after i played this game for +150 hours i can safely say that it's worth my money.it's a very addicting game and deep too.it's hard to please the 4x crowd but for me this game is a 10.customizable factions+customizable units+customizable leaders+deep strategy=9000+ Awesomeness

I am shocked by the number of mixed reviews this game has received. I am a long-time strategy/RPG gamer and this game is fantastic! Let me address the most common reasons for mixed reviews:
- Bad graphics: Really? It's stylistic, and will get better with the expansion.
- Bugs: It's being aggressively patched by a great company.
- Lack of variety kinda true-ish... if you want more variety, it is very mod friendly.
- Poor documentation: yeah. there should be more.
- Misc other complaints: Again, patching. Stardock is very receptive to user feedback, and the AI is being improved upon.
In summary, FE is a great game, and once it has matured like the fine wine of a game that it is, it will I think become one of the best 4X games of the modern era.… Expand

I played the War of Magic game and was disapointed because I saw what the game could have been. FE fixed most of what was wrong, and has become a stronger game. I got the game for free because I bought War of Magic, and I also played a bit of the Beta. I was nervous on how the game would come out, but I was pleasantly suprised. I keep clicking the turns to get that one more quest, finish the next building, fight that next monster or finish that one tech. I enjoy the game, and what it is. There are a few things which could be improved.

The AI, on harder difficulty settings, has employed tactics to delay my armies through the creation of obsticles, throw-away units to delay me etc. so the AI could muster a defense. I was happy with this.

However, the AI doesn't seem to do much with the diplomacy options. It could be that I play against too many factions that are naturally aligned against me. Who knows.

I also wish the buildings stood out more in the cities, or you could zoom in more to see them. The major buildings and larger ones stand out. I would like to select each one and see what I spent time on building.

I find that heros are too few and far between for my liking, and being able to select enemy units during combat to view stats, vulnerabilities and strengths would be good. You can see this on the main map, but if you forgot to or forget what you read, you can't see it during combat. There still exists a few smaller bugs, or improvements the game can get through patches, but that will just further polish the game. I would say this game is definately worth a try. I'm actually going to submit this review and play a new game with something I just thought about doing!… Expand

Fallen Enchantress is a mixture of Civilization-franchise and Master of Magic. Additionally, equipping troops resembles me Master of Orion's ship-building. It's hard to learn, but once you know the ropes there is a lot of replaying value and pricing is attractive. There's no multiplayer at this point. Community is rather active and helpful. However, some annoying bugs can ruin gaming experience, but they are also addressed to.

FE is about fantasy-world filled with swords, dragons and spells. The storyline missions get very boring, so most value comes via sandbox games. There you establish a faction, of your own if you like, and its sovereign. You recruit heroes, establish new settlements, research technology, build improvements, spread your kingdom (or empire) and seek a victory. You beat the game by eliminating everyone else, forge an alliance with everyone still present, cast a spell of mastery or find a sceptre of dominion after doing a quest saga found somewhere on the world.

Both heroes and ordinary troops can be equip with new weapons and armor and they all gain experience by winning battles or solving quests. When heroes level up they also get bonus trait, whether it is more spells they can cast or new fighting techniques. You choose one from five possible outcomes.

All premade factions are very different. They are divided into kingdom factions and empire factions. Diplomacy is poor, but I can't figure out any such game where it's brilliant anyways.

Battles are more or less extremy lightly approached. Your actions can make some difference between different outcomes, but reloading and retrying is usually pointless.

Big difference of your strategic goal is decided which type of settlements you create. Towns are good for economy, fortresses are focused on military might and conclaves are specialised towards magic, research and mana. Cities level up much like in Civilization, but once they do you choose specific bonuses for them.

Resources are fairly balanced. There are no hidden resources you discover when your technology improves, but the level of harnessing the resources does.

Spells are effective, but somehow it feels that there could be more variety. It also feels like it's too trivial to reach spell of mastery -victory over all others.

