Info about Elemental: Reforged:

Official game description:
Build a civilization to survive in an RPG style world in **Elemental: Reforged**. Start the game by creating a unique character, setting up your opponents and entering a randomly generated world with the objective of finding and controlling the shards of magic. With each shard you capture, your power will grow unlocking more powerful spells and abilities. But be mindful for the other civilizations share your ambition.
**Reforged**
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Long ago, Stardock sought to create the ultimate fantasy civilization game. It was called Elemental. In this game, every unit was singular with its own unique items and equipment. Players could design their own cities, leveraging the resources and magic of the world. The world itself was transformable through magic with players able to mold it to their liking. The technical challenges in getting all this to fit into a 32-bit engine led the game to being re-designed and ultimately released in 3 different games that focused on key elements of the design: War of Magic, Fallen Enchantress, and Sorcerer King.
Now, thanks to a remastered 64-bit engine, Stardock has finally been able to take the best parts of the three games and bring them together; as well as add features that were cut before War of Magic was released including building cities to leverage the magic of the world.
**Never the Same Game Twice**
-----------------------------
Elemental is a game where the story revolves around the character you make and the decisions you make. Diplomacy is deep. Characters are unique. And the computer players have been designed to be challenging and non-cheating.
The world is your sandbox. The spells discovered and technologies available make every game progress differently, and how different civilizations react to you depends on your actions and your allegiances.
**A Strategy Game in an RPG World**
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This is a strategy game in which every unit has its own backstory, unique talents and special skills. You can use the units native to a given civilization or design your own giving them special items, charms and enchantments. Choosing between technology and magical progress ensures civilizations are distinct and unique based on game mechanics and not just lore.
**Deep Story-Driven Campaigns**
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For players who want to explore the rich and deep lore of Elemental, the game includes 3 new campaigns:
*   The Fallen Enchantress
*   The Legendary Heroes
*   Prelude
Each one explores an aspect of the history of this world and its ultimate destiny, as well as gives the player the opportunity to interact with interesting characters.
**A New Experience**
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Enjoy an all-new, user-friendly UI, optimized for modern PCs, making your journey through the world of Elemental intuitive and compelling.
Forge your legacy, harness magic, and reshape the world in **Elemental: Reforged**—where every choice echoes through eternity.

Release date: Mar 17, 2026

Categories: 4X, Civilization Building, Turn-based Strategy, Character Customization, Unit Management, Faction Management, Procedural Generation, Fantasy

Feature scans:
- Steam Deck: score 60; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: 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.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $10.00 - $15.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game worth the price, especially when it is on sale. The mention of waiting for a sale and the game being worth it at a discounted price indicates that the community considers a lower price point to be fair. The specific mention of the game being worth it at half the price of the completed version also supports a lower price range.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 50.0h
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 7.5h
  - Endgame: 500.0h
  - Reasoning: The evidence provided includes several quotes from users indicating their extensive playtime and engagement with the game. The first quote mentions thousands of hours across the series, suggesting a high level of commitment and enjoyment. The second quote indicates a significant investment of 49 hours with the intention to play more, highlighting the game's ability to retain players. The third quote shows a user losing track of time, playing for 10 hours in a single session, which underscores the game's addictive nature. The fourth quote references 550 hours in the original game, further emphasizing the long-term engagement. These quotes collectively suggest that players are likely to invest substantial time in both completing the game and engaging in endgame content.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: 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.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: Exploration and city placement
  - Time to anchor: 0h 30m
  - Friction: lack of a comprehensive tutorial; occasional crashes
  - Unlock drivers: familiarity with similar strategy games; engaging and fun systems
  - Conditions: solo play; familiarity with strategy games; interest in exploration and city building
- Player Archetypes:
  - Cautious Wait-and-See (sale)
    - Motivation: Value for money and a polished experience.
    - Playstyle: Prefers to wait for game improvements and stability.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: strategy veteran; casual player
    - Reference games: Fallen Enchantress; Age of Wonders
  - Strategy Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of strategic depth and fantasy elements.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys complex strategy and management mechanics.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: strategy veteran; fantasy fan
    - Reference games: Civilization; Age of Wonders; Fallen Enchantress
  - Nostalgic Old-School Fan (buy)
    - Motivation: Nostalgia and appreciation for retro gaming styles.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys games with a classic, old-school feel.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: old-school gamer; retro enthusiast
    - Reference games: Legend of Dragoon; Fallen Enchantress
  - Newcomer Explorer (sale)
    - Motivation: Learning and exploring new game mechanics.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys discovering and understanding game mechanics.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: new player; beginner
    - Reference games: Civilization; Age of Wonders


