izigame.me

I'm seriously torn on this one. So Ill list some factors and my thoughts on them.
Upfront I should say I have a major passion for the medieval period, have spent most of my life involved with it through academia, work, and hobbies. And am a huge fan of RTS and RPG games, so should be really predisposed to love this game.
Story:
The story is quite nicely told. The characters are pretty well written, especially for an RTS. And it does a good job of walking the line between obvious fantastic elements, while still feeling grounded enough... at least initially. And when they get "silly" out there, i'm willing to just go with it as the storytelling for the most part manages to carry it. The contained "help the peasants" and "rescue the heir" type missions had a very cohesive atmosphere with the story and gameplay supporting each-other well.
Overall big positive.
Sound;
The voice acting is good, particularly the narration and leads. There are some ham accents here and there but it feels appropriate in this sort of story. Music is solid. And sound effects are functional and atmospheric.
Positive.
Visuals:
Now I don't usually think graphics matter much in a good RTS or RPG as long as you can tell whats going on.
I will say the units and levels are generally pretty nicely designed (though I have some issues with historical accuracy lol). Fighting animations are functional enough etc.
On the other hand, the game has a lot of unit abilities. so the game often devolves into a mess of glowing circles and flashing lines, which I'll mention more later.
So I'm split there.
RPG mechanics:
For the most part are fairly fun, with equipment choices and upgrade paths presenting some interesting decisions about how you want to use the characters. And it's genuinely fun to replay earlier missions you may have struggled with and totally dominate the enemy... until you try a harder difficulty.
On the other hand there are a lot of very similar abilities so in a game without tactical pause, remembering exactly what each one does in the heat of the moment can be a REAL chore. And Im pretty confident the game is intended for you to do a bit of grinding here and there. I found myself stalling a few times where it just seemed like the difficulty suddenly jumped. That said: I'm sure a better player could go through without such cheese.
More good than bad.
Gameplay:
Its VERY variable. Careful movement and unit placement are VERY important. As is the careful timing of unit abilities. But juggling all that, with the heroes many (often barely indistinguishable) abilities, is a ridiculous hassle without tactical pause. And the rock paper scissors mechanic is very strong. If you let your cavalry get charged by spear-men and you don't immediately extract them, they are dead.
Now. When you are managing a small number of units/characters (such as the occasional more stealthy missions) that's a LOT of fun. You have the time to feel connected to the characters and carefully plan ability usage.
And at the other end of the spectrum, the BIG battles where you can pour mercenaries into the field, you can get by more with traditional RTS style play and using your heroes more like regular units.
The problem is the game often, particularly towards the end, wants you to micro 4+ heroes, and be dodging enemy boss AOE attacks, AND dealing with hoards of chaff with a small handful of troops that often cant be easily replaced.
REALLY cant make up my mind tbh.
Multiplayer:
Frankly its been dead from the moment of release. I've not managed to get a single complete game. And from trying the skirmish with AI it just doesn't play very nicely in my opinion. I couldn't tell you what the problem is, it just feels janky. It might be because of the AI though, as it tends to favour a quite disorganised rush which while not difficult to defeat, does at times feel a bit mind numbing when they spam the unit to counter whatever unit you just used to defeat their previous spammed unit.
Cosmetic unlocks:
Not something the game needs but always a nice inclusion. And apparently the game has quite a WEALTH of cosmetic customisation options.... which you'll never get to see, because they are all locked behind multiplayer successes, and multiplayer is dead. And no skirmish doesn't count.
I'm not even sure if the cosmetic customisation effects single player. I'd assume it does as that options menu is available on the campaign map. But no way to unlock anything. :(
Closing statement:
If you enjoyed something like Ancestors Legacy, you'll probably find something to enjoy in the game but its a very different beast.
In some ways it reminds me too much of Dawn of War 3, with its very MOBA-esque features. But that's a game I had to walk away in disgust, where I've actually had a lot of fun here... I'm just not sure if I should recommend it.
The good stuff makes me desperately hope for a sequel. And I desperately hope a patch comes along or some passionate modder steps in, and makes some QOL tweaks. (I'm not generally one who favours it, but this game really does need either tactical pause, or a major overhaul of the character abilities).
As the game is now, with no saviour patch or DLC in sight, its hard to recommend... but I do want to.
In some ways its a real gem, but that MOBA frenetic but precise game-play just isn't fun here, and feels at odds with how fast units go down, and how much other RTS stuff you need to be focussing on.