A good diamond, and I sincerely hope it gets polished.… Expand

I have played just about every 4X game since Empire for the VAX, and I've found it harder and harder to find new ones that feel worth playing, but FE succeeds very well in this for me. Pros: * Addictive "one more turn" game play both in spreading your cities and building them up, and in the RPG progression of your heros. * Lots of customization of your empire and your leader. It's fun trying different combinations, from overpowered military rushes to archer madness to fire crazy mages of doom to power leveled henchmen using purchased quests. I haven't played the evil death magic slave lords yet, but I feel them coming on soon.

* General 4X goodness, with lots of settings to tune it to your tastes. You can adjust map size, number and quality of AI enemies, and tech pace depending on what sort of game you like. It plays and feels like a distant ancestor of Civ I should.

Cons:

* 1.0 version had some crashing bugs, but current 1.02 version seems stable.

* AI is better than many of these sorts of game, but could be improved.

* It is a little hard to figure they resource and production systems out at first, but they actually work pretty well once you're used to them.

If you like 4X games, this one is worth getting and sticking with through the initial learning curve.… Expand

It's much much better than the Elemental War of Magic. Kael did fantastic job to make this game an (almost) perfect 4x fantasy game.

Elemental : FE = Master of Magic 2012. Thanks Kael !!!

Fallen Enchantress has the potential to be one of the best games not only of the year, but of its kind. Unfortunately, that potential has not yet been met. Players who are familiar with the Civilization IV mods Fall From Heaven and Fall From Heaven II will recognize the influence of Kael / Derek Paxton, the lead designer on this project. It is obvious to any fan that he was trying to realize his creative vision in terms of a standalone game -- an idea that should excite anyone, but that isn't "there" yet.

Fallen Enchantress is also a great heir to the classic Master of Magic formula: It plays like a highly intuitive version of Civilization with magic and fantastic units included. When you first begin the game, you can easily find yourself pulled into the atmosphere and excited to see what your heroes, monsters, and beasts can do. For a while, it feels like you are playing both a great RPG and a great strategy game, as you build up cities from tons of building and strategy choices -- all while your customized sovereign explores the landscape, collects treasure, vanquishes monsters, and completes quests.

However, there are a number of problems keeping Fallen Enchantress from becoming truly great:

1) The graphics, although passable, are flat and do not create either compelling characters or landscapes.

2) The RPG and strategy elements do not always work together effectively, leaving you quickly feeling that you have exhausted your options on the RPG side. To be fair, this is often very true with other, more highly regarded games, such as Age of Wonders.

3) The mythology is usually very flat. While there are some fantastic late-level quests (the one related to the darklings and the Pit of Lost Voices stands out) most of the writing and flavor text is so-so. This is a result of Kael having to work with the frankly boring Elemental mythos. As we know from seeing his mods, he is great at creating an environment on his own -- but it doesn't translate well here.

If you can look beyond these issues, you'll find that there is a great, engaging game that's already very playable and enjoyable. It looks some of its impact in comparison to what it could have been, but I for one intend to stick with the community through all the amazing modding (which has already started) and expansions that are sure to become available.

Fallen Enchantress is a very ambitious project and a worthy successor to the games it's inspired by. When a few minor issues are worked out, it's sure to be a ten. If you're a big fan of 4X, buy it now -- otherwise, give it a few months to cook with the wider gamer feedback it's sure to get.… Expand

Stardock got it right this time. THIS is the game that Elemental should have been.

It's not without flaws - the interface is still a bit unintuitive, and sometimes doesn't respond to clicks. There seems to be no way to scroll the battlefield - not WASD or cursor keys; instead you zoom out, point your cursor somewhere else, and zoom back in. Cumbersome. Why didn't the testers pick this up?

But the core game is finally there. Battles are fun. The world is interesting to explore. The story is ok. Lots of equipment with strategy changing stats. The cities look great and so do the units. Battle animations are nice and it's fun just to see the different monsters, they look good and move well. I'm having fun.

