This game is like a Civilization made for DnD enthusiasts. You don't get to just play as some nation and write it's history - you get to [b]create[/b] entire species and their culture and evolve them even further as you go. At most, it's actually a great place to roleplay and write stories. At the least - it's just a cool 4X turn based strategy with very flexible customization of your faction and multiple ways to play it.
[h3]Story - ?/10[/h3]
I'll be honest - I didn't play enough single-player, story-driven scenarios. So I simply can't give a verdict on this game's story.
[h3]Gameplay - 8/10[/h3]
Lots of factions, lots of extra units that you can choose from, lots of different hero classes and lots of strategies. It's very flexible, it's not overly complicated, and gives you more than enough potential to reenact whatever power fantasy you have. In terms of combat - it's just a decent turn based strategy, straightforward abilities, some minor battlefield effects, spells, and heroes to lead the charge. Essentially just HoMaM, but far more visually appealing and rewarding tactics more than just sheer numbers.
The only questionable things worth noting:
[list]
[*] Multiplayer tends to be very buggy. You can get frequent disconnects, out of syncs, and in worse case - corrupted saves; or at least partially corrupted, forcing you to reload one or two turns back.
[*] The base game gives a lot of options to choose from. But naturally you're interested in having all the DLCs for full potential of mixing and matching; more than in most other games. And that costs pretty penny.
[/list]
[h3]Graphics - 8/10[/h3]
The visuals are nice. There are some really beautiful battlefields, especially in the local Wonders (dungeons). The color palette is very vibrant, the unit designs are detailed and distinct. It looks like just a nice, classic fantasy, be it grimdark, epic, mysterious, etc. - depending on what aesthetic you want.
[h3]Sound - 7/10[/h3]
It's just okay, overall. Nothing bad, nothing memorable that comes to mind in terms of soundtrack, sfx or voice.
[h1]Conclusion[/h1]
8/10. A good 4X strategy, with the biggest potential for customization. You really CAN make a faction that is tailored for your playstyle, your preferences in terms of aesthetics and/or narrative, and it can actually be viable. The only issue is the amount of DLCs you have to buy for the full potential, and the connectivity issues in multiplayer.