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Enjoyable combat and gameplay (weight 0.66): 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 (weight 0.55): 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 (weight 0.41): 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 (weight 0.41): 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 (weight 0.4): 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.
- Fantasy strategy and RPG elements (weight 0.33): The game combines fantasy strategy with strong RPG elements. It is recommended for players who love 4X strategy games set in a fantasy world.
- Engaging storyline and AI interactions (weight 0.23): The game features an engaging storyline and challenging AI interactions. The AI behavior is unpredictable, adding to the game's depth.
- Multiple language support (weight 0.23): The game supports multiple languages, including Japanese, Chinese, and Russian, with plans for French language support. This makes the game accessible to a wider audience.
- High replayability and modding potential (weight 0.18): The game offers great replayability and has a huge modding potential. This makes it appealing for players who enjoy long-term engagement and customization.
- Good value for the price (weight 0.14): Players find the game to be a good value for its price, offering a tremendous amount of content and gameplay for the cost.
- Compatibility with Steam Deck (weight 0.13): The game works well on the Steam Deck, running without issues. This makes it accessible for players who prefer gaming on the go.

Common complaints:
- Game plagued by bugs (weight 0.89): 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 (weight 0.38): 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 (weight 0.22): The user interface is described as clunky, confusing, and outdated, with controls feeling janky and frustrating to use.
- Tutorial needs improvement (weight 0.17): The tutorial is lacking in depth and proper guidance, leaving players without adequate instructions on how to play the game effectively.
- AI needs improvement (weight 0.13): The AI behavior is reported to be poor, with instances of cheating and needing significant improvements to provide a fair and enjoyable experience.
- Lack of direction and content (weight 0.09): Players feel there is a lack of direction in the game and a need for new content to keep the experience engaging and fresh.
- Performance and launcher issues (weight 0.09): There are reports of performance issues and problems with the game launcher, affecting the overall playability and user experience.
- Balance issues with creatures (weight 0.08): Some players have noted that there are balance issues with creatures and monsters, making the game feel unbalanced and unfair at times.
- Lack of new mechanics (weight 0.08): Players feel that the game lacks major new mechanics or surprises, making the gameplay feel stale and uninteresting.
- Camera issues (weight 0.08): There are problems with the camera, including it being too slow and having rotation issues, which affect the gameplay experience.
- Design decisions compared to Fallen Enchantress (weight 0.08): Some players are not satisfied with the design decisions made in comparison to Fallen Enchantress, feeling that the changes are a step down.

Gameplay feedback:
- Combines 4X and RPG elements (weight 0.48): 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 (weight 0.22): The game features a tactical turn-based battle system, allowing players to engage in strategic combat scenarios.
- City and kingdom building (weight 0.18): The game includes city building and management systems, allowing players to develop their kingdoms and research new technologies.
- Territory expansion (weight 0.17): The game includes mechanics for expanding territories, allowing players to grow their kingdoms and engage in major city battles.
- Faction and civilization creation (weight 0.14): Players have the flexibility to create and customize their own factions and civilizations, adding a layer of personalization to the game.
- AI and diplomatic interactions (weight 0.14): The game features AI interactions and diplomatic options, adding depth to the gameplay and strategic decisions.
- Unit management and design (weight 0.1): Players can manage and design their units, allowing for strategic customization and tactical planning.
- Variety of monsters (weight 0.1): The game offers a wide variety of monsters, enhancing the exploration and combat aspects of the gameplay.
- Equipment customization (weight 0.1): Players can customize their equipment, adding another layer of personalization and strategy to the game.
- Large game maps (weight 0.1): The game features large maps that can support up to 20 players, providing a vast playground for strategic gameplay.
- Unit customization through research (weight 0.1): Players can customize their units based on the technologies they research, adding a layer of strategic depth to unit management.
- Shared inventory system (weight 0.1): Items are stored in a collective inventory, making resource management more streamlined and efficient.
- Essence as a resource (weight 0.1): The game includes essence as a resource, which needs to be balanced and managed effectively.
- Procedural map generation (weight 0.1): The game includes procedural generation for maps, ensuring that each playthrough offers a unique experience.

Performance notes:
- Frequent game crashes (weight 0.58): 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 (weight 0.47): 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 (weight 0.42): 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 (weight 0.27): 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 (weight 0.21): 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.
- Compatibility with Steam Deck (weight 0.17): The game has mixed compatibility with the Steam Deck. While some players report it runs without issues, others experience errors and text readability problems specific to the Steam Deck.
- Sound issues (weight 0.14): Sound problems are noted, including issues with sound synchronization during combat actions. These sound issues can affect the immersion and overall enjoyment of the game.
- Game locking up (weight 0.13): The game occasionally locks up during actions, causing the entire computer to freeze. This issue can be particularly frustrating and disruptive to gameplay.
- Game stability improvements (weight 0.06): Some players note that the game has become more stable after certain hotfixes. These updates have addressed some of the initial stability issues.