I disagree with Guinevere, it DOES have that one-more-turn feeling. It's 11pm and I have to work tomorrow but as this review is now finished I'm off to start a new game .... :-) Well done Stardock! And Kudos to Brad Wardell for giving it free to "Elemental" buyers.… Expand

Fallen Enchantress is extremely fun and deep. Stardock has made an enjoyable world - but more importantly, they have made their own enjoyable world maker. I've played the vanilla game for countless hours and have never tired exploring the maps, mechanics, and content of the vanilla factions. As of the time I write this review, there are two fully functional and exceptional mods named Stormwold and Master's Affliction which give the player even more choices to enjoy the game. The community is awesome, and this playform will give hours of enjoyment for years to come. I refuse to give any game a 10 - but FE is worthy of a 9. There is awesome replayability with this game. Highly recommend it to fans of 4x strategy.… Expand

What A fun game, I cant stop playing. The start of the game is the most fun, i find my self starting over and over. Lots of quest and great build for Hero's. A lot of people keep trashing the graphics but i think the game looks great and plays great. The MOD making is fun also. A must have if you are not some D-bag who wants the game to be some BS super game. Oh and Civ games are good but there not that good.… Expand

From my view point as a an 28 yeal old 4x, mostly Civ-like and HoMM series games this game "fills the gap" that I didn`t even knew existed in my heart and mind. If you are like myself this type of a player that like to have impact on almost every aspect of the game (while not so overwhelming like in Master of Orion3) which is made inteligently you`re going to love this game from first play. Where?
The game presents to us a very damaged world filled with ancient creatures, hordes of bandits or similar bloodthirsty ruffians roaming the land. A world with deep history with connections and old grudges betwenn nations. Civilizations are one step from oblivion and the only person which can lead your men and women to the safe harbor is You!

How?
The options! Game designers presented to us a very big arsenal of customization to the civilization we pick to lead. Picking default soveregins or making your own is just a first sign of options the games presents to the patient gamer. The more you sink into the game, to more you try to understand and master the more you realize how good product have been given into your hands. I will just say, the way developers made the whole city managment, army customization, magic and economical system in my eyes is worth of a Nobel prize in game designing! Marvelous!

To sum up, for fantasy lovers with a taste for world domination this game is a must have!!!!… Expand

This game is great! I love how strategic and rpg game combined into one, with fantasy setting and heavy use of magic. You can even terraform the environment, raising mountains to destroy your enemy's city, or sinking land to ocean to prevent access from your enemy. I also loooove the cloth map. It gave me a classic feeling. Very great game and addicting to boot!

Fallen Enchantress is a great fantasy tbs game featuring randomly generated maps that keep you coming back. The game has tons of content and is among the easiest to mod in history. Stardock has also shown a dedication to the series that leaves me with no doubt they will continue to improve and add content to this game for a long long time. All the people giving bad reviews have obviously not played the game for very long, if at all. The longer you play this game the more it sucks you in.… Expand

Simply put, this game is amazing! Lovers of turn-based civ and tactical rpg will lose hours to this great game. Sure, the graphics are a bit dated, though not nearly as dated as some users report (comparing this game to a game that came out 13 years ago is not only truly ridiculous, it shows a true lack of integrity on that user's part). The mixed reviews show that this seems to be a love it or hate it kind of experience, but being such a huge fan of "how games used to be" and so tired of the insipid and countless "cover-shooters," I'm firmly in the love-it camp.… Expand

Been playing since mid-beta, and have had many hours of fun (about 100 probably).

With Stardock, you know that it's going to be a long-term investment, too.

