Swords & Soldiers II Review

Swords & Soldiers II WIIU Review Screen 1

Do you want a beautiful looking, deep strategy real time game? Do you have a Nintendo Switch? Do you have seventeen pounds? If all your answers are yes, then what are you waiting for? Go buy this game! Well, I wish things could be as cut and dried as above, but nothing quite is! While all my statements are true above, there are always shades of grey to be seen.

Swords and Soldiers was a rip roaring success on the Wii, I first played it when it came out on the Wii U, I loved it. I am not really a real time strategy guy too, but the game was fun, the factions were fun, Vikings, Chinese and Mayans all brought their own style and made for an interesting game. Story mode and such added more value and overall I did really love it.

Swords & Soldiers II WIIU Review Screen 2

The sequel Swords & Soldiers II is the same again, but with the volume turned up on all the good things! Most strikingly the graphics are stunning; it’s like playing an Oscar winning French cartoon. The detail is very good on the big screen especially, but also on the game pad too.

The next big difference is the new factions also, both new factions are excellent fun, bringing with them new deep play mechanics. The Scottish sounding Vikings are back of course, you couldn’t have the game with out them of course, but the perfect fit for the game has been added! Demons are like from Lord of The Rings, horrid little goblins lead the charge, but the potential to raise the dead and send out giant ogres makes them great fun to play as! Persians add more mechanics different to the others as well, Genies, large gates, they are completely different in play style to any other factions. My favourites are still the Vikings of course but the other clans add something new and welcome to the fray! I miss the Mayan and the Chinese still, so fingers crossed for downloadable content for them eh?

The story mode is much the same as the last one, funny lines and fun gameplay move things along well and it is quite enjoyable. Skirmish mode is fun to just pick up and play, multiplayer is a great addition with the second player playing on the game pad too! Along with the ability to have custom armies for your multiplayer skirmishes, needless to say there are a lot of options. On top of that, there are side quests and mini games.

Swords & Soldiers II WIIU Review Screen 3

While I have been raving about the game and yes I do like it, there is just one thing, the price. Seventeen pounds for an eshop download, when I just bought Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush online for Twenty pounds? Can it be justified; I know Affordable Space Adventures was the same and the trend for ‘premium’ Eshop games are on the rise. Seventeen pounds is a high price in today’s frugal times for sure. I will say this, if you have the cash, get Swords & Soldiers II, the developers at Ronimo Games have poured themselves into this game, it shows, it is a work of passion, art even, I wouldn’t say to anyone to spend money they don’t have on anything of course, but this is getting a solid recommendation from me apart from that!

As for the Eshop ‘premium’ trend, well it is an easy one for me, if it keeps quality exclusive games coming to the Switch Eshop, keep them coming, the more the merrier, people need to treat themselves to these types of things from time to time! Bottom line, support your Indies, have fun, win –win! I am following that from now on anyway, as long as I can afford it that is!

REVIEW CODE: A FREE Nintendo Switch code was provided to Brash Games for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to editor@brashgames.co.uk.

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