PC Preview Code Provided by Shiro Games
Wartales is an early access role-playing and tactical-turn-based strategy game from Shiro Games, the creators of Northgard and the recently released Dune: Spice Wars. Due to its early access status, the game is still a work in progress and will receive several content updates up to and through its eventual, full release. With that being said, it’s more fun than a lot of recently released titles.
Wartales puts the player in the scruffy boots of a mercenary company who must make crucial choices as they find work, travel around the overland map, and engage with menacing beasties. From bandits to refugees, wolves to giant rats, and even some ghostly foes thrown in for good measure, Wartales is not your average fairy-tale.
Part of the difficulty comes from managing food, equipment, and paying your troops, while the tactical battles are no joke either. A large pack of wolves can easily turn your burgeoning company of 8 into a pile of skeletons without proper planning, and that’s part of what made this early access title a spot of light and an exciting prospect.
Gameplay
The difference between a business manager and a captain is negligible when you’re leading a band of mercenaries trying to find their way in the world. The balance of taking enough jobs to pay for food while not overexerting your troops in battle is a constant struggle and one that only gets more important as you add more men and beasts to your merry band. Leveling up troops also involves surviving battles, and plenty of your soldiers won’t make the cut.
As you make your way through the first few hours, it reveals the depths of its mechanics. The research trees start to open up, new professions become available, and the crafting mini-games become more critical. Then you find some rope and find out you can use it to take prisoners or take wild animals as pets. That said, while the actual task of roping a hungry wolf isn’t impossible, it can definitely lead to the death of a man or two.
The best part of Wartales is the sandbox. A seemingly open world that has its own power dynamics and characters that continue to act upon that world with no player interaction is so lively. Seeing groups of outlaws run from the authorities gives more credence to the fact that if you play your cards wrong, you too could be on the run from the law.
One of the things I really enjoyed with this game was its tactical battles. I’ve written quite a lot about turn-based strategy, and it’s definitely a genre that is difficult to get right. Luckily, the battles are quite a bit of fun. Simple attacks, interesting combinations of moves, and an easy-to-understand action-point system for special abilities to add some depth lead to a well-rounded battle layer. Camping on the overland map gives action points that your units can spend in battle, and certain abilities will also bolster those points.
Staying well-rested, feeding your troops, and not getting them killed in battle means they continue to level up, growing more powerful as you find or craft new armor and weapons. As you grow in fame, the world begins to open up and more stories will become available to you, and it is exciting to know that there is still more game to come.
Expectations
I couldn’t find many issues with this game, as it was well optimized, plays well, and had few bugs. As it is in early access, it’s expected that some things don’t work right or are placeholders, yet I couldn’t find a lot of them. A positive addition would be a more customizable difficulty for the sandbox or being able to modify certain parts to cater to the difficulty of each player. Something that confused me was the setup for battles, as it often split the parties and could lead to each group being picked off and killed. Having a better deployment phase or offering different deployment styles based on how combat was initiated could lead to more balanced battles, and allow players to not get gutted by thirteen wolves (maybe I’m still bitter).
Verdict
While Wartales still has time before it releases, it already stands as a great addition to the tactical-strategy genre. With a sandbox for players to explore and branching ways to handle the regions, each player will find different ways to interact with the world. Seeing how all those options play out will be interesting as we await the full release. If you don’t mind playing an incomplete game, you’d be surprised how much game there still is to enjoy. I would definitely recommend it!
Wartales is currently available on PC via Steam Early Access, with a full release expected this year. Check out the early access trailer below and let us know what you think about this article in the comments!
