Spellforce: Conquest of Eo is the newest title in the SpellForce series, which has been around gaming since 2004. These real-time strategy games have marked the industry forever, so the question that should be asked is where does Conquest of EO lie in the annals of this storied franchise. That is a complicated question.

For starters, the gameplay is the title's strongest factor by far. Whether it is exploring the world of EO, gathering resources and recruiting or engaging in combat, the game can be incredibly fun. The title's gameplay feels very similar to that of Total War and while because of that, the game does not necessarily reinvent the wheel, it manages to maintain its own unique qualities. At the start of the game, players are greeted to three archetypes that players can engage in.

The Alchemist, The Necromancer and the Artificer. Each of these archetypes has unique ways to play, with each of them being able to master their own sections of magic and also providing certain bonuses. For example,e Artificers can craft glyphs and artifacts, whilst Necromancers can 'breathe new life into the fallen', each informing different and exciting playstyles.

The combat, in particular, is incredibly different to Total War. As opposed to those grandiose style battles that many players have become accustomed to, Spellforce: Conquest of Eo instead settles for the more methodical turn-based style. This style creates a fantastic environment for tactical thinking and encourages players to think outside of the box.

It can, however, in some cases, feel quite flat. Many of the attacks feel somewhat repetitive and ultimately removes variety from the title. Unlike other turn-based titles, there is nothing particularly outstanding or unique in terms of the combat, which unfortunately leaves it somewhat bland, and you may end up resolving to auto-battle more than you'd like.

Players will hire a variety of monsters and mercenaries which feel somewhat unique in their own right. Luckily, each of the in-game characters and units has a pool of deep and exquisite lore of the Spellforce universe, allowing players to learn about the expansive game world that they are going to inhabit.

Outside of the combat, players are expected to research and gather materials to upgrade units and become the most powerful mage of all. The research system is based upon a grimoire where you will focus on certain spells, potions, and creations depending on your archetype. This aspect of the game is more passive but is still quite satisfying as you build up the various spells that you can acquire.

In addition to this, it is in these extra menus where players can heal their units and, in most cases, must heal their units. One of the more interesting aspects is also the utilization of spells on the world map. This can damage units prior to engaging, which may give you an edge in battle, which does actually serve as an excellent bonus prior to combat.

The world map of Spellforce: Conquest of Eo allows you to explore encountering new areas from your starting area and picking up side quests as you traverse the landscape. These side quests can, in some instances, become massive, sprawling adventures that take you across the world map. However, the unfortunate thing is that many of the objectives are a little repetitive and tedious.

You can gather resources and recruit more units to your cause, and even more interesting, you can recruit heroes and apprentices to assist you during combat. These heroes can be equipped with armor and upgraded to gain unique skills and feel far more personable than the rest of the 'faceless' units.

In terms of the game's narrative, it is decent. The general story can hold you in some cases, but for the most part, it is quite basic motivation, only serving to move the game along so you can continue to upgrade your units and such. It does have an interesting RPG-type system, however. Players can decide on certain decisions which can have impacts which are handily explained (In some cases) next to the options.

This can create a far more intimate experience than can be commonly found in strategy games like this. Rather than a group of goblins automatically being enemies, players can choose to possibly wait and maybe engage them in conversation, leading to growth in their own personal army. This dynamism makes the game much more engaging.

The game does have some issues; however, performance-wise, in my experience, it struggled. My personal machine isn't top of the line; regardless, even when turned onto the lowest settings, this game lagged at various points and crashed several times on launch. It is entirely possible on more powerful machines that this issue could be rectified, but it is not a 100% certainty, and the issues were so consistent I had to mention them here.

Graphically the game is average. Some of the environments, particularly the snowy areas, stand out visually far more than the rest. The use of color across the map is liberal and provides an intense amount of variety in the visuals. The visuals during the combat sections are where the graphics of the game truly shine. From castles to caves to mountains and valleys. The combat sections of this game can be breathtaking to look at. There can be some visual clipping, and there were muddy textures that would break that intense feeling of immersion.

The UI of Spellforce: Conquest of Eo is exceptional. Every aspect of it is gorgeous and concise, with a superb style that jumps off of the screen. It is a fantastic UI design that is incredibly easy to understand; this links well with the game tutorial, which is exceptional. The tutorial does not go too quick and leave players behind; instead, it is wonderfully patient, and everything is well explained, and because of that, the game felt incredibly easy to get to grips with.

Audio-wise, the game is, unfortunately, a letdown. The sounds ultimately feel weak and lack any sort of major punch. Casting spells feels bland, and generally, the audio drags the whole experience down. Poor sound design has the ability to kill so much for a game, and in the case, for SpellForce, the weak sounds can make the combat more of a drag than it needs to be.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, musically, the game is fantastic. Every track is well made and provides this 'grandiose' feeling, whether exploring or in combat. Of course, the music's quality does oddly enough make the general audio 'feel worse', which creates this unfortunate duality which is present throughout the game.

Overall, SpellForce: Conquest of Eo is a superbly average game. The great music and fantastic UI are offset by poor sound design and muddy map textures. The combat is standard turn-based at best and, in some cases, can borderline be painful and tedious. The narrative has some interesting moments, and the unique RPG aspects make the game far more engaging, especially in those non-combat moments. It's a game that does not reinvent anything, and in fact, the biggest sin of this title is the sin of 'safety'.

Much of the game does the work of other strategy games but not quite at the same level of quality of other titles. Spellforce: Conquest of Eo, sadly, does not get out of its own way.
 

Joshua Burt (@JoshuaBurt123),
Senior Editor, NoobFeed