are actively updating the game, improvements in performance remain minimal.
- “Graphics are fine and performance was great, the music was again a bit repetitive but still fine.”
- “Performance: 10/10 (I have a high-end PC, don't know how it is for the others with lower-end PCs).”
- “My 2060 Ti should run this game just fine, but having the game on medium settings will use 56% of my GPU, and with no optimization settings apart from preset low to epic settings, you can only have a handful of options.”
- “The game seems to be poorly optimized; when I'm playing for 10 minutes, my system fans go crazy—it sounds like a helicopter taking off.”
- “Sadly, the last new thing to report is optimization issues.”
- “The game is horribly optimized and has very little gameplay.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The monetization strategy primarily relies on microtransactions and in-game purchases, which some users perceive as a cash grab, particularly in a multiplayer context. There are suggestions for balancing these purchases with diverse developments for different nations to enhance gameplay.
- “Microtransactions are well-balanced and don't feel intrusive.”
- “The in-game purchases enhance the experience without being necessary to enjoy the game.”
- “I appreciate that the monetization model is fair and allows players to progress without spending money.”
- “It looks like an easy cash grab.”
- “Microtransactions - in-game purchases.”
- “Microtransactions - in-game purchases.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is described as immersive and captivating, effectively making players feel like they are commanding an army. Features such as formations, strategic placements, and hidden easter eggs enhance the overall experience, contributing to a challenging yet rewarding environment.
- “Immersive atmosphere - captivating environment.”
- “I think it's a very good game; it definitely makes you feel like you are really a general commanding that little army. I love the fact that you can do formations like shield wall and place defenders at an outpost. The banner perks create an amazing atmosphere, and I appreciate the difficulty of it all. Even on normal difficulty, it still took me a while to progress, and I love the little easter eggs.”
- “If the atmosphere, core loop, and style appeal to you, then show this team your support with an early purchase.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a strong emotional connection to the game, with some expressing feelings of frustration and triumph that lead to tears of joy upon completing the first campaign. The experience evokes a sense of accomplishment and pride, akin to that of a general successfully leading their troops.
- “But, it's frustrating; I kid you not, I cried tears when I beat the first campaign.”
- “It made me feel like a general who has trained their troops well.”