Wartales is a tactical RPG in which we must survive by utilizing the available resources and manpower. Developed by Shiro Games, the game offers fresh things to the table to make it different from the other RPG titles, and fortunately, all of the aspects manage to make Wartales a worthy RPG game. In this Wartales review, we will discuss the game’s greatest strengths as well as its weaknesses. Let’s begin.
At first, I was skeptical about Wartales‘ combat mechanics. Initially, I was confused by the movement process and each character’s abilities. However, as I progressed through the game, those mechanics became one of Wartales‘ finest strengths, as they allow us to determine what kind of combat we’d like to do in each scenario.
However, this game still has some issues that render it imperfect. One of them is the resource management system. It’s atrocious, as you must keep everything in check, and I feel it’s even worse when I set the difficulty to Expert, making it borderline impossible to do.
Wartales is available on Steam for $25.99.
Story: Well-Crafted
From the beginning, Wartales allows us to craft our backstories and the skills we possess. This is certainly a plus for me, as I can truly pick what I desire to be from the available options that range from being a group of fugitives to a group of up-and-coming adventurers.
Throughout the game, we will face many unique NPCs that can be our allies or foes. These characters all have believable motives and actions, giving us an incredible atmosphere to enhance our immersion during the playthrough.
Business Deal with an Apothecary.
Gameplay: Exciting Journeys and Battles
The bread and butter of Wartales is its gameplay, which spans from the battles, the Camping system, and even the abundant NPC interactions where you can purchase, sell, or even steal items from them… Which will get you into trouble with the guard patrols if you are not careful.
Although I sing many praises about Wartales‘ gameplay, one thing that I must criticize is resource management. The intervals on which I must pay my crews are atrocious; instead of a weekly interval, I must pay their salary every 3 days. While this seems like not a big deal, the fatigue paired with the short daytime makes this extremely difficult to control, even on Novice difficulty settings.
Battle Mechanics
The main star of Wartales is the battles that are scattered throughout the game. There are some aspects that make the battles in Wartales truly shine. The first thing is that your party’s compositions actually matter, even more so during the early playthrough. And you have the freedom to pick what types of companions you want throughout the journey. Not only that, but the abilities you can use during battles are great and diverse, giving you many options to sift through them.
However, even though the battles are great, there are some downsides to them. Firstly, the game does not have a dodge or deflect system that can interrupt an attack, so your party members are always dealing/getting damage during a battle. This is also why some battles turn stale due to the lack of variety. And lastly, the number of enemies that you encounter is always quite close to yours, and if it somehow isn’t, the extra units will arrive later, turning some battles into a forgettable experience.
Fending Off The Wild Boars.
Camping System
Another aspect of Wartales’ gameplay is the Camping system, where we can take a rest and sort out our party’s compositions and/or improve their equipment as well as give them assignments within the Camp, such as working in the workshop or ask them to be a thief that can steal items from the NPCs.
I am fond of this system, as it enables me to have downtime and to check my current supplies as well as plan out my next moves. I have to commend the developers because they were able to make one cohesive system that allows the players to do many things simultaneously without having to go to different menus, something that I appreciate.
Camping.
Graphics and Sound: Solid Supporters
In terms of graphics and sound, Wartales is rock solid in both aspects, providing a nice and vibrant graphical environment paired with beautiful soundtracks in the background. Personally, these are also my favorite aspects of the game, as well as Wartales‘ greatest strengths.
Starting with the graphics, during the battles and the open-world sections, they are simply breathtaking. Every part of Wartales has wonderful attention to detail and the landscape’s diversity is also worthy of commendation. I had a blast immersing myself in the views during my journey in Wartales‘ world, something that I rarely encounter when playing a game.
And finally, the sound design in this game is equally stunning, with many different soundtracks and crisp battle effects that accompany my journey throughout Wartales‘ landscapes. Overall, there is nothing dismissable in these departments, giving me a great experience by taking in the beautiful world paired with its distinguishable pieces of music.
-
- A Town Hall.
-
- A Bustling City.
-
- Snowy Terrain.
-
- Movement Grids.
Wartales is reviewed on PC with a review code provided by Stride PR.
