A new strategy called Songs of Conquest has entered early access, which leaves no fan of the legendary Heroes of Might and Magic indifferent. So what about this news?
- Platform: PC
- Release date: 05/10/2022
- Developer: Lavapotion
- Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
- Genre: Strategy
- Czech localization: Not officially, but translation will be available on prekladyher.eu
- Official website
Successor to Heroes of Might and Magic?
Certainly not for me. If you’re waiting for the continuation of the legendary Heroes, you’re in for a disappointment. But I must say that if you do not have high expectations, Songs of Conquest offers an unobtrusive alternative with a special approach. In total, 4 factions are waiting for you Arleon, Barya, Rana and the Barony of Lot. The game is very similar to similar Heroes, but differs in a number of things, and I will write about some of them.
In terms of looks, pixel art isn’t for everyone, and it’s possible that it can be confusing for new players. But if you give it a chance, after a while everything will make sense and you will be better able to navigate the map. Overall, audiovisually the game is great.
Initially, the game was supposed to have an official Czech localization, which I personally do not miss. However, if you are a fan of the Czech language, you will surely be pleased that an unofficial translation is being created and should be available soon.
Build and loot
The first difference from Heroes is the city building concept, which is more like games like Sid Meier’s Civilization where you have one main building and you build everything else around it. It is also interesting that the buildings are built after 1-3 rounds depending on their size (small, medium, large). What seemed endlessly tiresome was playing the game where you and your enemy had more cities and settlements. Using or destroying them will take you several rounds, during which your hero will be immobile. Which in the meantime gives the enemy the opportunity to rest and mobilize.
The campaign begins slowly, and the first two maps of the story campaign are more of a tutorial. On the third map, you will face a relatively pleasant challenge. If the campaign isn’t for you, you can now create your own maps and scenarios using the map editor. Needless to say, a local hot seat or online multiplayer. Personally, I still lack the ability to play in multiplayer with teams, such as 2v2 or 2v2v2.
Quality is more important than the quantity of the army
Don’t expect to assemble huge armies. If you’re one of those people who likes to accumulate troops in Heroes, you can forget about it in Songs of Conquest. The number of disks in a partition is limited depending on the disk type. While you only have a few of the best units, you will have dozens of basic units and, in exceptional cases, a hundred. Therefore, it often happens that the same unit has several partitions – for example, 3 archer compartments, each with 50 units. You can increase the size of your divisions through research, which also offers upgrades to your economy or the strength and defense of your units. Unfortunately, even with the best upgrade, you will not rise above dozens of units in one section. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this game mechanic – on the one hand I like the emphasis on the composition and improvement of the army, on the other hand I am one of those who enjoy the terrifying views of the enemies with thousands of skeletons at the head of their army.
The same limit is imposed on the number of these sections that the hero can carry. It’s an interesting idea that at a low level your hero can’t command multiple divisions at once. I take it rather negatively, because I think it is limiting just for the development of the hero. At each level, you are “forced” to improve your leadership, i.e. how many groups of units a hero can have in an army. Instead, I’d rather improve spell power or other attributes that I lack in Songs of Conquest.
Spell book for every family
Magic also offers unobtrusive concepts. Your heroes don’t have mana like in most games. Instead of mana, you use the so-called essences, which you get passively either from the hero’s abilities, or through research, or from units in your army. Each of the units on their turn dedicates a certain amount and type of essence to your hero, for which you can then play any spells. Each hero has the same set of spells available, but of course he can only use one for which he has the required type and amount of essence.
Finally
As I pointed out in the introduction, if you’re looking forward to new Heroes, you’re probably going to be disappointed. If you’re looking for a fresh alternative, I definitely recommend giving Songs of Conquest a try. The game is currently in early access. Needless to say, though, you don’t have to worry because the game is mostly finished and I’m expecting minor adjustments such as balancing unit and spell powers based on player feedback. I’m also looking forward to new multiplayer maps and maybe other minor changes or fixes.
Source :Indian TV
