Those Who Rule

About

Those Who Rule is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Eldin Turulja and was released on January 27, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Those Who Rule is a tactical turn-based RPG that puts you in command of new recruits in a low-fantasy, morally ambiguous world. Assemble and train your party, customize your equipment, and out-think your enemies as you unravel the secrets behind a conflict that threatens to tear the land apart. Will your leadership turn the tide of war—or will you be crushed beneath it? Fight Tactical Battles Ma…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 637 reviews

story145 positive mentions

stability16 negative mentions

Engaging tactical combat with a unique hex grid and zone of control mechanics that enhance strategy.
Well-written story and characters that provide depth and moral complexity, making choices feel impactful.
Solid class progression system with diverse character builds and customization options.

Lack of mid-battle save options can lead to frustration, especially with permadeath enabled.
Some characters and storylines feel underdeveloped, particularly in the latter chapters.
UI and inventory management can be clunky, making it difficult to navigate equipment and character stats.

story
458 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
66%
2%
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a solid plot with morally complex choices that enhance player engagement. While some players appreciate the depth and character development, others note that the narrative can feel linear and lacks significant branching paths, particularly in the latter half. Overall, the writing is praised for its quality, though some players express a desire for more side quests and character interactions to enrich the experience further.
- “The story gives you some difficult decisions to make and does a great job of illustrating how choices in life are rarely black and white; many times you have to make the best call with no option that makes you feel great.”
- “The story is in my opinion the strongest point of the game; it's a relatively simple story of war between nations (and within nations) with a lot of political intrigue, in a medieval world without any fantasy elements whatsoever.”
- “The story is surprisingly well written; I usually skip to get to the action but found all the dialogue to make sense and characters to be battling with some real issues for the setting.”
- “The story is the main issue of the game.”
- “The story is a bit predictable and definitely not the focus; however, the combat and strategy make it well worth the experience.”
- “The pacing of the story progressed too rapidly in the final parts of the campaign, and I easily finished the final battle in 3 turns as opposed to other missions taking 10+.”
gameplay
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
57%
1%
The gameplay in "Those Who Rule" is praised for its engaging tactical mechanics, drawing clear inspiration from the Fire Emblem series while introducing innovative features like a hexagonal grid, zone of control, and a unique shield system that enhances strategic depth. Players appreciate the character customization options and the balance of challenge, although some note a lack of replay value due to limited impactful choices. Overall, the game offers a solid and enjoyable tactical RPG experience, with a focus on rewarding gameplay and character interactions.
- “The mechanics are easy to understand right from the start, and they pretty much remain that way throughout, but it is probably the diversity and choice of characters that you can battle with (up to 14 once you get your roster going) that makes the combat fun.”
- “The gameplay is both complex enough to be interesting and simple enough to avoid mechanics bloating.”
- “The tactical gameplay is fantastic and reminiscent of Shining Force/Ogre Battle/Fire Emblem, but the writing is excellent, the art is gorgeous, and the music is great!”
- “There is no replay value since the choices aren't affecting the gameplay much.”
- “The skip dialogue feature is unintuitive and even harmful to gameplay.”
- “The core gameplay is fine when it's working but there are several freezes, softlocks, characters being de-leveled randomly, gold being lost from save/loads, etc.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
36%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the unique art style and character designs, while others find them lacking in detail or too simplistic for their tastes. Some users highlight the visuals as charming and fitting for an indie title, noting that they enhance the overall experience despite not being groundbreaking. Overall, the graphics are considered solid, with a few criticisms regarding character model clarity and aesthetic consistency.
- “The graphics are perfect for top-down strategy - character models pop from the background, are easy to see, easy to identify, and are pleasant to look at.”
- “Graphics are great, simplistic and crisp.”
- “The art style is beautiful and the sound/music fits it perfectly.”
- “Visuals in the game itself are not impressive and are low-poly purchased Unity assets.”
- “Somebody give this developer enough money for a sequel... with normal graphics... because my eyes are bleeding...”
- “The level of character art fluctuates; you can tell which artworks were done first and which were done last as the quality is transparent.”
music
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
36%
9%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its thematic quality and ability to enhance immersion, while others criticize its repetitiveness and lack of originality, noting that much of it comes from licensed audio libraries. Highlights include memorable tracks like Rorick's theme and the main menu music, which many found enjoyable, though some experienced issues with overlapping audio from previous saves. Overall, while the soundtrack contributes positively to the gameplay experience, opinions vary significantly on its overall quality and execution.
- “The music is deceptively epic and a joy to listen to as you march your toons across the battlefield or while clicking through your management menus.”
- “The story is good, character art is great, and the soundtrack is a joy to listen to.”
- “Fantastic music and a nice art style complete the package.”
- “The sound design is repetitive and the music generally unexciting.”
- “The music is not very good, and the character designs are not especially attractive.”
- “Effectively there is no original music, it's all audio library (purchased license).”
stability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
84%
The game's stability has been a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and a buggy interface that hampers gameplay. While the developers are actively addressing these issues with patches, the game remains unstable in its current state, leading to mixed reviews regarding its overall functionality. Despite these problems, players express optimism for future improvements as the developers continue to respond to feedback.
- “Also: no bugs, no freezes, no stuttering, no clipping, nothing.”
- “By all means, the game isn't bug free yet.”
- “I've encountered two game crashes to desktop in the 18 hours of playing, so it's not 100% stable and bug free, but plenty good enough.”
- “The game is nice gameplay-wise, but it's too buggy to call fully functioning right now.”
