Sorcerer King: Rivals

With quite a few twists on the traditional 4X formula, Sorcerer King: Rivals has a lot under the hood. The combat is a substantial improvement, offering a new way to engage the enemy, and the RPG elements expand gameplay even further. The editor is a cherry on top of an already full package. While it has a few balance issues in the endgame, Sorcerer King: Rivals shines brightly in a crowded genre.

66%Game Brain Score

gameplay, story

stability, optimization

62% User Score Based on 324 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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About

Sorcerer King: Rivals is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Stardock Entertainment and was released on September 22, 2016. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Sorcerer King: Rivals is a turn-based fantasy 4X game from the people who brought you Galactic Civilizations and Sins of a Solar Empire. Build a civilization, go on quests, craft weapons and armor, research spells and gain enough magical power to ascend to godhood.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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62%

Audience ScoreBased on 324 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

stability18 negative mentions

The game is addictive and fun, with a straightforward gameplay loop that keeps players engaged.
Unit progression and crafting mechanics are satisfying, allowing for customization and strategic depth.
The humor and writing in quests add a lighthearted touch, making the experience enjoyable.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, impacting the overall experience.
Gameplay can feel shallow and repetitive, lacking the depth found in its predecessor, Fallen Enchantress.
The AI is often passive and unchallenging, leading to a lack of tension and excitement in gameplay.

