SpellForce: Platinum Edition

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SpellForce: Platinum Edition is a single player and multiplayer role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Phenomic and was released on November 3, 2009. It received positive reviews from players.

Includes the original SpellForce: The Order of Dawn and both the expansions - SpellForce: The Breath of Winter and SpellForce: Shadow of the Phoenix

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83%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,030 reviews

story155 positive mentions

grinding39 negative mentions

Unique blend of real-time strategy (RTS) and role-playing game (RPG) elements offering a fresh and engaging gameplay experience.
Deep character customization with diverse skill trees and a variety of races and units providing high replayability.
Rich and immersive fantasy world with a lengthy campaign, multiple expansions, interesting quests, and memorable soundtrack.

Outdated graphical presentation and voice acting which may detract from immersion for modern players.
Tedious pace due to slow unit movement and large maps requiring extensive walking and backtracking.
Technical issues including bugs, save corruption, and input difficulties which sometimes render progression or gameplay frustrating or broken.

story
501 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
63%
6%
The story in this game offers a solid and immersive fantasy narrative with multiple interconnected campaigns, enriched by numerous side quests that deepen the lore and world-building. While some find it engaging and well-structured with memorable moments and twists, others criticize it as generic, slow-paced, or occasionally marred by poor voice acting and quest bugs. Overall, it provides a lengthy, traditional RPG/RTS blend storytelling experience that rewards exploration but can sometimes feel tedious or overshadowed by gameplay and technical issues.
- “The story unfolds across three interconnected campaigns, each expanding on the lore and deepening the player's engagement with the world.”
- “The storyline is strong as ever, with the player character thrust through a lore rich world full of side quests and interesting NPCs (though not all as tenacious as Flink McWinter).”
- “The platinum edition contains the first installment in the Spellforce series, Order of Dawn, as well as its two expansions, both of which are continuations of the story, one of them letting you import your character from the base vanilla game into it and expanding on their story, with a higher level cap and further grades of equipment from the base game.”
- “The quests are for the most part bland, the controls are an abomination and the story and voice acting are atrocious.”
- “While the story is somewhat convoluted and the rts mechanics are quite bare, it was a bold experiment that did some things very successfully, including exploration and multiple choices of how to tackle any given problem.”
- “The story and the dialogue are on the same level of terrible (the writer might have been 12).”
gameplay
207 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
57%
8%
The gameplay of Spellforce is praised for its unique and ambitious blend of RTS and RPG mechanics, offering deep customization, diverse factions, and a rich, addictive gameplay loop with hundreds of hours of content. However, it can be slow-paced, sometimes clunky, and shows its age in polish, interface, and some mechanics, which may feel repetitive or unrefined to modern players. Despite flaws like poor AI, occasional bugs, and outdated graphics, the gameplay remains engaging and memorable for fans of hybrid strategy and role-playing games.
- “Mechanically, Spellforce 1 is a masterpiece of a game with a perfect blend of RTS and RPG and the best bang for your buck you will ever get in the genre.”
- “One of the defining strengths of Spellforce lies in its ambitious attempt to merge the RTS and RPG genres into a cohesive gameplay loop.”
- “You get the intense, thoughtful gameplay of a real-time strategy game, but with the added depth of an RPG where you can level up your hero, customize abilities, and venture into an expansive world.”
- “Most of the features by themselves are very poorly polished; the RTS aspect is all over the place and the RPG aspect lacks depth. The gameplay is very slow, difficult settings are broken, AI is dumb but can summon infinite units at will, yet the gameplay loop of the campaign is entertaining despite all these issues.”
- “After the player has finished the first 3-4 maps, there are not many new gameplay features they will find, and none of them are actually significant.”
- “Gameplay is painfully slow at times, making me wish there was a speed-up button.”
graphics
155 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
54%
14%
The graphics of this game, released in 2003, are widely regarded as outdated by modern standards, featuring polygonal models and limited detail typical of early 3D games. However, many reviewers appreciate its classic fantasy art style, atmospheric visuals, and consider the graphics charming or nostalgic despite their age. While not visually impressive today, the graphics are generally viewed as serviceable and sometimes even impressive for the time, supporting an engaging and memorable gameplay experience.
- “The graphics and animation are amazing for the time period (2003).”