- “It constantly freezes and the load time to boot up the game goes well over 2 minutes.”
- “Unfortunately, this game is currently an unplayable buggy mess.”
replayability
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
53%
18%
Overall, the reviews present a mixed perspective on replayability. While some players find significant replay value due to choices and gameplay variety, others criticize the limited impact of decisions and locked storylines, leading to a lack of incentive for multiple playthroughs. Ultimately, the game's replayability seems to depend on individual player interest and the desire for achievements or exploration of different character rosters.
- “I've done 2 playthroughs already and plan on doing at least 1 more because the replayability is very good.”
- “There is a strong replayability factor in story (choices), roster (impossible to field everyone), and just plain fun factor.”
- “Amazing game, with amazing replayability.”
- “There is no replay value since the choices aren't affecting the gameplay much.”
- “Zero replayability.”
- “The game doesn't give much replay value since your choices don't matter much, only in the final game, so that's a step back.”
grinding
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
85%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in terms of weapon tier progression and troop management, which can detract from the overall experience. While some enjoy the tactical elements and story segments, the lack of engaging grinding options and the repetitive nature of late-game missions lead to frustration. The absence of quicksave features and the need to restart entire battles after minor mistakes further contribute to the grindy feel, making it a mixed experience for many.
- “The hex-based movement feels great—tactical, but not tedious.”
- “I spent so long grinding weapon tiers for all types just to hit chapter nineteen and see no SS weapons before the final chapter, bruh.”
- “While I understand the intent behind resource and unit management, the process becomes overly tedious.”
- “I'm on the last 2 missions, and it is getting a bit grindy for me, because in the last 4-5 missions, nothing changes much, and all the introduction of new characters, etc., falls off.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its clever character interactions and amusing scenarios, such as the unexpected combination of assassins wielding greatswords and humorous moments tied to gameplay mechanics. While some dialogue feels out of place with modern slang, the overall comedic elements are well-integrated and enhance the experience, contributing to a distinct and engaging cast. However, occasional awkward music overlaps during serious scenes can lead to unintended humor, adding to the game's charm.
- “I found it somewhat funny that I ended up having 3 assassins in my final squad... and all three used greatswords.”
- “I was pleasantly surprised by the gameplay to story integration, such as the hilarious scene of Marcus getting the HP growth increasing ring, as well as a Shura/boots moment regarding a late-game character's stats/skills.”
- “That said, characterizations of the other companions remain coherent, with a roster of characters that feel distinct and mostly authentic, with a few clever funny lines that never seem out of character.”
character development
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Character development in the game is highlighted as a strong point, with players appreciating the depth of strategic combat and the variety of class styles and specializations available. While some critiques mention that character designs and music could be improved, the overall gameplay experience, including the excitement of promotions every 10 levels, contributes positively to the character development aspect. The story and character growth are noted as enjoyable, enhancing the overall engagement with the game.
- “A very enjoyable medieval-style turn-based game with character development and different class styles, plus specialization.”
- “Give the game a chance and you will see deep strategic combat and nice character development.”
- “Story was good, character development was good, difficulty is challenging even on normal setting and non-perma death.”
- “The music is not very good, and the character designs are not especially attractive.”
- “While in a game where character development and story may not be the main focus, I can't in good conscience give a positive review to one that goes out of its way to toss these episodes out there as they are.”
- “Perhaps let people know they will be choosing promotions every 10 levels so they can get excited about future character development!”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
17%
33%
Overall, while some users acknowledge that the game has received optimizations, they feel it still requires further improvements due to high resource usage. However, many players report a smooth experience with no significant performance issues, bugs, or stuttering, indicating a generally well-optimized game.
- “Performance/bugs - almost flawless.”
- “Also: no bugs, no freezes, no stuttering, no clipping, nothing.”
- “This runs smoothly.”
- “Also, while the dev has made some optimizations, I think it should be optimized more since the game runs unusually hot like a demanding AAA title for some reason.”
- “In 2025, it doesn't matter where, AAA or indie, you usually expect a lot of problems with either performance or QA (bugs).”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Players express disappointment in the emotional depth of the game's character roster, feeling that the lack of diversity and depth detracts from their overall enjoyment. Many also lament the absence of a satisfying conclusion that reflects the impact of player choices on characters, leading to a sense of emotional disconnect. Additionally, frustrating gameplay mechanics, such as RNG issues and the inability to revisit missed opportunities, contribute to a feeling of emotional investment being undermined.
- “Lack of a satisfying ending; I appreciate the heartfelt thanks, but you could take a page from Fire Emblem and have a paragraph or two telling us about how our actions affected some of the characters and what they are doing after the events of the main game.”
- “Getting RNG screwed is part of the game, but restarting the whole chapter feels a bit too much, especially when restarting can actually skip into the next chapter. I missed the chance to do the side objectives unlocking key items; I cried inside.”
- “The story lacks depth and fails to evoke any real emotions.”
- “The characters are one-dimensional, making it hard to connect with their struggles.”
- “I felt no emotional investment in the plot or the characters' journeys.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its fantastic and immersive music, complemented by a unique and appealing art style that enhances the overall experience.
- “The music is fantastic and atmospheric, and the graphics feature a very unusual art style that I really like.”
- “The immersive atmosphere draws you in, making every moment feel alive and engaging.”
- “The combination of haunting soundscapes and stunning visuals creates a truly captivating experience.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game suggests that players may find it more beneficial to switch weapons rather than invest in weapon perks that add weight, indicating a potential imbalance in the game's economic system.