Century of Conquest is a single-player turn-based tactics strategy game that blends hex-grid combat with real-time spell card mechanics on PC. Players take on the role of a hero who leads armies across a campaign map while managing both physical troop movements and magical interventions during battles.
Gameplay
The core loop centers on initiative-driven hex tactics where each hex holds one army stack. Stack size determines strength, allowing a lone dragon to anchor a defense or a swarm of skeletons to overwhelm stronger foes. Initiative order dictates movement sequence, while morale can trigger extra actions. Units feature distinct abilities such as counterattacks, splash damage, knockback, piercing strikes, and multi-hits that create varied combat rhythms.
Before every engagement, players deploy formations freely, and the game remembers these setups for subsequent fights. Terrain, fortifications, and positioning all influence outcomes. Energy accumulates during clashes to draw from a pool of 75 elemental spells across fire, water, air, earth, and neutral schools. These cards scale with hero mastery, turning basic effects into devastating ones at higher levels. Spells enable summons, undead raising, mirror images, troop enchantments, and other tactical shifts.
Heroes progress through 20 or more options with over 40 skills, forcing choices at each level-up across eight slots. Relics found on the journey support different builds focused on offense, magic, or resource gains. The campaign unfolds on a three-layer node map featuring recruitment points, supply caches, treasure vaults, garrisons, and boss encounters, with seeded runs and autosave support.
Game Modes
The game operates entirely in a single-player campaign format. Players select a hero and advance across a perilous map toward the overlord's gate, recruiting units and hunting relics along the way. Each run emphasizes different army compositions drawn from 59 recruitable units across four races, each carrying signature passives like flight, undead resilience, rebirth from ashes, or moonlight frenzy.
Siege battles form a distinct subset of encounters, requiring players to breach walls, burn gates, and contend with tower ballistae under mechanics that differ sharply between attackers and defenders. Environmental factors add layers, with six weather states and a day-night cycle altering unit performance, such as thunderstorms limiting archers or moonlit conditions boosting certain beasts.
Heroes, Units, and Progression
Hero selection and skill development drive replayability. Level-ups present binary choices that shape builds, while relics provide permanent advantages tailored to preferred playstyles. The codex system tracks every creature and spell encountered, encouraging experimentation across runs with fresh army lineups and magic schools.
Four races supply the unit roster, each with unique traits that reward thoughtful composition. Positioning and timing remain critical, as formations carry over and terrain interacts directly with abilities during clashes.
Is It Worth Playing?
Century of Conquest suits players who enjoy deliberate tactical decisions combined with flexible magical options in a single-player campaign. The initiative system, spell scaling, and environmental variables create consistent depth without relying on multiplayer elements. Those drawn to roguelike-style runs with persistent codex collection and hero customization will find repeated value in testing new combinations against varied map seeds.
The game remains in development and has not yet released, so its final balance and polish will determine long-term appeal. For fans of hex-based strategy with card-driven twists and expedition-style progression, the described systems align closely with established preferences in the genre. Availability will be limited to PC at launch.
