War for Magincia

I am sorry to admit it but it was such a disappointment. If you are looking for a Kingdom Simulator, the first part of the game can give you some experience, although it's going to be rather clumsy. Not all of the specifics are clear and they are not explained properly (What does Agriculture reserch do?). When you finish the first part, you are expecting some expending of content. New lands to conquer or trade, new intrigues to unravel and etc. Unfortunately, there is nothing about it in the second part. We only get scraps of Kingdom sim of the first part of the game here. Moreover, it is full of bugs (like repeating diologes with already dead characters). If you are looking for a story here, then move along there is little to none to it. The main story is super short and very simpistic. Promised random events between turns don't really immerse you into your rule. They are more like, hey, want to buy cheap horses, sure. This kind of thing. So, if you are into Kingdom Sims better go reread Swamp castle. It is still pretty good and it's going to get a steam version soon. The Great Tournament 2 is great too. These games show that author really can make solid medival setting kingdom sims, and that is why it is so disappointing to see that with this game something went wrong.

Began good, went adequate, finished bad after taking rule over the Central Kingdom. Politics in the end is just utter boredom and ill-elaborated. Game engine is even broken, I could enter into talks with even dead characters. 5/10 game in my opinion, no match for Swamp Castle or Great Tournament. I'm really disappointed, I hoped for a nice new game for the start of the summer. Meh

This game has horrible mechanics! There is very little story in the game; It's mostly just management with very little improvement to your own progress.

The author screwed up with the RNG. I'm guessing he tried to make it more replayable but he focuses too much on it and doesn't do much with the story. It just feels like a subpar kingdom sim in the Choice of Game engine that doesn't work well with it. I hope that the author will learn from his screw up and go back to his previous style since he is one of the better Hosted Games authors and it'd be a shame for him to stop.

Cannot recomend it. Its dull, repetitive and boring. Almost has no story and you get absurdly overpowered in a few turns. Its not up to expectations and not up to the previous books of this saga.

Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 384: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆☆☆☆☆ (4/10) [i]War for Magincia [/i]aims to be a medieval factions-and-intrigue RPG with choice, war, and diplomacy, but it stumbles often enough that the ambition overshadows the execution. It has glimmers of strategy, narrative flair, and worldbuilding, but its rough edges, lackluster polish, and weak emotional impact keep it from being, well. Good. 🐎[b] Pros:[/b] [list] [*] Ambitious mechanics, concept, and setting. The idea of leading a medieval faction trying to secure a kingdom, negotiating rival factions, waging war, and balancing intrigue is solid. The lore has some potential, and the game gives you tools like diplomacy, espionage, and army management. The mechanics are a bit difficult to explain, but it's a micromanagement simulator: you have gold, troops, food, personal training, a village, and castle to all balance. You gain X amount of gold and food per season, and you have all the freedom to decide where you want to put your gold. You can save it for next season, splurge on the army, or upgrade the village. I respect the author for giving us lots of choice. [*] Replayability via choice and randomized events. Because there are random events and branching story trees, each playthrough can feel a bit different. You can try peaceful approaches, spy tactics, or full militaristic conquest. [/list] 🐴[b] Cons:[/b] [list] [*] Emotional stakes are weak. You never really feel for the factions, characters, or consequences. There’s little payoff when things go badly. The writing is just very dry, overall. Lots of exposition and typos and such. [*] Graphics, UI, and presentation limitations. So, obviously, this is a text-based game. And the game does have some images of the village, castle, and generals. But overall, the UI is very difficult to read. For example, you'll mostly look at pages that look like the below list. It's the same for defenses and village stats. I don't know if there's a way to make it easier, but all the expenses were difficult to read. My eyes would just glaze over: Peasants: 10 Milita: 20 Guards: 60 Archers: 25 Light Infantry: 40 Heavy Infantry: 48 Knights: 4 [*]Uninspiring middle and ending. The game prides itself on the beginning, the Kingdom Management. The story and diplomacy later in the story are lacking. [*] Polish and mechanical roughness. The game just lacks smoothness in its systems. Units, diplomacy, war, and espionage all feel shallow or underdeveloped. Some things (agriculture) is not fully explained. The transitions between narrative and combat feel jarring. You'll have one diplomacy event for the first couple of years, then one later. Feels like a lot of systems are promised but not delivered fully. [/list] [hr] If you enjoyed this review, please check out my curator page to find more: [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45814768-Verdict-Play-or-Pass/]Verdict: Play or Pass. [/url] Also, please leave a like and visit [url=https://steamcommunity.com/groups/Indie_Gems]IndieGems[/url] and our YouTube channel for more reviews like this one. [/hr]

Compared to other Choice-script games, it has a unique style which expresses itself well, I will warn however that this is way more game than it is story so if you're looking for a more story-driven game look elsewhere. It is quite short but I feel it takes as long as it needs to without making it's various tasks tedious. A good, short game with interesting references to his other books that I would also recommend.

I enjoy the game so far; it keeps you interested throughout the story. If you like his previous work then you'd like this.

If you enjoy the other games by Kempton then you'll like this game too. It adds a new kingdom sim mechanic to the story line that shows up in the Great Tournament games, but it is expanded on in this game. the story still has the same charm as his other games and the quality of the writing drives you to make some difficult decisions which does a good job immersing you into the story. It does lack the deep character development like his other Great Tournament games. Definitely worth the price if you're a big fan of the series. I would recommend.