Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground
- May 27, 2021
- Gasket Games
- 12h median play time
Though the mediocre UI makes the game needlessly intimidating, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is an engaging tactics game that successfully mixes systems from multiple genres.
"Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground" is a turn-based strategy game set in the dark-fantasy universe of Age of Sigmar. Command one of the extraordinary factions and lead your army in fast-paced battles, collecting and upgrading new units, equipment, and skills. Explore all routes in non-linear campaigns, and defy other players in epic online duels. This game offers a unique and authentic Age of Sigmar experience.
Reviews
- The game features engaging turn-based tactical gameplay with a good amount of depth and variety in unit customization.
- The graphics and voice acting are well done, capturing the Warhammer Age of Sigmar atmosphere effectively.
- The roguelike elements provide a rewarding progression system, allowing players to unlock new units and gear as they progress through campaigns.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustrating experiences.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to manage units and understand game mechanics.
- The limited number of factions and repetitive campaign structure can lead to a lack of variety and excitement over time.
- gameplay265 mentions
- 34 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is characterized by solid turn-based mechanics and a variety of faction-specific abilities, offering a mix of tactical depth and strategic gameplay. However, many players find the experience marred by slow pacing, repetitive mechanics, and numerous bugs that hinder enjoyment. While the core systems show potential for fun and engaging gameplay, the overall execution leaves much to be desired, leading to a mixed reception among players.
“The gameplay is on point and addicting.”
“Gameplay is a welcome mix of positioning and clever usage of abilities and units; even the lower point cost units are extremely invaluable in one's battle plans.”
“The gameplay and depth of the game is pretty solid, and the diversity in both the unit rosters as well as the faction mechanics is really good, which makes up for the fact there's only 3 factions in the base game.”
“The core gameplay loop is boring, which to me is a cardinal sin of roguelites.”
“You only have 3 factions with few units and 3 heroes per faction... so the gameplay gets quite repetitive and dull, and in campaign you lose the moment your hero dies, which could be fine since they're strong, but truth is they get taken out easily if focused, so you could be forced to restart the whole campaign because of one mistake.”
“The potential of the core mechanics was not fully realized and the game itself is riddled with bugs, a clunky interface, and a scanty progression system.”
- story174 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely criticized for being minimal and unengaging, with many players noting that it lacks depth and coherence, often feeling like a series of repetitive missions without a compelling narrative. While there are elements of lore and some voice acting, these are overshadowed by gameplay bugs and a lack of meaningful storytelling, leading to a frustrating experience for players seeking a rich narrative. Overall, the story is seen as a weak point, failing to enhance the gameplay or provide a satisfying context for the missions.
“Excellent voice acting, good art, interesting story, and accurate and cool lore (and all the lore pieces are fully voice acted, which is super nice).”
“Each 'campaign' is a randomized series of missions to battle through towards a final battle to complete the story, which is the primary driver for you to keep playing.”
“Good animations, story, and setting.”
“The thing is – there's close to no story at all.”
“There's no story here, just kill the enemies and move on to the next forgettable arena.”
“The story itself is kinda weak and doesn't really seem to matter, so the primary drive to continue the story isn't really there for me.”
- graphics83 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally well-received, with many praising the art style and visual fidelity, particularly in capturing the essence of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar aesthetic. While some users noted that the visuals are decent but not groundbreaking, others highlighted impressive animations and immersive design, despite occasional graphical bugs. Overall, the graphics are considered solid, contributing positively to the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.
“The graphics are really appealing and capture the visual design of the AOS miniatures game faithfully.”
“The visuals are a feast for the eyes.”
“The art direction is fantastic; this game truly has done its best to stay true to Age of Sigmar's aesthetic for the factions displayed herein.”
“The graphics and animation are pretty, but the game gets in its own way.”
“There are graphical bugs in which units still appear on the battlefield even though their tile is empty and they are dead.”
“Fix this shit the game could be good but the graphics look like the morning bathroom ritual where I drop turds like it's meant to stop a world war.”
- stability78 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is widely criticized for its numerous bugs and stability issues, with players reporting frequent freezes, visual glitches, and unresponsive gameplay. Many reviewers feel that the game feels unfinished and should have been released in early access rather than as a full product. While some players still find enjoyment in the gameplay, the overall consensus is that the game's stability significantly detracts from the experience.
“Tldr: buggy, messy proof of concept game that could have been quite good, but ends up just being mediocre at best.”
“In all honesty this is one of the better Warhammer games out there, with that being said, it probably should've released in early access instead of a full release, because right now it's still really buggy.”
“Also, the campaign is very buggy in that sometimes you are sitting with an hourglass while it's your turn (so not an AI issue), sometimes the game will just crash.”
- grinding42 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively repetitive and tedious, often requiring hours of grinding on the same maps and against the same enemies. While some appreciate the challenge and find it rewarding, others criticize the lack of mid-fight saves and the overall grindiness as a significant detractor from the experience. Ultimately, the enjoyment of the game seems to hinge on one's tolerance for grinding, with some players deeming it a worthwhile endeavor while others view it as a frustrating chore.
