Pre-release impressions

I’ve been watching videos shared by streamers for the past few days and I can’t wait for the launch. Compared to the demo, the biggest difference is probably the enlarged battlefield. Manoeuvring in combat finally matters. Good positioning of units allows you to defeat much stronger opponents. The introduction of spell cooldowns is quite controversial but makes sense. However, the balance will need to be tweaked, and perhaps the cooldowns on the weakest spells should be removed. It’s hard to judge at this stage, but it looks like mechanically this will be the best game in the series.

Unfortunately, I have concerns about the graphics. I’ve got used to the game’s art style, but I’m not a fan of it. However, after the improvements, most factions and units look really good now. I’ve even grown to like the Hive, which is probably the most controversial. My biggest issue is with the Grove. I don’t understand why this faction doesn’t include pixies and unicorns. Especially since they have wonderful models in the game. Grove is meant to represent the forces of nature, the elements and the forests, yet their colour palette consists mainly of reds and browns. It just doesn’t fit at all. Grove’s native biome is simply awful.

The city-building screen also needs fixing; it’s ugly and hard to read. A lot of information in the game isn’t properly highlighted either. For example, there should be clearer messages about how many units necromancy resurrects, what stats and bonuses we get from different buildings, and so on.

Apart from Grove, which I think needs a major conceptual overhaul, these are minor issues that will likely be fixed during early access.

The game is brilliant and has huge potential. I hope it will be alive for many years to come and that we’ll get dozens of expansions for it.