A fast fantasy strategy game with roguelike edges
Conquest of Elysium 4 is a quick turn-based fantasy strategy game with a roguelike streak. You pick a faction, work the map, and push toward control of Elysium. The game is dense with detail and monsters, and the big idea is that factions do not just differ by a single building or unit. Each one runs on its own mechanics and goals. A druid builds a forest and jungle empire to harvest ingredients for summoning woodland creatures, with little need for mines. A dwarf cares mostly about mines, produces units at a set rate each turn, and leans on upgrading those units because replacements are hard to come by. Twenty factions means twenty different ways to play, so campaigns stay varied as you fight for the map.
Playing together
The game supports local co-op and multiplayer, and Steam's Remote Play Together lets friends join in over a distance. You can also play on your own. Because factions play so differently, a group can split roles across the map rather than everyone doing the same thing, and the random map plus random starting rituals and combat spells keep each session from repeating itself.
Planes, rituals and random events
Elysium is one of six planes. The Infernal plane is home to devils and demons: summon a demon lord and a dark citadel is left behind without its master, banish a devil and it is sent back to Inferno rather than killed outright. Storming Inferno and slaying a demon lord on its own plane is the only way to destroy it permanently, and it is extremely difficult. You will rarely need to visit the other planes, but they keep running in the background and can change how certain actions and random events play out.
Most factions start with a random set of rituals and combat spells, and you can learn more during a game if you have the resources and find the right locations. On top of the aggressive wildlife, random events hit you too, from bumper harvests and bandits to the gates of the underworld opening into Elysium. Expect to be busy before you ever meet the enemy. The game is moddable, and the fourth version adds a new battle system, new rituals, monster descriptions, and random maps with varying temperatures.