Songs of Conquest

In a year that's slowly being dominated by indie releases, Songs of Conquest from Lavapotion is a stand-out hit.

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"Songs of Conquest" is a turn-based strategy game inspired by 90s classics, where players lead powerful magicians known as Wielders and venture to lands unknown. The game offers diverse enemies, valuable loot, and unique factions across contrasting biomes. Players manage resources, research new advancements, and plan their towns to match their playstyle, while engaging in deep combat using troop abilities and powerful magic.

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Play Modes

Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,297 reviews

gameplay291 positive mentions

grinding44 negative mentions

A worthy successor to the Heroes of Might and Magic series, capturing the nostalgic feel while introducing new mechanics.
Beautiful pixel art and engaging soundtrack enhance the overall experience.
The magic system adds depth to combat, requiring strategic thinking about troop composition and spell usage.

Campaign missions can feel unbalanced and frustrating, especially on higher difficulties.
Limited number of factions and units leads to repetitive gameplay.
The user interface can be confusing, making it difficult to navigate and understand certain mechanics.

gameplay
790 mentions
37 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Songs of Conquest" has been described as a blend of nostalgia and innovation, drawing heavily from the "Heroes of Might and Magic" series while introducing new mechanics that enhance strategic depth, such as a refined magic system and town management features. While many players appreciate the engaging and addictive nature of the gameplay, some criticize it for being repetitive or lacking in depth, particularly in terms of AI and balance. Overall, the game is seen as a promising evolution of classic turn-based strategy, with beautiful pixel art and a solid foundation for future development.
- “The gameplay is both fun and addictive.”
- “The gameplay is very engaging and satisfying, including the original approach to the magic system.”
- “This game is a brilliant continuation of the heroes formula, to a point that I almost want to consider it separately from those games, injecting new ideas into a tried and true formula while discarding outdated mechanics.”
- “Sadly, it never teaches players anything about the game mechanics.”
- “The gameplay feels opaque and non-intuitive, no sense of risk fighting if you stall turns in campaign and wait for resources to build up.”
- “While it is undeniably a beautiful and well-crafted game, Songs of Conquest's gameplay loop is more frustrating than challenging.”
graphics
688 mentions
47 % positive mentions
48 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Songs of Conquest" have elicited a wide range of opinions from players. Many appreciate the nostalgic pixel art style, which evokes memories of classic games like Heroes of Might and Magic, and praise its charming aesthetic and vibrant colors. However, some players criticize the graphics for being too pixelated or cluttered, making it difficult to distinguish between objects on the map, and express a desire for clearer visuals that align with modern standards. Overall, while the art style is celebrated by some, it remains a divisive aspect of the game.
- “The beautiful sprite graphics are like sweet honey for the player's eyes, and the music magnificently brings you into a trance of nostalgic euphoria.”
- “Amazing pixel graphics and solid tactical combat.”
- “The graphics are pixelated like SNES games and RPGs, and they have great campaigns available too!”
- “I'm not sure why they chose early 90's graphics, maybe to give it an older feel, but really it just feels like a cheap knockoff or something along those lines.”
- “Terrible graphics, not acceptable for today.”
- “Unfortunately, I'm not able to comment on the gameplay itself, since as soon as I fired up and saw that it used a pixelated graphics engine, which I'm sure they can get away with by saying it's old school graphics and it's supposed to look like something from 30 years ago, destroyed any chance of me being able to enjoy the game itself.”
story
660 mentions
25 % positive mentions
70 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The story in "Songs of Conquest" is delivered through four campaigns, each offering a unique perspective on the overarching narrative, but many players find the storytelling inconsistent and lacking depth. While some appreciate the charming bard songs that summarize missions, others criticize the repetitive dialogue and simplistic plotlines, leading to a sense of disconnection from the characters and events. Overall, the campaigns are seen as engaging yet short, with a desire for more substantial content and better narrative cohesion.
- “The cutscenes, dialogues, and small details scattered across the game world really add up to a great story.”
- “The music, the incredible visuals, the unit/faction design, the battle maps, the story-driven campaigns, and a powerful random map generator – it's all there, but it also innovates in crucial areas and isn't afraid to break from the original formula to be its own game.”
- “The campaigns in conquest are meticulously crafted, and the story is a masterpiece.”
- “The campaign in Songs of Conquest sucks: the plot is too simple and boring, served by some childish song of a bard in a tavern.”
