SOVL: Fantasy Warfare

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SOVL: Fantasy Warfare is a single player and multiplayer strategy game. It was developed by Dalen Studios and was released on June 29, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

SOVL is a tabletop fantasy wargame.

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,785 reviews

gameplay61 positive mentions

story6 negative mentions

The game captures the essence of classic tabletop wargaming, reminiscent of old Warhammer Fantasy battles.
The roguelike campaign mode offers engaging gameplay with a variety of factions and unit upgrades.
It's free to play, providing a substantial amount of content without any upfront cost.

The use of AI-generated art detracts from the overall experience and may discourage potential buyers of DLC.
The game mechanics can feel unbalanced, with the AI often rolling better dice than the player.
Lack of a tutorial and clear explanations for mechanics can make it difficult for new players to understand the game.

gameplay
202 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
The gameplay of this free game has been praised for its depth and engaging mechanics, drawing strong inspiration from Warhammer Fantasy while maintaining a streamlined and accessible approach. Players appreciate the addictive campaign structure and tactical layers, although some criticize the repetitive nature and lack of detailed explanations for mechanics. Overall, the game offers a solid blend of simplicity and strategic depth, making it a fun introduction to tabletop wargaming, despite some rough edges and balancing issues.
- “For a free game, the depth of gameplay that's been offered simply in the four hours I've spent playing so far is phenomenal.”
- “The gameplay is easily pick-up-and-play and there's enough unit variety to make the single-player campaign varied and challenging as well as multiplayer games never a repeat fight.”
- “Sovl is a competent rank and flank game with the requisite variety of fantasy units and easy to understand mechanics.”
- “While the initial concept shows promise, the clunky interface and repetitive gameplay quickly diminish enjoyment.”
- “The gameplay is mediocre at best and it's full of AI slop.”
- “The game is also somewhat shallow mechanically; there's no real reason to play once you win the first time.”
graphics
105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
71%
8%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the simplicity and functionality that align with the tabletop wargaming experience. However, a significant number of users criticize the reliance on AI-generated artwork, which they feel lacks consistency and artistic quality, detracting from the overall aesthetic. While some find the visuals charming and nostalgic, there is a strong desire among players for future updates to include original artwork from human artists to enhance the game's visual appeal.
- “While progress can be a grind, the art style is beautiful and I keep wanting to play more.”
- “The graphics are charming, mechanics are well made and simple to understand because all the calculations are up to a computer.”
- “The graphical style has a simple aesthetic that hearkens back to the days of old battle reports in White Dwarf magazines.”
- “The big issue I have with this game is the AI-generated images instead of real artwork.”
- “Adding insult to injury, most of its artwork is AI-generated and lacks consistency.”
- “The only noticeable marks against the game are a few bugs, a boring UI, and perhaps the worst offender: AI artwork.”
replayability
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
41%
6%
Overall, the game boasts high replayability, driven by its engaging campaign, diverse factions, and roguelike elements that introduce variability in gameplay. Players appreciate the strategic depth provided by different units and difficulty levels, while the free-to-play model enhances accessibility and encourages exploration of additional content. However, some users note balancing issues and a lack of depth in certain areas that could impact long-term enjoyment.
- “The roguelike campaign coupled with the incrementally increasing difficulty and breadth of armies results in huge replayability.”
- “With a variety of interesting factions which each have their own strengths and weaknesses, there is a significant amount of replayability, especially in the roguelike mode.”
- “It's fun, free, has multiple factions to play, and the roguelike elements are enjoyable and add replayability.”
- “The roguelike is great so far, but I'd like to see even more options added to the game for even better replayability.”
- “I think it may have a lack of replay value in some ways, and the dev could implement a combat autowin mechanic for when you have a unit wiped out already, but overall very solid 3/5 going to a 4 because it's free.”
- “However, its balancing issues, lack of save functionality, unreasonable difficulty spikes, inadequate troop replenishment mechanics, inadequate gold accumulation, terrible replayability mechanics, and overall tabletop BS taken to the max make it more frustrating than enjoyable.”
story
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
59%
27%
The reviews indicate a significant lack of story in the game, with many players noting that the campaign consists of random encounters rather than a cohesive narrative. While some express hope for future story content and campaigns, the current experience is described as mediocre and forgettable, lacking depth and inspiration. Overall, the absence of a compelling story detracts from the game's potential, despite its enjoyable gameplay mechanics.
- “Enjoying it a lot, I'd like more focus on campaign/story content.”
- “Expect more plot twists than a pretzel factory.”
- “Sovl is an intriguing and captivating game that offers a unique blend of strategy, storytelling, and immersive gameplay.”
- “Lacks a story; even the campaign just has two acts and no story to make this more than pushing virtual miniatures around a map.”
- “Uninspired visuals and predictable story further contribute to a mediocre, forgettable experience.”
- “The campaign doesn't have a story; it's just a series of random encounters.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The music in the game has been widely criticized for its repetitive nature, with many users noting that it consists of a single short loop that quickly becomes grating. While some appreciate the sound effects, the overall lack of variety in the soundtrack detracts from the gaming experience, leading players to suggest muting the in-game music in favor of external tracks. Overall, there is a strong desire for more diverse and engaging musical content to enhance the atmosphere.