- “Not only it had great visuals, the “smart zoom” feature that allowed us to quickly switch from RTS perspective to third-person RPG one felt mind-blowing.”
- “The graphics are actually quite impressive, the game has dynamic shadows based on the time of the day and dynamic colorful lights from some of your units.”
- “Graphics makes you want to scoop out your eyes and the combat is so dated it makes dinosaurs look like kids.”
- “The intro is 10x as slow as it has to be and the graphics suck.”
- “The expansion packs load but the controls don't work, the options menu is partially unavailable and the screen resolution stretches graphics terribly.”
music
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
36%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, atmospheric orchestral soundtrack that enhances immersion and fits the fantasy setting exceptionally well, with varied themes that suit different zones and moods. While some note issues like repetitive battle music, occasional low audio quality, and buggy soundtrack loops in expansions, the overall consensus is that the soundtrack is a standout, memorable element that significantly enriches the gameplay experience.
- “The soundtrack and sound design complement the fantasy setting well, with stirring orchestral themes and ambient effects that enhance immersion without becoming repetitive.”
- “An absolutely marvellous soundtrack by Tilman Sillescu, who I would easily name in a breath with Jeremy Soule or Howard Shore, makes this one of my favourite games of all time.”
- “The soundtrack is simply amazing, well, the ambient non-combat music at least.”
- “- The Breath of Winter DLC was done incredibly sloppily - some dialogues are not translated from German, difficulty goes into nonsense levels, and the soundtrack loops are botched. The OST even has Windows error sounds in it because someone forgot to listen to their own work.”
- “- The soundtrack is buggy as hell.”
- “Also, the music can become repetitive, especially the battle music.”
grinding
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
Grinding in the game is widely described as slow, repetitive, and tedious, involving frequent micromanagement, extensive enemy waves, and prolonged resource gathering that hampers pacing. Many players find the RTS segments unpolished and slow, making progression feel like a tiresome slog rather than engaging gameplay. Overall, grinding significantly detracts from the experience, requiring patience or multitasking to endure.
- “When you're expected to take down a hundred and increasing enemies with only a dozen troops, it becomes extremely tedious.”
- “While the RPG part of the game is fun, the RTS part is so unfinished and unpolished that it makes the game a really tedious slog to get through, and barely worth playing.”
- “Poor voice acting, irritating troop AI, tedious resource gathering, super convoluted character progression with no way to respec, endless bugs and errors, and other such points just make this a chore to play.”
stability
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The game is notably buggy and unstable, with frequent glitches, crashes, and game-breaking issues such as freezing, infinite enemy spawns, and problematic quests, although some can be bypassed with cheats or fixes. Despite these stability problems, patches have improved performance somewhat, and many players still find it enjoyable and playable, especially considering its age and low price.
- “Game so dang buggy, can't control the character once he starts running; mouse prompt will not work correctly!”
- “Buggy, sooo buggy, there are fixes that you can find online but I see no point in buying a game if it's not even patched properly and then I have to mess with the script files and what not.”
- “However, latest patch has spawning bugs on some maps (Farlorn's Hope) where the upper limit of 80 is exceeded by the enemy (300+ in one camp, 400+ in second camp) and game freezes as a result.”
humor
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor largely stems from its hilariously bad voice acting and amusing character moments, which many players find entertaining despite technical flaws. Its funny translation errors, awkward animations, and silly AI behavior add to the unintended comedic charm. Overall, the humor is a mix of intentional and accidental elements that keep players laughing throughout.
- “The English voice acting ranges from good to hilarious, but I'm willing to say it's more fun than cheap.”
- “Or the skeleton animations in a certain cutscene (that had me on the floor, laughing).”
- “English version also contains some funny translation errors, nothing major, but funny either way.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
50%
31%
The game's optimization is inconsistent, with many users experiencing significant stuttering and performance drops, especially during complex scenes or missions, despite using capable hardware. While some praise smooth scrolling and generally decent performance on newer versions, others note compatibility issues with Windows 10/11 and older machines, as well as CPU bottlenecks affecting gameplay. Overall, optimization remains a mixed aspect that can hinder the experience without tweaks or patches.
- “Inventory and crafting systems are robust, allowing players to improve their gear and optimize their hero’s performance.”