- “The campaign storyline is dull.”
- “The story is forgettable, mostly about two strong women on a journey for 'modern audiences' the same as Hollywood; it seems that modern studios are prohibited from producing white male heroes.”
music
642 mentions
45 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in "Songs of Conquest" has received a mixed reception, with many praising its beautiful soundtrack and atmospheric qualities that enhance the game's nostalgic feel. While some players find the bard songs at the end of missions charming and immersive, others feel they lack depth and variety compared to classic titles like "Heroes of Might and Magic." Overall, the game's music is generally considered a strong point, contributing positively to the overall experience, though some players desire more memorable and diverse compositions.
- “The beautiful sprite graphics are like sweet honey for the player's eyes, and the music magnificently brings you into a trance of nostalgic euphoria.”
- “The music is fantastic, the aesthetic is on-point, and the missions are expansive and interesting challenges.”
- “The music, sound effects, and visuals of the hero walking about collecting stuff is nice and satisfying, the music is good for what it is.”
- “The campaign in Songs of Conquest sucks: the plot is too simple and boring, served by some childish song of a bard in a tavern.”
- “Firstly, there's something about the music that's just a bit 'off.' I had that uncanny valley feeling in spades and as I heard more music, I started to suspect all the bard songs were produced by AI.”
- “The combat and story are engaging enough, but for a game that makes songs a central part of its concept, the songs themselves are pretty forgettable.”
replayability
63 mentions
32 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising its high potential due to features like a random map generator, skirmish mode, and a map editor, which enhance variety and engagement. However, others criticize the current lack of depth and content, suggesting that the limited number of factions and repetitive gameplay significantly diminish replay value. Overall, while there are strong foundations for replayability, many feel it requires further development and content updates to reach its full potential.
- “Very fun, great replayability, made with a lot of care.”
- “With skill trees and the random maps, this game has high replay value.”
- “Replay value is insanely high with the included map editor.”
- “After 25 hours of playing, I have seen everything the game has to offer; there is zero replay value in the game for me, and I am done with it, saying this as someone who loved HOMM3 and replayed it multiple times.”
- “Very pretty but sorely lacks diversity and depth in all of its aspects, making replayability almost null.”
- “It totally lacks replayability because, as mentioned, every playthrough in skirmish is the same due to the inability to create different army compositions and the lack of unit variations and mixing options.”
optimization
61 mentions
16 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly during late-game turns and on larger maps, leading to lag and long wait times. While some users noted improvements over time and praised the visual quality, others expressed frustration with screen tearing, frame rate drops, and unresponsive AI. Overall, it appears that while the game has potential, it requires further optimization to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “A loving nod and homage to HOMM 3, with beautiful pixel art and optimized with a modern-day UI, controller support, and multiplayer connectivity options.”
- “The game is gorgeous looking and you can tell the animation and art was carefully optimized for the overall theme, very past the peak of satisfaction.”
- “Other than some battle optimization that's needed (aka I may be a noob), this game is amazingly true to the Heroes 3 recipe we've all been waiting for.”
- “The performance can also be horrible at times, with my screen frequently freezing for 20+ seconds during battles at the end of a round.”
- “Currently the game seems poorly optimized and buggy.”
- “The game suffers from a few optimization issues such as FPS drops and problems loading assets when a large part of the map is explored, especially while zoomed out or during the AI turns.”
atmosphere
55 mentions
64 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its enchanting and immersive qualities, enhanced by beautiful pixel art, captivating music, and thoughtful sound design. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create a relaxing and nostalgic environment, reminiscent of classic titles while maintaining its unique charm. Overall, the combination of graphics, lore, and audio contributes to a magical and engaging experience that resonates with players.
- “It creates a super relaxing atmosphere that you can get lost in, and I found myself captivated by even the 'simple' pixel art style of the wielders, each of whom gets their own custom in-game art.”
- “The sprite work and atmosphere of this game is incredible, with a charming aesthetic and excellent feel.”
- “I think it could be more prominent and more intertwined with the gameplay, which will add to the atmosphere the game creates.”
- “The atmosphere is very well conveyed, and the soundtrack is beyond praise!”
- “I was especially pleased with the pixel graphics, thanks to which a special atmosphere is created in the game, incomparable with the soulless 3D that other similar games use.”
