The Iron Oath – Review
The Iron Oath, a turn-based tactical RPG developed by Curious Panda Games, places players in the role of a mercenary company commander in an ever-changing mediaeval fantasy world.
What sets it apart from the plethora of other management/simulation games on PC, one might ask? You can do just about anything you want in this game, from running your own guild to opening and running a tavern.
Keeping track of a large group of mercenaries proved to be a challenge. Make sure the soldiers are healthy and rested, their equipment is well-maintained and there is enough money to pay them, the tasks aren’t close to being completed, the void dragon isn’t lurking around the corner, and so much more.
The Iron Oath is currently in Early Access on Steam and includes a taste of what the full game will have to offer, including six classes, four regions, and a section of the main campaign that will take about 15 hours to complete if you don’t rush through it.
It is expected that the game will remain in EA for a full year so that the players of The Iron Oath can help it reach its full potential. New features, such as the Company Council and Sea Travel, will be added to the full version of the game in addition to existing ones, such as the new region.
Your character, the leader of a mercenary band, will begin The Iron Oath on the path of vengeance. Caelum, a dangerous, ever-changing world, is no place for a lone wolf to take on the voidspawn and the Scourge on their own.
The protagonist, aided by a group of old friends, begins to assemble a mercenary team to take on the rest of the world and exact vengeance. There is a short tutorial sequence in the game that teaches you the basics of running a new business, including how to take and fulfil gold contracts and fight a variety of bad guys.
Traveling, exploring, going into dungeons, and even fighting are all tactically enjoyable in the Iron Oath. To keep players on their toes, the game always has something new in store.
Overworld travel requires constant attention to two things: your overall gold balance (mercenaries like to be paid! ), and the passing of time. Failure to meet a deadline for a contract can have a negative impact on your company’s reputation. Not critical, but not a good idea to let that build up.
In the course of your journey across the plains and deserts and caves, you’ll see the world change dramatically – the rulers of the land battle and change, there are time-limited events that have an impact on the surrounding area, such as a festival that gives extra contracts or an increased chance of ambush due to the overwhelming number of bandits in the area.
There are only so many potions, bandages, tools, and so on that you can take with you, and all of it costs gold that could be spent on equipment, rest or salaries.
To progress further, you must unlock dungeon tiles in a methodical manner reminiscent of Gordian Quest. It’s a turn to move from one tile to the next in the grid. Another possibility is an ambush or a trap that requires several turns to deal with. It is possible to receive additional affixes, such as mercenaries becoming fatigued or enemies becoming aware of your presence, every 20 turns during the run
You may be able to camp and rest your characters’ health and abilities in some situations, but this isn’t always an option in every situation. One of the affixes prevents you from posting sentries while you are resting, which increases your chances of being attacked.
There is a delicate balance to be struck when exploring dungeons: you want to see as much as possible while avoiding becoming overburdened with affixes and battles, lest the final boss eat you alive. It’s a lot more difficult than it appears, especially at the higher difficulty levels!
When it comes to battle management, The Iron Oath really shines. The game will ask you to form a team of four characters before you enter a dungeon or right before you begin combat.
The solution appears to be simple: gather your strongest characters, form a group, and set out. Even though The Iron Oath won’t actually stop you from picking your favourite characters, there are enough reasons why you shouldn’t.
Players who have recently participated in a battle are considered fatigued and suffer a variety of performance penalties and injuries as a result. Their skills and stamina are re-charged when they spend enough time away from combat (providing a buff). As a result, players are compelled to keep recruiting and training members of their B-team. And perhaps a C-team, too. You can speed up your recovery by staying in an inn in the city and taking advantage of the city’s infirmaries.
Do you recall the part where we talked about how fast time flies? It’s not just for the entire planet, either. After a certain amount of time, your characters will grow old and retire from your company. Since your strongest and oldest mercs are most likely to be affected, it’s imperative that you stay on top of training your more inexperienced mercs.
When you factor in the possibility that mercenaries may also meet their demise, it becomes clear just how important it is to always have backups on hand. This strategy keeps The Iron Oath fresh and exciting even if the overall gameplay loop is relatively constant.
No matter how many Stormcallers or Valkyries you have hired, their abilities and character traits could be drastically different. As you progress through the game, you’ll be able to unlock new abilities and improve the stats of your characters.
You should also pay attention to your equipment. Your mercenaries’ performance degrades over time, and there is no way to restore it. As a result, you may notice that your Guardian has become considerably flimsier and more flimsy than before.
Let us now turn our attention to actual combat. Turn-based combat takes place on a hex grid. During the deployment phase, you can place your troops where you want them on the battlefield before combat begins. The deployment phase is skipped by certain affixes in the dungeon delving stage or being ambushed.
There were a few quest-related battles where my mercenaries received reinforcements, which is unusual because you usually only control your four characters during the battle sequence. Enemies, on the other hand, are not unheard of in bringing in additional forces.
Each character has a limited number of actions that can be taken in the course of one turn. In order to unleash the damage, you can bring your melee characters into range or your ranged characters get around the limitations of line of sight. Instead of attacking or taking an additional action, you can use double move to travel a greater distance. Some abilities may take several turns to recharge before unleashing their full potential.
There are traps, holes, fissures, weak floor points, etc. that can turn the tide of battle for those who know how to use them on the battlefield. When a Pugilist kicks an opponent into a fissure, they take additional damage and are stunned. However, the same can be said for the characters you create.
The ability to create “dead zone cells” that prevent your characters from using any abilities other than auto-attack while they are inside is another interesting ability of some enemies. A sudden attack of opportunity could be launched against you and your characters as a result of your departure.
Despite being in Early Access, The Iron Oath is already a standout title. It’s possible to spend countless hours pursuing contracts, acquiring better gear, hiring and levelling mercenaries, and more in order to ensure that your company is the best it can possibly be.
As a fan of the current version of the game, I can’t wait to see what the developers have in store for it when they release the full version.
A greater amount of focus should be paid to certain areas than others. Despite the enjoyable story, the roleplaying aspect is missing almost entirely. Because there is only one possible response to most questions, the game is completely linear. The majority of your dialogues are limited to “Yes, we’ll take care of it” (Take contract) or “No, we’re not interested” (Refuse contract).
Currently, tracking and comparing the mercs’ gear to the vendor’s offerings is a tedious task without any interface guidance. Even if only for the main plot, the game would benefit from some additional subtitle settings and a voiceover.
