Mordheim: City of the Damned Review Summary

High replayability and variety: The game offers high replayability with multiple warbands, diverse factions, and a variety of missions. Each playthrough can feel unique due to the different skills, builds, and random events.

Tactical and strategic depth: The game offers deep tactical and strategic gameplay with a unique movement system, high-stakes combat, and meaningful tactical decisions. Players enjoy the strategic depth of managing their warband and the challenging missions.

Addictive and challenging gameplay: The game is described as highly addictive and challenging, offering a brutal and unforgiving experience that rewards patience and strategic thinking. Players enjoy the high difficulty level and the sweet victories that come from overcoming tough odds.

Satisfying progression and rewards: Players find the game's progression system satisfying, with meaningful character development and rewarding moments. The sense of danger and high stakes adds to the excitement and satisfaction of victories.

Unique warband playstyles: Each warband offers distinctive playstyles, strengths, and weaknesses, providing a variety of strategic options and high replayability. Players enjoy the unique units and the different story missions associated with each warband.

Frustrating RNG mechanics: The game's reliance on random number generation (RNG) for combat and other mechanics is seen as overly frustrating. Players report that RNG often feels unfair and can significantly impact gameplay negatively.

Technical issues and bugs: The game suffers from various technical issues and bugs, including crashes, save issues, and graphical bugs. These problems can significantly detract from the overall experience.

High difficulty and punishing mechanics: The game is noted for its high difficulty and punishing mechanics, which can be frustrating and discouraging for players. This includes permanent injuries and deaths that can feel unfair.

Repetitive and boring gameplay: Many players find the gameplay repetitive and boring, with missions and combat lacking variety and depth. This repetitiveness contributes to a lack of engagement and enjoyment.

Clunky controls and interface: The controls and user interface are frequently described as clunky and difficult to navigate. This includes issues with menus, hotkeys, and overall user experience.

Complex turn-based tactical gameplay: The game features a complex turn-based tactical combat system with a high learning curve. It includes elements such as dice roll mechanics, warband progression, and strategic positioning. The game is set in the Warhammer universe and involves managing a party of characters with different abilities.

Warband management and variety: Players manage and customize their warband, which includes recruiting members, equipping them, and choosing their skills. The game offers a variety of warbands and missions, each with unique characteristics and playstyles.

Permanent consequences and ironman mode: Every action in the game is permanent, and there is no save-scumming. The game features an ironman mode with permadeath and persistent injuries, adding to the challenge and realism.

Permanent injuries and trauma: The game includes a permanent injury system where characters can suffer lasting effects from injuries. This adds a layer of realism and consequence to the gameplay.

Resource and loot management: Resource management and looting are crucial aspects of the game. Players must scavenge for resources and manage their inventory effectively to progress.

Frequent crashes and bugs: The game experiences frequent crashes, freezing issues, and various bugs, particularly during loading and combat. These technical problems significantly impact the gameplay experience.

Performance and optimization issues: The game is poorly optimized, leading to high resource usage and increased hardware temperatures. This results in long loading times and performance issues, even on dated computers.

AI and pathfinding problems: There are notable issues with AI pathfinding, causing delays and unexpected behavior during gameplay. This affects both loading times and in-game actions.

Long turn and wait times: Players experience long turn times and wait times for AI and enemy actions. This is compounded by minor animation and loading issues, making the game feel slow.

Strong art and sound design: While the game may not be graphically cutting-edge, it features a strong art direction and sound design that complements the overall tone well.

Highly recommended for strategy fans: The game is frequently praised by fans of turn-based strategy, tactical games, and challenging RPGs. Many reviewers recommend it for its depth, customization, and rewarding gameplay, especially for those familiar with the Warhammer universe.

Recommended for Warhammer fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of the Warhammer Fantasy setting and the original Mordheim tabletop game. Reviewers appreciate its grimdark atmosphere and deep tactical gameplay.

Not for casual gamers: Several reviews mention that the game is not suitable for casual or impatient gamers due to its high difficulty, steep learning curve, and complex mechanics. It is often described as challenging and uncompromising.

Unique and challenging experience: The game is praised for its unique identity and challenging gameplay. Reviewers highlight the emergent stories and high-stakes tactical combat as compelling aspects of the game.

Wait for a sale: Many reviewers suggest buying the game on sale due to its frequent discounts, which make it a better value for money. The game is often considered worth the price when purchased at a reduced rate.

Steam Deck: The game has positive aspects such as full controller support, which enhances the Steam Deck experience. However, significant issues include a chaotic and technically poor gameplay experience, frequent crashes, and lack of language support, particularly for Chinese users. These problems detract from the overall user experience and indicate areas needing improvement.

Monetization: The game has received mixed reviews regarding its DLC content and pricing. While many players appreciate the depth and variety of gameplay, there are concerns about the cost and fairness of DLCs. Technical issues and perceptions of the game being incomplete or cut up to sell more DLC have also been noted. Overall, the game seems to offer a rich experience but is marred by these concerns.

External guides: The game successfully captures the essence of Tabletop Mordheim and provides a consistently enjoyable experience. However, it lacks handholding, which might be challenging for some players. Additionally, players are relying on external resources for more information, suggesting a need for more comprehensive in-game guides.

Lack of Chinese localization: Players have noted the absence of Chinese localization in the game. A specific user was mentioned in relation to providing a Chinese translation.

External build simulation tool: Some players have referenced an external website, https://www.pyrospace.co.uk/mordheim/, for build simulation purposes.