grinding
46 mentions
2 % positive mentions
2 % neutral mentions
96 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and often unfun, with many expressing frustration over repetitive tasks, unbalanced combat, and a lack of strategic depth. While some enjoy the initial gameplay, the experience tends to become monotonous, especially in later stages where resource collection and enemy encounters feel like a grind rather than an engaging challenge. Improvements in certain mechanics have been noted, but many still feel that the game suffers from excessive linearity and a lack of meaningful decision-making, leading to a generally tedious experience.
- “The game is enjoyable from the start, with very cool artwork and easy navigation, making grinding feel less tedious.”
- “This felt tedious instead of fun.”
- “It takes no strategy, just grinding.”
- “The game looks great but it's just a tedious, unfun game to play.”
stability
25 mentions
20 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing frequent freezes, crashes, and various bugs, particularly in multiplayer and during AI interactions. However, others report that it runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck and MacBook Air, noting that while there are minor glitches, they are generally manageable and expected in an early access title. Overall, many believe that the game shows promise and that most issues could be resolved by the full release.
- “Runs great on the Steam Deck.”
- “Although still in early access, what is present works and is relatively bug-free.”
- “For those wondering, this runs great on MacBook Air M2 8GB.”
- “I'll play the game on the deck, put the deck to sleep, come back hours later, and the game freezes requiring the deck to be manually shut down.”
- “Extremely buggy game, campaign is riddled with soft locks and an unholy amount of 'uncaught exception' errors.”
- “Freezes too much and crashes.”
humor
17 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of nostalgic graphics and witty storytelling, often leading to hilarious gameplay moments, such as deploying unconventional units like hyenas or plague rats. Players appreciate the comedic elements that arise from unique mechanics, like swapping positions with powerful enemies, although some find the repetitive nature of certain battles less amusing. Overall, the game successfully combines fun and humor, making for an entertaining experience, despite some performance and balance issues.
- “Nostalgic gritty graphics mixed with a wicked sense of humor, great storytelling and unique units makes for hours of fun and they keep adding content...for free!”
- “It is so fun to stack modifier upon modifier to make some really funny combinations.”
- “All in all my favorite thing was being able to field an army of just hyenas, because watching my 9 stacks of laughing doggos maul everything was great.”
emotional
10 mentions
90 % positive mentions
10 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is described as a heartwarming experience that evokes nostalgia and emotional connections, particularly for fans of the Heroes of Might and Magic series. Players appreciate its unique charm and complexity, with many expressing gratitude for the developers' ability to create a game that resonates deeply on a personal level, often reminding them of simpler, more meaningful times. However, some criticism is directed at the game's community and moderation, which detracts from the overall emotional experience.
- “I followed your YouTube updates since the beginning, this is heartbreaking.”
- “I seriously want to give my heartfelt thanks to the developers for helping me somewhat connect to the simpler times in youth before going to war and before my dad passed.”
- “All considered, this game is a heartwarming surprise, and I would love to see more campaigns, more factions and I am anxious to try the multiplayer soon with my friends :-)”
character development
5 mentions
60 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The character development and leveling system is a standout feature of the game, praised for its engaging design and meaningful variety among characters. While the character and art design are highly regarded, some reviewers noted that pacing and level design could detract from the overall experience.
- “The character development and leveling system is by far the highlight of the game.”
- “Slick UI, excellent character design, art on point, and the armies feel meaningfully varied, so this means it hits every note you would want from a HOMM-like with pitch-perfect accuracy.”
- “Score is great and the map and character design is interesting.”
monetization
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
25 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The monetization model of the game has been criticized as hostile and greedy, with users expressing disappointment over what they perceive as a cash grab following its unexpected success. Many longtime fans feel let down by the current content offerings and are wary of future DLCs.
- “I am extremely disappointed as I am a longtime HOMM and strategy game fan in general and was excited to play this game at the premise of an interesting game; however, instead of that, this honestly feels like a blatant cash grab after an unexpected success was reached.”
- “But their monetization model is extremely hostile and greedy.”
- “Do not support this cash grab.”