The graphic is good. The lore is fantastic. The factions are unique, and the game presents very high replay value. It is definitely a great game! What I do like about this game is because I can design almost everything! I can create a custom faction, a custom leader, and even custom units! These customization not only for my current game, but can be used on other game. Once I customize something, it stays. And AI will use them too!… Expand

One thing to get right out of the gate: this game is not Master of Magic 2 (there might eventually be a mod that makes it pretty darn close, though). That being said, there are a lot of satisfying gameplay hours to be had here. FE's foundation is your typical 4X Turn Based Strategy, with cities to build, units to customize and train, spells and technology to research, monsters and empires to subjugate (or make peace with, nobody ever said you can't have dragons and trolls on your side). There is a campaign that I have not completed yet. It is fun and gets you into the lore of the Elemental Universe, however the true gameplay is in the sandbox mode. There are many factions to pick when you create a game (or you can customize your own - this game is big on customization). I've heard some people criticize FE because "all the races are the same". That couldn't be further from the truth. Each faction has a unique abilities and traits that change how the game is played depending on which faction you pick. From slave lords to golem crafters, the factions are unique. If you really have to have elves, undead, angels, etc. there's already a mod, Stormworld, that contains 13 new unique races that are typical 'high fantasy'. The art direction is also something that has received a fair amount of criticism but I find it has its own charm. Just like Torchlight 2, people who who found the game enjoyable because the "graphics are terrible" really aren't focusing on what matters. The painted/rendered vignettes are breathtakingly beautiful. The rest of the gameplay plays out like Civ on a square grid map where you found cities, research technology and build armies. The difference here is that there's much more emphasis on developing your leader or sovereign. Standard RPG elements come in here, where you level your hero (and any other champions you recruit) based on random traits that you choose from, like choosing between magic schools, melee abilities, unit stats, etc. There are quests you can undertake and areas of the world (randomly generated, but you can pick static maps if you so choose) called 'Wildlands that feature really tough monsters and a boss fight with loads of treasure if you succeed in clearing them. All these battles happen in turn based tactical maps like HoMM 5 and 6. This is arguably the weakest part of the game, but is still satisfying. Spell animations are cool, units have a wide variety of abilities, strengths and weaknesses. You can win the game by conquest, diplomacy, the master quest and spell of making (economic/research). The AI is actually pretty robust right now, and will offer a fair challenge to TBS veterans. Currently there is no Multi-Player right now, however the developer has stated they will add it during post-release support. The other faults of FE include some minor bugs, the balance isn't quite finished and the endgame drags on considerably (surrender options and the spell of making helps).

What it comes down to is that if you like turn-based strategy games and have the patience to learn the ins and outs of Fallen Enchantress' gameplay, a deep and rewarding gaming experience awaits. I'd give it an 8.5/10, so I rounded up to a 9.… Expand

Great game, TBS, 4X and RPG together, in an interesting fantasy world. Much, much better than the first Elemental. My favourite part is the RPG: sending my sovereign and some other champions on quests, getting magical stuff and increasing level, and then use them to annihilate the powerful monsters and the enemy sovereigns.

It still needed a huge polishing and few new concepts, but...
This is first game ever who can pretend to be master of magic 2. I have hope :)
With powerfull modding tools (very unusual this times, when corporations tends to cut off modders for small, stupid and costly DLC instead) game will grow.

These days its very difficult to find a game, especially strategy game, made with pc in mind.
Its way way bettere than Elemental war of magic ( a sort of failure last year) and the depth of the game its great. You have to play some hours to find many things that this game offer, firts minutes are not enough.

many reivews here seems to judge the game just for some minutes of play, just graphical impact but this game need more attention and patience to discover what has to offer.
Extreme modding capability also, and a develoepr studio that care about support, and wants to improve the game for a long time.
I put 10, also cause there are people that score the game too low based only in few minutes of playtime.
I have playerd many 4x games, and this one is very great, made to last not just some months but I'd say years. sorry for my english yea :)… Expand

Once upon a time, i played masters of magic. This game comes very close to playability and engrossing the other one did. It doesn't seem as fancy as civilization or similar games, but what it offers in terms of playability, quests and roleplaying is immense and excellent.

