PREVIEW : Shields of Loyalty (PC)
Hex-based strategy games modelled on the ancient 5-star general series appear to be rather popular these days. Fantasy General 2 and Panzer Corps from Slitherine are two of the most well-known, but many others have been produced in recent years.
Shields of Loyalty is the most recent of several 5-star general-themed games to get early access. With gigantic fantasy armies battling each other on the battlefield, it appears to be pulling a lot of inspiration from the first Fantasy general. The game is turn-based, with the units moving on a hexagon grid, just like the games that inspired it. But, on the other hand, Shields of Loyalty is not a carbon copy of previous games and adds its twists to the system.
Story & Setting
Mantaria’s planet is in jeopardy. The dead have begun to walk after King Eldric II’s death. Dark magic is spreading over the globe, and only the heroes who were exiled by King Eldric II now have the power to preserve it. But, unfortunately, nobody knows where they are right now.
Shields of Loyalty follows a standard fantasy plot. There is a great evil threatening the planet, and you must locate people who can battle the forces of darkness. Despite being rather cliché, the tale isn’t bad, and there’s enough of it to put what you’re doing in context.
Presentation
An equally sad art style complements the dark and grimy setting. Shields of Loyalty’s graphics are detailed, yet the subdued colours and dark colouring give everything an eerie feel, aided by monster and human designs that are equally terrifying.
Shields of Loyalty is a hex-based game in which each unit represents a company of soldiers or a single heroic individual. The amount to which these units are animated varies depending on the team.
Archers will sway a little back and forth when standing idle, while gryphons will flap their wings, and most other units will fall somewhere between. Some attacks also trigger an animation. However, it isn’t as impressive as the troops themselves. When a ranged unit attacks, for example, a swarm of arrows will fly from the centre of the hex they’re standing on to the enemy hex’s centre, with the quantity of indicators dependant on the number of troops left alive in the unit. Non-ranged attacks, on the other hand, are not animated in this way.
Gameplay
You’ll know what you’re getting into with Shields of Loyalty if you’ve played the original Fantasy General, the current sequel, or anything like Panzer Corps; the games share a lot of concepts and themes. But, on the other hand, Shields of Loyalty achieves something different enough that it never feels like a clone; instead, it draws inspiration from previous games.
Shields of Loyalty is a turn-based strategy game in which you control a permanent army that you take from fight to battle. If an army unit survives, it gains experience and power over time, but if it dies, it remains dead. As you go through the game, you’ll face progressively difficult opponents, as it should be.
Moving within range with a unit and then clicking on the adversary is all it takes to fight. Melee units can only attack foes in their immediate vicinity; ranged units can attack enemies up to two hexagons away, and artillery can attack enemies up to four. However, placement is crucial. Of course, Terrain brings benefits and downsides depending on the unit, but the surrounding units are far more significant. Many teams have abilities that are activated when one of their neighbours is attacking or being attacked. If a branch near them is attacked, heavy cavalry will receive some hits from the enemy, while archers will support fire while assaulting and defending.
Most of the time, each side only has 1-2 support units, but with correct positioning, you can hit an enemy hard, and you can also ensure that your troops can deal with anyone attempting to attack them.
Aside from heroes, there are eight distinct unit types to choose from, each of which can be upgraded twice. Thus, you can spend your time between battles researching upgrades at a cost, and after a few matches, your promotion will be ready, and you can now enhance or acquire additional units of that type for a fee.
The upgrades don’t affect how a unit operates; they usually only increase its stats. However, the eight-unit types are fairly varied and have different strengths and weaknesses, to begin with. Enemy units tend to fall into these categories, albeit they can be a little more daring. After all, you’re fighting an army of undead, demons, and other monsters as a human army. Even yet, regardless of who commands a heavy cavalry force, it will function similarly.
State of Early Access
Shields of Loyalty is still in early access, which shows in a few ways. To begin with, it appears that when starting a new campaign, you will have the opportunity to play as a variety of heroes, each with their own distinct starting armies, similar to the original Fantasy General. Several elements have yet to be implemented, and the game will inform you of this when you tread on specific terrain features, for example. At the time of writing, the main campaign was also not finished.
There are also the typical suspects of bugs and a lack of balance. The game is still in development, so the levels aren’t quite balanced yet, but the devs appear to listen to input about what works and what doesn’t.
Closing Thoughts
Despite being so early in its early access, all the basics are in place, and Shields of Loyalty is a fun game to play. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done on it before it’s ready for the full release, but the potential is there for this to become a top-notch game, and the developers have been good at listening to feedback and fixing the more serious bugs that have shown up. Even if I can’t recommend buying the game in its current early access state unless you want to support the developers, but it’s defiantly one that people who enjoy turn-based strategy games should keep an eye on.
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