- “This was the first game I ever played, and the one I liked the most, in the CD version, and the Steam version makes it even better by solving all performance issues.”
- “Nice graphics engine, smooth scrolling, no performance issues.”
- “Look, the game was amazing up until a few hours in when it simply started stuttering and never stopped.”
- “I tried all the advice, looked for help in various different places. It simply broke during one mission and kept breaking in all subsequent ones. It begins by working normally and then the stuttering suddenly starts again, making the experience miserable. It's not hardware, it's not the configs, maybe a Windows thing?”
- “I'm on Windows 11 with an RTX card and playing through both patches 1.61 and 1.54. The amount of stuttering I had was all over the place: selecting units, moving across the screen, panning the camera, issuing commands just made it unenjoyable.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
79%
21%
Spellforce: Platinum Edition delivers a deeply immersive atmosphere through its richly crafted landscapes, evocative soundtrack, and engaging lore reminiscent of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings. Despite dated visuals, the combination of detailed environments, effective use of silence, and a compelling story creates a captivating fantasy experience that many players find timeless and uniquely atmospheric.
- “The game’s art style and soundtrack create a beautifully atmospheric experience.”
- “The landscapes are beautifully crafted, from lush forests to desolate wastelands, each with its own unique atmosphere and challenges adding to the immersive experience of commanding your armies and engaging in combat.”
- “Despite its age, Spellforce still is to me one of the most atmospheric games of all time.”
replayability
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
39%
23%
The game offers high replayability primarily through extensive character customization, diverse build varieties, and multiple quest paths to explore. While the core gameplay remains engaging with varied pacing and strategic options, some find the replay value enhanced by the large number of items and talent combinations. However, opinions vary, with a few noting limited replay due to a fixed story.
- “50 hours of gameplay and really big replayability rate.”
- “The gameplay itself is fluid, the story is great (although voice acting is terrible), there are hundreds, if not thousands of different items as well as countless build varieties and therefore a huge replayability.”
- “The leveling / character building aspects are fun, the RTS sides whilst simplistic are satisfying and it is enjoyable to build up a force and take down an enemy stronghold. That mixed with the maps where it is more character focused gives a nice variety of pace and with the option to either build as a right click and forget character or a more micro heavy one gives a lot of potential variety and replayability.”
- “As far as replayability goes, you don't have any varying choices, but you do have the previously mentioned outstanding amount of build varieties to explore.”
- “Replay value is ok.”
- “[td][b]content & replay value:[/b][/td]”
character development
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
Character development in the game is praised for its depth and complexity, seamlessly integrated with tactical combat and an immersive narrative. Players appreciate the robust leveling system, unique RPG elements, and meaningful progression through both story and gameplay. Overall, the character development is highlighted as a strong and engaging aspect that enhances the fantasy experience.
- “Combining deep tactical combat with a sprawling narrative and character development, Spellforce delivers a unique blend of genres that still holds up well for players seeking a complex and immersive fantasy experience.”
- “I absolutely love the RPG elements though, the character development, the loot, unique encounters in hidden corners of the map, all of it feels unique.”
- “Interesting ways of character development, good amount of units and enemies, nice travelling system, and more.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional impact is weakened by a lackluster RPG experience, featuring uninspired loot and leveling systems that hinder meaningful progression, alongside a story that fails to engage or leave a lasting impression.

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60h Median play time

65h Average play time

40-105h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 15 analyzed playthroughs

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SpellForce: Platinum Edition is a role playing game with fantasy theme.

SpellForce: Platinum Edition is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 65 hours playing SpellForce: Platinum Edition.

SpellForce: Platinum Edition was released on November 3, 2009.

SpellForce: Platinum Edition was developed by Phenomic.

SpellForce: Platinum Edition has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked SpellForce: Platinum Edition for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

SpellForce: Platinum Edition is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include SpellForce 2: Gold Edition, SpellForce 3, Divinity II: Ego Draconis, Heroes of Annihilated Empires, Warlords Battlecry III and others.

SpellForce: Platinum Edition

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