- “Very well made, love the music and progression.”
- “The musical score is a solid, atmospheric tune that quickly fades into the background but provides the necessary spice to the battles.”
- “Ideally there would be more music - but you can just mute it and play your own music in the background.”
- “As for presentation, the music is one very short loop of a track, and it is a very slow tempo and laid back and in no way reflects the anxiety of the rolls occurring on the screen.”
- “The seemingly only one repetitive music track does not help either.”
- “The music is a loop that lasts for less than thirty seconds, and it isn't a good thirty seconds.”
grinding
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often feeling that progression is artificially extended through excessive grinding and microtransactions. Unlocking difficulties and new units requires significant time investment, leading to frustration, especially when compounded by the need for perfect strategies in elite fights. While some enjoy the roguelike mode, many express a desire for more content variety to alleviate the grind.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grindy progression feels artificial, and microtransactions are blatantly pushed.”
- “What I don't like is locking hard difficulties behind hours of grinding.”
- “This repetitive grind becomes tedious very, very quickly.”
monetization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Overall, the monetization aspect of the game receives mixed reviews. While some players appreciate the low-pressure DLC model and the balance of free content, others criticize the aggressive push for microtransactions and the grindy progression system. Despite these concerns, many acknowledge the game's potential, suggesting that the monetization could be improved to enhance the overall experience.
- “The game continues to be actively supported with both free and paid content, and the DLC monetization feels low-pressure in a way I wish more free-to-play games would emulate.”
- “For a game that is literally free, with monetization only via DLC, I'd say this is a good game with a lot of potential to be a great one.”
- “Great game, awesome monetization model too.”
- “Its good but too much monetization and no workshop yet, it gets boring after like an hour of play time but has a lot of missed potential.”
- “Grindy progression feels artificial, and microtransactions are blatantly pushed.”
- “Was hoping for an actual vassal port or something but nah, this is just an 'AI' cash grab.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it both clever and entertaining, particularly in its playful take on themes like cursing dice and mid-life crises. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to blend fun gameplay with comedic elements, making it an enjoyable experience overall. The lighthearted approach, combined with quick campaigns and engaging mechanics, contributes to its charm.
- “Charging money for it is frankly hilariously ballsy.”
- “Strap on your elf boots and prepare for the most hilarious mid-life crisis, sovl: fantasy warfare!”
- “It's roguelite Warhammer fantasy, for the hilarious cost of free.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
83%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting occasional bugs such as unit movement issues, combat interruptions, and unresponsive controls that can disrupt gameplay. While some players find the experience enjoyable despite these glitches, others express frustration over the frequency and impact of these bugs, suggesting that the game may need further refinement to enhance its overall stability.
- “Overall, the game is a little barebones at the moment, low on maps, creation tools, and settings. However, I feel that this game will shape up well and is generally bug-free.”
- “The game can be a little buggy sometimes; units get moved when they are too close and combat breaks. I had one weird movement bug as well, but in 51 hours, that's all.”
- “Unclear charge distances, buggy collision, and poorly drawn indicators will absolutely kill you.”
- “It will occasionally just lock your units out of being used, forcing you to forgo part of your turn and just get tabled... not because of bad dice rolls (the fact that the RNG is actually not RNG for dice rolls but actually stacked against you is another issue altogether) or because you made bad decisions... but because you just can't move your units because they're highlighted as if you've already selected them even though you have not. It just gets to be too much, and you end up having to restart more times over bad input response or buggy input response than any other reason.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game is highly optimized, requiring minimal system resources—approximately 6% CPU and 2.8GB RAM—making it suitable for casual play even on older laptops. Users report a smooth, bug-free experience, allowing for extended play without performance issues.
- “And it is bug-free, runs smoothly even on an older laptop, and is immensely fun!”
- “It's even playable as a coffee-break game where you can have it on in the background, ignoring it for hours, even mid-turn, without using much performance—it uses about 6% of my CPU and 2.8GB RAM to keep it on.”
- “It's much easier on your system to play than more graphically performance-heavy wargames.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its engaging elements and overall pleasant ambiance, enhanced by a solid musical score that subtly complements the gameplay without overpowering it.
- “It also helps everyone understand the different elements of the tabletop games and creates a very nice atmosphere overall.”
- “The musical score is a solid, atmospheric tune that quickly fades into the background but provides the necessary spice to the battles.”

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53h Median play time

48h Average play time

12-90h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

SOVL: Fantasy Warfare is a strategy game.

SOVL: Fantasy Warfare is available on PC, Mac OS, Phone, Windows and others.

On average players spend around 48 hours playing SOVL: Fantasy Warfare.

SOVL: Fantasy Warfare was released on June 29, 2023.

SOVL: Fantasy Warfare was developed by Dalen Studios.

SOVL: Fantasy Warfare has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

SOVL: Fantasy Warfare is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector, Warbands: Bushido, Warhammer Underworlds, Battle for Wesnoth, Warhammer 40,000: Sanctus Reach and others.

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