gameplay
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
67%
12%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its interesting concepts and mechanics but criticizing its repetitiveness and shallow execution. While the exploration and crafting elements provide some depth, the overall experience is marred by bugs, tedious equipment management, and a lack of engaging variety among factions and quests. Despite these flaws, some players find enjoyment in the game's narrative and RPG elements, suggesting it may appeal to fans of the genre, especially if purchased at a discount.
- “The core gameplay loop centers around exploration on a sprawling map of different biomes while constantly upgrading your town's defenses to withstand the might of the evil overlord that up until recently was your boss.”
- “Gameplay is fun and challenging with a storyline interesting enough to keep you reading.”
- “The gameplay itself is easy to understand, to the point and fun, with a more complex crafting and equipment system for you to play with if you're into that kind of stuff.”
- “The cons were that the gameplay can get repetitive, and the equipment management is mind-numbingly tedious.”
- “The production quality, graphics, sound, animations, and depth of gameplay remind me of a mobile game, and there isn't much here to last beyond one or two playthroughs.”
- “The gameplay felt bare-bones and rushed; the game itself felt so rough around the edges as to appear unfinished.”
story
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
64%
5%
The game's story is characterized by a mix of humor and engaging side quests, with players appreciating the witty writing and varied quest outcomes. However, many reviewers noted inconsistencies, glitches, and a lack of depth in the main narrative, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, while the storytelling is entertaining and offers a lighthearted take on fantasy tropes, it falls short of being compelling or deeply immersive.
- “The storytelling and narrative is on point, humorous whilst still believable, with each instance and event having a number of responses to choose from, each having a different visible impact on the initial outcome, as well as later development of events and choices.”
- “The game developers' humor in some of the quests actually had me laughing at my desk.”
- “There's honestly a lot to like: the art style, upgrading heroes, crafting equipment for both champions and regular units, a huge variety of quests - all with just the right twist of humor, the joys of unlocking - gaining access to the champions, units, and abilities of other factions by completing quests, city building, and addictive tune-based tactical combat - so fun!”
- “The story is very thin; I still don't know who the Sorcerer King is, probably because I did not pay enough attention.”
- “Repetitive gameplay; the different factions don't really play that differently, and the quests and events seemed well written at first but got boring and insignificant quite quickly.”
- “Overall, it fails at being a tactical battle game with limited combat options, it fails at being an RPG like Might and Magic does with its next to non-existent story and almost no replayability.”
graphics
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
67%
5%
The graphics in the game have received generally positive feedback, with many users praising the vibrant art style and improved visuals compared to previous titles. However, some players noted persistent bugs and optimization issues that detract from the overall experience. While the graphics are considered appealing and suitable for the game's mood, there are mixed feelings about the cartoonish aesthetic and its depth compared to earlier games in the series.
- “The art style for the game is gorgeous and vibrant, whilst still conveying darker elements when required. This is conveyed extremely well in the game's character designs, with each nation commanding both humanoid and monster units that not only look amazing but also feel great to include in your army, each feeling unique.”
- “The graphics are beautiful as well.”
- “The graphics are a big improvement from the previous game.”
- “It still has some of the same bugs, however, such as not giving sovereign abilities in some combats and having the graphics suddenly die, needing a complete reload.”
- “The production quality, graphics, sound, animations, and depth of gameplay remind me of a mobile game, and there isn't much here to last beyond one or two playthroughs.”
- “Same map with no difference, a few new animations but nothing to get excited about; same graphics, music, and bugs. The longer you play it, the more confused the program gets and interrupts decisions you are making to swing across the map to show some minor incident.”
replayability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
63%
10%
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the variety of factions and gameplay options that enhance replay value, others criticize its limited depth and lack of engaging content, leading to a consensus that it does not offer the extensive replayability found in other 4X titles. Many reviews suggest that while the game can be enjoyable for a couple of runs, it ultimately falls short of providing a compelling reason to return after the initial experience.
- “It adds a lot of replayability.”
- “The various factions available to the player differ sufficiently from each other to offer great replay value.”
- “The quests vary somewhat from game to game, which also adds a lot to replay value.”
- “This severely hampers replayability and takes away the core of what 4X games are supposed to be.”
- “Fun concept, but stale gameplay, limited replayability.”
- “There is no further replay value added other than a couple of new factions (unfortunately not all that different than the originals).”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is frequently praised for its clever and engaging writing, often eliciting genuine laughter from players. While some moments may come off as cringeworthy, the overall tone remains upbeat and entertaining, with quests and dialogues rich in comedic elements that enhance the storytelling experience. Despite some criticisms regarding the game's depth, the humor consistently adds enjoyment and charm to the gameplay.
- “The storytelling and narrative is on point, humorous whilst still believable, with each instance and event having a number of responses to choose from, each having a different visible impact on the initial outcome, as well as later development of events and choices.”
- “The game developers' humor in some of the quests actually had me laughing at my desk.”
- “The dialogue is excellent throughout the game, often funny and sometimes quite hilarious.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of "Sorcerer King: Rivals" has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, crashes, and performance issues. While some players noted that it runs without frequent crashes, many described it as a "buggy mess" with graphical and sound glitches, awkward interfaces, and a general feeling of being unfinished. Overall, the game suffers from significant stability problems that detract from the gameplay experience.
- “The game is still buggy after such time since release.”
- “What a buggy mess.”
- “It's buggy - not crash to the desktop buggy (though that did happen once), but graphics buggy (zooming in and out) and sound buggy (the sound just gave out halfway through my first game), moving units buggy (you kill an army and move onto the lair then have to expend movement to back off the lair and move back on it).”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly during battles and on the world map. While some users noted improvements after recent patches, others still find the game unplayable or poorly optimized compared to other titles. Overall, the game's performance can vary greatly depending on settings and system capabilities, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.
- “Performance is great with everything max.”
- “Performance is quite good.”
- “The latest patch fixed a lot of my performance issues and I can now play the game without a huge delay in between turns.”
- “The performance... this game is unplayable.”
- “Developers should be ashamed for selling a game with so many performance issues.”
- “But just be aware that the bugs are constant, and it's very poorly optimized compared to much more graphically demanding titles.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
20%
30%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its quality and soothing nature, though some note that the limited soundtrack leads to repetitiveness over time. While the overall sound design is considered above average, there are calls for a richer and more diverse soundtrack to enhance the experience further. Despite some criticisms regarding the lack of new content, the existing music complements the game's vibrant graphics and humorous writing effectively.
- “Love the humor, the graphic style, the music, and the game mechanics.”
- “Graphics and music are above average.”
- “Despite the darkish theme, the map is vibrant, the music is soothing, and the writing is funny.”
- “Same map with no difference, a few new animations but nothing to get excited about, same graphics, music, and bugs. The longer you play it, the more confused the program gets and interrupts decisions you are making to swing across the map to show some minor incident.”
- “The graphics/music/sounds etc. are just the same as before, but that's just fine with me (I hope they age well after a few years). Even though I'm not that great a fan of this typical cartoony art style, it does seem to grow on me day by day.”
- “More content, i.e., characters, heroes, some new music, etc.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently criticize the grinding aspect of the game, describing it as repetitive, tedious, and boring, with slow gameplay and cumbersome equipment management. Many feel that despite the potential for a good game, the excessive grinding and lack of diversity in features detract significantly from the overall experience.
- “The cons were that the gameplay can get repetitive, and the equipment management is mind-numbingly tedious.”
- “Game is too slow, with too much grinding, and it becomes boring very quickly.”
- “It's a boring, tedious, unfun mess that I regret buying.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its richness and uniqueness, with a blend of engaging storytelling and witty elements that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the good presentation, which contributes to a pleasant and immersive environment.
- “Although there is plenty of atmosphere and story tidbits throughout this game.”
- “Sorcerer King and FE create a very unique atmosphere, and the gameplay is rich and varied.”
- “The spirit and atmosphere of the game are actually really witty and pleasant.”
- “Although there is plenty of atmosphere and 'story' tidbits throughout this game, it often feels disjointed and fails to create a cohesive experience.”
- “The spirit and atmosphere of the game are actually really witty and pleasant, but they are overshadowed by the lack of depth in the gameplay.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is criticized as exploitative, with users labeling it a poorly executed cash grab that is riddled with bugs.
- “This is a buggy, sloppily made cash grab.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative and heavily favors players who spend money.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Character development in the game is enhanced by its stunning art style and unique character designs, which effectively blend vibrant visuals with darker themes. While some aspects of city building and character progression have been simplified compared to previous titles, the inclusion of moral RPG choices adds depth and dynamism to the gameplay experience.
- “The art style for the game is gorgeous and vibrant, while still conveying darker elements when required. This is conveyed extremely well in the game's character designs, with each nation commanding both humanoid and monster units that not only look amazing but also feel great to include in your army, each feeling unique.”
- “While the city building and character development obviously have been downgraded since Fallen Enchantress, I feel the world is more dynamic and reactive, with those moral RPG choices in there, which makes the questing part a blast.”

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85%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

A new combat twist on the 4X formula - Sorcerer King: Rivals review
With quite a few twists on the traditional 4X formula, Sorcerer King: Rivals has a lot under the hood. The combat is a substantial improvement, offering a new way to engage the enemy, and the RPG elements expand gameplay even further. The editor is a cherry on top of an already full package. While it has a few balance issues in the endgame, Sorcerer King: Rivals shines brightly in a crowded genre.
Gamingtrend.com
85%

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28h Median play time

25h Average play time

10-50h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Sorcerer King: Rivals is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

Sorcerer King: Rivals is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 25 hours playing Sorcerer King: Rivals.

Sorcerer King: Rivals was released on September 22, 2016.

Sorcerer King: Rivals was developed by Stardock Entertainment.

Sorcerer King: Rivals has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its stability.

Sorcerer King: Rivals is a single player game.

Similar games include Sorcerer King, Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes, Warlock 2: The Exiled, Warlock: Master of the Arcane, Planar Conquest and others.

Sorcerer King: Rivals

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