On first look, the graphics in Seven Kingdoms 2 may seem rather unappealing due to the empty and lifeless maps (the unit and building graphics are beautifully painted though). Beneath those simple and functional graphics however, lies a very deep strategic core. Like any other RTS, the military option to eliminate your opponents is always available but there're more indirect, subtle and equally viable ways to win in Seven Kingdoms 2 via diplomatic intrigues, espionage or economic warfare.
Players who are accustomed to conventional RTSes might find Seven Kindgoms 2 a refreshing change from the usual routine of gathering resources, building an overwhelming superiority in units before steamrolling over the enemy.
Money in Seven Kingdoms 2 can be earned from trade, tributes, taxes and war. With this money, you train troops, research new nation-specific units, build war machines like catapults and ballistae or hire powerful mercenaries and heroes to gain a military edge over your opponents, which can be one of 12 mighty human nations from Carthaginian to Viking or one of 7 monstrous Fryhtan races out to enslave humans.
While building up your armies in Seven Kingdoms 2, it's essential to keep a close eye on the amount of money flowing in and out of your treasury. Though it makes sense to haev a large and better trained army than you enemy, a large standing army incurs substantial upkeep costs while not being fruitfully engaged in war and the spiralling costs can easily wreck the economy. An empty treasury of course means that troops start losing morale or desert due to unpaid wages and buildings like forts, mines and buildings start falling to bits. Killing enemy troops and sacking buildings does help to offset the costs of maintaining armies though.
Each nation trains a different infantry unit by default, from Japanese samurai to Roman legionnaires. Another special unit for each nation can be trained upon further research from magic-blasting Celtic druids to Egyptian chariots which will determine the tactics in battle. Conquering enemy or neutral towns of other nationalities grants you access to different units to complement and provide more well-rounded and flexible armies.
Other than the troop types, the special abilities of the greater being for each nation will affect the choice of nation to lead. Some players may prefer fearsome offensively-oriented gods like Thor of the Vikings who hurls lighting bolts at the enemies while others might be more interested in Isis of the Egyptians who grants population bonuses to your towns allowing more troops and workers to be trained. The sheer variety of nations makes Seven Kingdoms 2 an exceedingly replayable game. And that's excluding the Frythans (unfortunately only available in skirmish and not the campaign) which require vastly different strategies to win.
As mentioned earlier, diplomacy and espionage play an important role in Seven Kingdom 2. While the AI is sneaky enough to infiltrates spies into your forts or towns in the heat of battle and turn the loyalties of your generals and troops and provoke dissent and rebellion, I believe that these options would be better experienced in multiplayer games with humans rather than the AI.
In summary excellent for gamers who crave a game with more strategic depth than conventional games of the genre.