Elemental: Reforged Review Summary

Enjoyable combat and gameplay: Players find the battle system and combat mechanics enjoyable and fun. The turn-based strategy and overall gameplay experience are engaging and entertaining.

Enhanced graphics and visuals: The game features significantly improved graphics, including better shading, lighting, and smoother animations. The visuals are pleasing and satisfying, with stylish designs and visible details on buildings and troop equipment.

Similar to Fallen Enchantress: The game is often compared to Fallen Enchantress, with many players noting that it feels familiar and is an improvement over the previous title. It is seen as the next step after Fallen Enchantress.

Hero development and customization: Players appreciate the hero development and skill tree features. The game allows for extensive customization of heroes, generals, and individual units, including weapons, armor, and accessories.

Responsive developers and active development: The developers are responsive to feedback and actively involved in the game's development. This commitment to improvement and updates is appreciated by the players.

Game plagued by bugs: The game is reported to have a significant number of bugs, ranging from minor issues to game-breaking problems that prevent saving and cause frequent crashes.

Early Access issues: Being in Early Access, the game has instability issues and lacks features, with some players feeling it is more akin to a Kickstarter condition rather than a playable Early Access state.

UI and control issues: The user interface is described as clunky, confusing, and outdated, with controls feeling janky and frustrating to use.

Tutorial needs improvement: The tutorial is lacking in depth and proper guidance, leaving players without adequate instructions on how to play the game effectively.

AI needs improvement: The AI behavior is reported to be poor, with instances of cheating and needing significant improvements to provide a fair and enjoyable experience.

Combines 4X and RPG elements: The game blends 4X strategy elements with RPG mechanics, creating a unique gameplay experience that appeals to fans of both genres.

Tactical turn-based combat: The game features a tactical turn-based battle system, allowing players to engage in strategic combat scenarios.

City and kingdom building: The game includes city building and management systems, allowing players to develop their kingdoms and research new technologies.

Territory expansion: The game includes mechanics for expanding territories, allowing players to grow their kingdoms and engage in major city battles.

Faction and civilization creation: Players have the flexibility to create and customize their own factions and civilizations, adding a layer of personalization to the game.

Frequent game crashes: The game experiences frequent crashes, including crashes to desktop, occasional crashes, and crashes during specific actions like loading saves or using certain features. Some players report crashes every few minutes, while others encounter them less frequently.

Performance and stability issues: Players report various performance issues, including slow turn-to-turn processing, lag, and low responsiveness. The game can become unstable, especially with larger maps or complex mods, leading to lock-ups and unresponsiveness.

Numerous bugs affecting gameplay: The game is reported to be very buggy, with issues ranging from minor glitches to game-breaking bugs. Players mention unclickable prompts, text readability issues, and various other bugs that impact the overall experience.

Graphical and camera glitches: There are several reports of graphical glitches and camera issues. Players experience problems with camera scrolling, graphical roughness, and other visual anomalies that detract from the gaming experience.

Modern 64-bit engine benefits: The game runs smoothly on a modern 64-bit engine, which has undergone heavy optimization. This results in performance improvements and a more stable experience for some players.

Mixed recommendations on purchase: There are mixed feelings about purchasing the game now, with some encouraging immediate purchase and others advising against it.

Recommended for strategy game fans: The game is highly recommended for fans of strategy games, especially those who enjoy deep customization, city-building elements, and are looking for something new and original.

Wait for improvements or discounts: Many players suggest waiting for improvements, patches, or discounts before purchasing the game to ensure a better experience.

Good value for genre fans: The game offers good value for fans of the genre or previous games, with plans for extensive gameplay and future DLC support.

Fans of previous games may enjoy: The game is recommended for fans of Fallen Enchantress, Sorcerer King, and previous iterations of games in the Elemental universe.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00.

Game completion: 50.0h.

Session length: 7.5h.

Endgame: 500.0h.

Players generally find the game easy to get into and fun early on, with engaging systems and familiar mechanics contributing to a positive initial experience.

Reported time to anchor: 30m.

Friction: lack of a comprehensive tutorial; occasional crashes.

Cautious Wait-and-See: Prefers to wait for game improvements and stability. Motivation: Value for money and a polished experience. Stance: sale.

Strategy Enthusiast: Enjoys complex strategy and management mechanics. Motivation: Enjoyment of strategic depth and fantasy elements. Stance: buy.

Nostalgic Old-School Fan: Enjoys games with a classic, old-school feel. Motivation: Nostalgia and appreciation for retro gaming styles. Stance: buy.

Steam Deck: The game has several issues on the Steam Deck, including the need for Proton 9.04 to run, small text size, and stability problems such as crashes on launch. These issues collectively contribute to a less than optimal user experience.

Excellent Steam Deck performance: The game runs very well on the Steam Deck, providing an excellent gaming experience on that platform.