Overall Impression
Empire in Decay mixes chess with deck building and roguelike elements to create a strategic tactical turn based game. In this way you have the deep strategic gameplay of chess mixed with the flexibility of a deck builder and the randomness and challenge of a roguelike. Altogether, it makes for an intriguing mix of ideas that can pull you in with an array of strategic options.
Target Audience
Gamers that enjoy theory crafting and strategy that also have some background in chess or who also enjoy tabletop or deck builder games may want to check this out. At the core it’s a tactical strategy game that can grip you with the amount of strategic decision making that is involved.
Gameplay
This is a tactical strategy game. It makes use of chess mechanics for unit movement. It then combines this with a deck builder shell that allows you to both deploy units and do direct attacks or apply supportive effects. The entire system is then placed within a roguelike to enable you to gain access to new cards and units and also upgrade them.
The core tactical gameplay is very intriguing. Similar to chess, it’s easy to learn and difficult to master. The core combat mechanics are relatively simple. However, it’s much more complex once you have multiple ally and enemy units on the board. You can damage enemies directly with cards to reduce their health. Furthermore you can capture enemies if they fall within your movement/attack range just like in a traditional chess game. Captured units will be immediately eliminated regardless of their health making the chess aspect vital to your overall strategy.
A match is won by defeating all opposing units. The enemy can win be either capturing your leader (with a standard move of their unit just like in chess when one unit captures another) or by doing enough damage to your supporters (doing an attack once they reach the end of the board). You’ll need to decide where to place units, and how best to dispatch and defend against the enemy. Overall, combat is deep, strategic and satisfying.
Narrative
There’s not much narrative in the demo that is currently available. We’ll need to wait for the full release to give an impression. It does appear that there will be multiple factions that will be represented each with its own distinct background and motivations.
Art & Design
The art and design is well crafted. It features a sci-if fantasy aesthetic with a mix of steampunk and Warhammer vibes. The details and finish are well done and it’s apparent that care was taken to producing visuals that are high quality and appealing.
Challenges
The main challenge of the game is the complexity that is at play. There’s not much explanation in terms of unit movement or combat terms and how they impact a fight. Much of this you will need to learn as you go. Fights can go from exceptionally challenging to relatively easy once you understand the basic movement patterns and which enemies to prioritize. Another potential challenge is will every encounter more or less feel exactly the same? Of course all these elements may be addressed upon full release as this is just a small glimpse of what the game has to offer.
Closing Thoughts
Empire in Decay is a promising strategic turn based game that utilizes chess mechanics in a deck builder and roguelike shell. There’s an intriguing mix of combat mechanics from each genre that make for satisfying combat encounters. The demo offers a small glimpse into what we may expect upon full release. What is available is quite promising. If you’re a fan of strategic turned based games, this is one to keep an eye on.
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