A grid-based war between two empires
Empires Shall Fall is a turn-based tactics game set in a dieselpunk version of the First World War, where the Black Empire and the Blue League have been fighting for domination. You pick a faction and take over its army: push the aggressive, war-waging Black Empire, or back the Blue League's holy conquest. The maps are laid out on a grid, and the controls are easy to learn, so the depth comes from decisions rather than from fiddly inputs. Combat is non-random, which means what you do matters more than luck — position, movement and the shape of your line decide how a fight goes. Terrain is part of every battle, so moving your units across the board is about finding the spot that gives you the edge rather than simply rushing to the nearest enemy.
Upgrades, unit types and boss fights
The roster runs from hardy foot soldiers to powerful tanks, and each unit carries special skills alongside its own weaknesses. Between and during battles you upgrade your army, which changes how it performs and how you have to use it. Some levels are hand-designed boss encounters that demand you put your tactical skills to work instead of rolling out the same strategy everywhere. Bosses and units with clear weaknesses reward the same habit: read what you are facing, then build the answer with what you have.
Playing with friends
Empires Shall Fall supports hotseat multiplayer on one device, so a group of friends can take turns challenging each other on the same screen. Each player commands in turn on the shared grid, which makes it easy to set up a match without extra setup or accounts. The game also supports Remote Play Together, which lets people join in through that feature. Alongside the competitive hotseat side there are three story campaigns with hand-designed levels, and the Steam feature list includes local multiplayer, co-op and PvP options alongside the singleplayer campaign.
What to know before you start
Expect a game where planning beats improvisation. The grid-based maps and non-random combat mean mistakes are yours to own, but that also means good positioning and upgrades can carry you through fights that look bad on paper. Levels are designed to test both brain and brawn, so you will need to read terrain, use unit roles properly, and know when to spend an upgrade where it counts. You can take either faction into the fight, and the three campaigns give you structured missions to work through rather than a single sandbox. If your group likes strategy that is easy to pick up and rewards thinking turns ahead, Empires Shall Fall is built for that — whether you are playing alone or passing the device around.