I am 34 years old, have been playing similar games ever since spectrum's sorcery, nether earth, hobbit etc.
This game is something to like or not like, but definitely worth every buck it presently costs.

A to the fun it gives, i must say my wife, son and I are presently fighting for playing scenario/campaign....… Expand

The problem with this game is its depth. You have to play a lot to understand the inner workings of the game. I love this myself, but I can see many people that doesnt like it on first try and gives up. I have played the beta since is first version, and I have seen all the small details that are in the game for you to explore. There are still many strategies I havent tried, and I will play this game on and off for years. Its also very moddable. A great example of the fun in this game, is that by doing a quest you can get a shadow rift spell, which gives you the ability to place a rift on the map that will generate tough monster armies. This is a spell you might find after playing for months. The game keep on giving.… Expand

Played through beta and must say it is very nice game, regardless if you like to create mighty magic empire or powerful warrior kingdom you will find something for yourself. Character advancement, quests and RPG elements are really refined and fantastic. While game is really good, it still lacks some masterpiece quality and does not captivate player into 'one more turn' mode, maybe it is because the game is bland and while it has everything you can wish for it lacks overall coherency.… Expand

Before I give you my review of the game, can I advise you to forget Elemental: War on magic and judge this game on its own merits. It's very different from the original. So ... to the game. Fallen Enchantress is heralded as a modern 4x game and for the most part, it does it's job really well. You control your leader, your soverign through a dangerous world, founding a settlement and then doing your best against a harsh environment and other factions. There are 8 factions for you to play against, all with different stats and special abilities. SOme of which offer better equipment and some which improve aspects of your diplomacy or building abilities. All are different enough but aethetically and statistically they could be better varied still. A minor quibble though. You can also create your own faction choosing colors, and talets. Once that's done you can create your soverign. There are lots of options in terms of talents, magic, weapons, clothes, aethetics and more but, like with the factions, I would still like to see more choice here. Though it's far more than you would get in most games of this type. Once your in the game it is familiar grounds for those used to the genre. The difference being the stunning atmosphere and myriad of personalisations the game puts before you. There are creatures to slay (And slay them you must should you wish to get pioneers through the lands to settle more cities), there are quests to complete, loot to get your champions, buildings to build, resources to discover and claim and battles to be fought. The battles are played out in a Heroes of Might and Magic style. They start out being hit for hit skirmishes but soon escalate into army battles. My largest complaint here is that the troops are generally no match for the champions but its not a terrible problem. Talking of troops, you can customize your troops almost as much as you can your champions and with real battle advantages rewarding you for your efforts. This game is much much improved on War on Magic and it genuinly my game of the year. XCOM was ok, but this game is fun and LONG after I am done with XCOM, I will still be playing this game. Should the vanilla game ever become repetative there are already mods being made for the game. My advice, if you like the genre, buy this game. Its fun, atmospheric and ticks the majority of the boxes.… Expand

Good:
- 4X strategy and RPG combined
- Customization of units (Would I like to build a unit with spear or hammer, Shield or not, Armor pieces of leather, iron mail, chain mail, Some perks to improve HP's, horse or some magic items etc)
- AI (good and challenging AI from release, this is really seldom in these days)
- Living world with dragons, ogres, spiders et to kill, Quests to be done and treasures to be found
- Bugfree, which you cannot take for granted either

The Bad:
- Playable races are all humanlike (no orcs here)… Expand

Fantastic strategy game from Stardock! This is the best game from them since Galactic Civilization2. The game has great gameplay, good performance and optimization and it has great replay value. Any PC gamer who likes Civilization, Galactic Civilization or MOM will love this one! Do yourself a favor and go pick this wonderful game up ASAP! The last game had alot of issues (Bugs, gameplay issues, crashes,etc..) but this one improves in every single way possible. The UI is also nicely improved and a good tutorial has been added. Stardock adding all these new people to help out on the game really helped in the long run.

Up there with Borderlands2 as my favorite game so far of 2012!… Expand