Expeditions: Conquistador

I backed this early on Kickstarter so I got to check out the near-complete Beta several months ago. Despite being unfinished, the game still managed to hold my interest for a long while. I am thrilled to see that the commercial release is finally here. The game is a trifle rough around the edges, but at its core it is charming and quite engaging. There are some departures from historical verisimilitude, but these small sacrifices are in the name of gameplay and breadth of experience so they are easily forgiven. The character development is fun and a bit more advanced than many games in this genre. The homage to Jagged Alliance is palpable and appreciated. The tactical aspects are well-balanced, with some easy fights, a few challenging ones, and plenty in the middle. Aside from all of the above, the game also garners worthy praise for its unique theme.

A mobile game port it's not. What it is, is a turn based RPG. It's made by developers who love PC games and remember fondly the older style of games with affection. You can choose how you and your troops deal with the local inhabitants but remember there are consequences for your actions. It's not historically correct but then it wouldn't be much of an RPG if it was. I think those who like a dash of choose your own adventure, also those who like great writing and a wonderful music score, will appreciate Expeditions: Conquistador.

Pros: * Setting - 'real world' (characters and situations are made up, but it's more real-world than fantasy) * Gameplay - King's Bounty meets Oregon Trail * Resource management - fun to balance your conquistadors * Random events - usually they're negative, but they add spice Cons: * Combat - somewhat simplistic (and expect to face larger numbers in most battles) * AI - occasionally back tracks around obstacles and doesn't use its soldiers' abilities * resource abundance - once you get the knack of balancing your party in the camp, the resource management becomes irrelevant * Traps - a lot of AI battles can be beaten by extra-judicious placement of traps * Squad pathing - expect to spend time guiding your soldiers one hex at a time to avoid opportunity attacks. Other things: * Graphics - Not rocking anyone's world. * Music - Gets a bit repetitive. * Objective markers - quests can *sometimes* be tagged in your journal to appear on the map (hit 'm') * Obstructive models - sometimes obscure paths * A map - unobtrusive but useful In 7ish hours I experienced only one crash (which I couldn't get to repeat). That said - save regularly if you want to avoid getting into a situation (as a result of random encounters) that you can't get out of!

I've tried the beta, and wouldn't have hesitated to buy that version, and I've been lookin forward to the final version. What makes this a spcial game is the writing, the depth of the characters - and the consistency of the gameplay. Choices have consequenses all the way through, there are some brilliant twists to the combat and the AI is a formidable opponent. Not flawless - but what game ever was?