Recommendations:
- Mixed recommendations on purchase (weight 0.28): There are mixed feelings about purchasing the game now, with some encouraging immediate purchase and others advising against it.
- Recommended for strategy game fans (weight 0.22): 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 (weight 0.22): Many players suggest waiting for improvements, patches, or discounts before purchasing the game to ensure a better experience.
- Good value for genre fans (weight 0.21): 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 (weight 0.18): The game is recommended for fans of Fallen Enchantress, Sorcerer King, and previous iterations of games in the Elemental universe.
- Try Fallen Enchantress first (weight 0.13): Players recommend trying Fallen Enchantress, especially for those not interested in the Beta version of this game.
- Young players might enjoy (weight 0.05): Young players and genre lovers might find the game interesting and engaging.
- Save game issues (weight 0.05): The game has issues with loading saved games, which is a significant drawback for some players.
- Refund requests (weight 0.05): Some players have requested refunds due to dissatisfaction with the current state of the game.
- Consider older versions (weight 0.05): Some players suggest looking into older versions of the game for a potentially better experience.

Other player notes:
- Excellent Steam Deck performance (weight 0.06): The game runs very well on the Steam Deck, providing an excellent gaming experience on that platform.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.19): Players are primarily frustrated due to frequent game crashes, bugs, and performance issues that make the game unplayable. Additional causes include lack of direction, excessive menu clicking, and various technical problems such as sound issues and translation issues.
- Excitement (weight 0.16): Players are excited about the game's future updates, features, and the potential for long-term support and expansions. The game's complexity, modding capabilities, and engaging gameplay also contribute to this excitement.
- Disappointment (weight 0.09): Disappointment stems from the lack of new content and innovation, as well as the game's overall poor quality and bugs. Players also feel let down by the lack of improvement and the game's unplayable state due to technical issues.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.07): Enjoyment comes from the game's battle mechanics, turn-based strategy, and overall gameplay experience. Players also appreciate the world-building, exploration, and character development features.
- Hopeful (weight 0.07): Players are hopeful about the game's future improvements and potential. They believe in the developers' ability to enhance the game over time and are looking forward to future updates and features.
- Hope (weight 0.06): Hope is driven by the potential for future success and the belief that the game will meet or exceed the original vision. Players are also hopeful about future updates, improvements, and bug fixes.
- Excited (weight 0.05): Excitement is generated by the game's features and the anticipation for future updates and improvements. Players are also excited about the game's future and the potential for the franchise to achieve its true vision.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.05): Satisfaction comes from the gameplay feeling right and the developers' responsiveness to feedback. Players are also happy with the improvements and the value the game offers for its price.
- Hopefulness (weight 0.04): Hopefulness is driven by the game's potential for improvement and the developers' openness to feedback. Players have high hopes for the game's potential and believe it can become a standout title in its genre.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.04): Nostalgia is fueled by the mention of old games and the remaster, as well as the reviewer's history with the series. Playing the game brings back memories of the good days and the original games.
- Satisfied (weight 0.03): Players are satisfied with the game's mechanics and features, finding it stylish and deep. The game meets their expectations for the genre and offers original ideas.
- Frustrated (weight 0.03): Frustration is caused by launcher issues, performance problems, and the lack of essential game features. Bugs and technical issues also contribute to this frustration.
- Disappointed (weight 0.02): Disappointment arises from the game's current state, lack of improvements, and graphics and UI issues. Players are let down by the overall quality and the lack of progress.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.02): Nostalgia is driven by memories of previous games in the series and reminiscing about the original game's greatness. Players enjoy comparing the current game to older titles in the series.
- Concern (weight 0.01): Concern is primarily due to game crashes and stability issues. Players are worried about potential bugs and the game's performance in the initial months post-launch.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation comes from the overall positive experience and depth of the game. Players also value the developer's passion and the game's overall worth.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Anticipation is driven by the expectation of bug fixes and additions. Players are looking forward to the game's development and future updates.
- Intrigue (weight 0.01): Intrigue is sparked by the differences between heroes in the game. Players are curious about the unique characteristics and abilities of each hero.
- Acceptance (weight 0.01): Acceptance comes from understanding that the game is in early access and may have bugs. Players acknowledge the game's current state and are willing to overlook some issues.
- Admiration (weight 0.01): Admiration is driven by the game's mechanics and updates. Players appreciate the improvements and the overall quality of the game's features.}