“Hours of uninspired grinding on the same exact maps with the same exact goals, fighting the same exact enemies?”
“It's unfun, tedious, boring, and a waste of my time...”
“After about 16 hours in, I finished the stormcast campaign - grinding through the same levels with minor differences on extremis difficulty.”
- replayability42 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Replayability in the game is highly variable among players, with some praising its roguelite elements and diverse item and unit mechanics that encourage multiple playthroughs, while others criticize it for a lack of depth and repetitive gameplay. Many players find significant replay value in the campaign and multiplayer modes, though some express concerns about limited content and the potential for monotony after extended play. Overall, the game's replayability is seen as a strong point for those who enjoy its mechanics, but it may not satisfy everyone.
“The game already has incredible replayability.”
“It is a roguelite, and has a great amount of replayability.”
“Multiplayer and 3 factions with their own campaigns and a roguelike nature where you keep some progress but part of your army is randomized all help longevity and replayability.”
“There is no replayability to the game whatsoever and if I hadn't left it on overnight, I would have gotten a refund for the game.”
“Decent-but-unimpressive lightweight strategy game, not much depth of play, variety of units, or replayability.”
“However, after having played for almost 10 hours I feel like it does get repetitive soon with only limited units and a total of 3 factions - I am curious to see if they add more factions or units in expansions or DLC, which would help with the overall replayability of the game.”
- music24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it decent but lacking in catchiness and substance compared to the impressive trailer music. While the production value is noted to be good, many feel the soundtrack does not fully capture the game's potential, leaving a sense of disappointment. Overall, the music contributes to the atmosphere but does not stand out significantly.
“Sounds are decent, music is pretty good.”
“The music is okay, not as catchy but captures a good mood of what's in the game.”
“The pull here is in the nicely done models and scenery, the vibe of the music and the voiceovers.”
“The soundtrack leaves a bit to be desired, which is disappointing when considering the music that they used for the trailers was great.”
“The music becomes null, though.”
“Storm Ground has good production value and looks very good visually, much like an early 2000s teen-pop-star music video, but there isn't much substance to it.”
- optimization11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 36 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with many users reporting bugs, lag, and occasional crashes that hinder the experience. While some players appreciate the art style and overall performance, they agree that significant patches and performance tweaks are necessary to improve stability and reduce frame stuttering.
“I like the art style, performance is great and the gameplay loop is pretty fun and rewarding!”
“Needs some performance tweaking though.”
“[Enjoyable and with real tactical scope, impressive graphics, sound and performance, upgrading your war team is fun...]”
“It's buggy, unoptimized, laggy, and makes some weird design decisions.”
“I am experiencing occasional freeze frames and frame stuttering with some of the animations.”
“There are some bugs; I've had one crash to desktop, and you'll see the turn just hang now and again. This just needs patches and optimization.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its faithful representation of the Age of Sigmar, with visuals and sound effectively enhancing the experience. While some players desire more mission variety and faction diversity, the overall ambiance and aesthetic elements are considered strong and immersive.
“Everything related to visuals, sound, atmosphere is on point.”
“All in all, I think that the game looks good and captures the atmosphere of Age of Sigmar well; gameplay is enjoyable for me.”
“Nice little turn-based strategy game based in the Mortal Realms; the units and atmosphere are all very faithful to Age of Sigmar.”
- monetization4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is widely criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling it resembles a buggy free mobile game designed primarily for profit rather than quality. Many reviewers express disappointment, suggesting that the game relies on superficial marketing tactics rather than delivering a meaningful experience.
“This is a game that feels like a free mobile cash grab, a collection of buzzwords that corpos gave focus in order to make Q2 a little bit better with Games Workshop advertising and support.”
“Could have been neat but it's just a buggy cash grab.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely criticized, with multiple users noting that it often fails to elicit laughter and can be unfunny at times.
Critic Reviews
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground (PC) REVIEW – Fight. Die. Upgrade. Repeat.
Though the mediocre UI makes the game needlessly intimidating, Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is an engaging tactics game that successfully mixes systems from multiple genres.
70%Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground Review – A Mixed Hand
Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground is a solid turn-based strategy game that has some fun in its small corner of Games Workshop’s fantasy universe, but it isn’t unique or exciting enough to overcome ill-fitting roguelike mechanics that turn progression into a grind. The game will still appeal to some hardcore fans, and may become a better experience with updates, but for now, this latest Warhammer adaptation is routed by a few bad strategic choices.
65%Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground Review
This game didn't need to be a roguelike, and the quirks of its structure cast a bit of a pall over the entire product. There's an abundance of content here, with multiple campaigns per faction and plenty of scope for tactics... but enough of it falls into the category of "luck of the draw" that it's somewhat outrageous just how much essentially unchanged content it makes you play through over and over again when you fail — or even when you succeed. Warhammer fans will likely enjoy the lore drip-feed and typically portentous writing, but everyone else should probably steer clear of Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground. An impressive game for sure, but not in the way that counts most.
50%