Wizards and Warlords
- September 25, 2020
- Valravn Games
- 13h median play time
Get on Steam"Wizards and Warlords" is a real-time strategy game set in a fantasy world. Players must build commissioned armies, cast spells, and conquer rival cities to expand their kingdom. The game includes a variety of units, spells, and buildings, offering strategic depth and replayability.
Reviews
- The game has a deep and engaging gameplay experience, reminiscent of classic 4X titles like Master of Magic.
- The developer is highly active and responsive to community feedback, regularly updating the game and fixing bugs.
- There is a vast amount of customization available for characters and gameplay, allowing for unique strategies and playstyles.
- The user interface is not intuitive and can be cumbersome, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game mechanics.
- Many game mechanics and features are poorly explained or lack documentation, leading to confusion and frustration.
- The game is still in early access and has numerous bugs and unfinished features, which can detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay62 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this 4x game is characterized by a steep learning curve and complex mechanics that offer depth and variety, appealing to players who enjoy exploring intricate systems. While the game captures the "just one more turn" feeling and features engaging economic and military gameplay, it suffers from balance issues, a lack of intuitive tutorials, and an outdated interface. Despite these flaws, the developers are actively improving the game, and its rich mechanics and potential for emergent storytelling make it a compelling experience for dedicated players.
“It has a rather steep learning curve, some balance issues, and the graphics are definitely old school, but the UI is functional and well done. The overall game mechanics work well, and it captures that elusive 'just one more turn' fun factor that seems so absent today in most 4X games.”
“The random world generation throws up all sorts of variety, and if you're willing to use your imagination a bit, the systems and emergent gameplay will really help you build some stories.”
“The gameplay is reminiscent of Master of Magic or Heroes of Might and Magic, with a turn-based strategic layer interspersed with a mostly hands-off tactical battle layer where you can set formations and use spells, but not directly control units.”
“Every mechanic in this game is so poorly thought out that the game eats itself in an endless cycle.”
“There are too many deities and a lot of the mechanics are non-intuitive or hidden behind an encyclopedia rather than a thorough tutorial.”
“The problem is that the basic gameplay loop is still quite flawed.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as "old school" and rudimentary, lacking flashy visuals and animations, which may not appeal to everyone. However, many players appreciate the simplicity and functionality of the graphics, emphasizing that the gameplay mechanics and depth compensate for the visual shortcomings. While some elements, like the map graphics, are well done, others, such as character portraits, are inconsistent, leading to a mixed reception overall.
“The graphics are not flashy, but I don't think it needs to be; the simplicity of icons is okay for what it does, and what it lacks, it makes up for with under-the-hood mechanics.”
“Though the one major graphic, the map, is very well done and conveys a lot.”
“Visually, despite its simple graphics, it's rather appealing to the eye; at least to me it is.”
“If you love slow grind-fests with graphics slightly better than Microsoft Excel where nothing is ever great.”
“There are no flashy graphics or animations, and in fact a lot of the unit cards and the like in the game are little more than stock placeholders.”
“It needs a graphics update.”
- story20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is described as a mix of emergent storytelling and procedural generation, where players can create their own narratives through interactions with randomly generated cultures and events. While some players find the lack of structured storylines disappointing, others appreciate the rich world-building and character depth that allow for personal storytelling within the game. Overall, it serves as a compelling platform for those who enjoy crafting their own tales in a fantasy strategy setting.
“There's the regular exploring and conquering if you want, but there's also event chains and emergent storylines.”
“What it is, however, is a fascinating story and world generator, which creates random worlds with unique cultures, histories (well, bits of them) and cosmologies, with a plethora of units (including semi-randomly generated units for each generated culture), spells, summons and options.”
“For those of you who like to use the 4x fantasy setting as a vehicle for storytelling and world-building, this game is truly magnificent.”
“In my experience, there is essentially zero story, procedurally generated, or otherwise.”
“There are no event chains at all, and any 'emergent storytelling' needs to occur entirely in your head, because no events that even hint at potential motivations ever happen.”
“A lot of people call this a strategy game, which it is, but even more it is a story generator, and not just the story of your ruling wizard or warlord, but the story of all that serve him.”
- music7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 29 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising its quality and atmospheric qualities, though some feel it lacks originality. While the soundtrack is considered excellent, there are wishes for it to be longer. Overall, the music enhances the gameplay experience, contributing positively to the game's appeal.
“Intuitive UI and atmospheric music.”
“I also wish the excellent soundtrack was twice as long (by the way, Stevie Wonder called and wants his intro to 'My Cherie Amour' back).”
“Music is better than I would figure for this kind of entry.”
“Music is solid, if not stolen from Deity Empires.”
“You know, 'gameplay', 'interface', 'soundtrack', all this sort of stuff.”
- stability6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
The game is described as a "buggy" experience with several annoying glitches, though none are game-breaking. While it shows potential, users caution that it remains unfinished and unstable, despite running well on some systems like the iMac with Big Sur.
“Runs great on my iMac with Big Sur.”
“Unfinished buggy mess”
“Buggy: no game breakers so far, but quite a few annoying bugs.”
“A bare bones, buggy fantasy 4X game that has a great deal of potential.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find that poorly balanced games often encourage farming exploits rather than genuine engagement with the mechanics, leading to a frustratingly grindy experience. While some improvements have been made to the user interface and game elements, certain aspects, like managing the acknowledgment list, remain tedious. Overall, the grinding aspect is seen as a significant drawback despite some positive changes.
“Poorly balancing games leads to players farming exploits instead of actually engaging with the game's mechanics creators spend their time and money obsessing over.”
“Kind of interesting, neat to see all the details, but in the end pretty grindy and frustrating.”
“- the acknowledgement list becomes a bit tedious every turn to have to manage.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the game's exceptional replayability, noting its extraordinary depth and numerous unique paths that encourage multiple playthroughs. The gameplay is praised for being engaging enough to warrant repeated experiences without detracting from the overall enjoyment.
“I think it's in a state now where it doesn't detract from the game anymore, and the actual gameplay itself can be judged, which has extraordinary depth and a lot of unique paths through the game for replayability.”
“So much replay value, it is amazing.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the game's intuitive user interface and atmospheric music, which together create an immersive and engaging environment for players.
“The intuitive UI combined with the atmospheric music creates an immersive experience.”
“The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its stunning visuals and haunting sound design.”
“Every corner of the game world is filled with a rich atmosphere that draws you in.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users feel that the humor in the game is lacking, with no engaging or intuitive methods to learn its mechanics, which detracts from the overall experience.
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game effectively captures the addictive 'one more turn' experience and offers substantial depth, but it suffers from optimization issues related to its interface and mechanical clarity.
“It gets the 'one more turn' feel just right, and has enough depth to keep things interesting, but is a bit unoptimized in terms of interface and mechanical transparency.”
