Art of Conquest: Dark Horizon review

Art of Conquest is an atypical online strategy game that was released in 2017 and quickly gained great popularity. It is distinguished from similar games by the depth of gameplay. First, the hero can move around the global map, explore regions, and collect resources. This is very reminiscent of the gameplay of the good old Heroes of Sword and Magic.

Secondly, before any combat, the player can arrange the troops in the formation he needs. Enemy cavalry in the front line? Lances to the vanguard! Too many archers? Swordsmen are the best choice. With all that said, you can also use the heroes' skills during the battle: freeze entire areas with enemies, summon additional gunners, and do many other interesting things.

This game is the spiritual successor to Heroes of Sword and Magic. A huge number of mechanics are taken straight from there, and corrections for modern realities made the gameplay easier and more accessible to most players.

The first thing that catches the eye is the way of control. The player looks at his army from above and, by tapping on the screen, gives the command to move. During the journey, you can find army reinforcements, enemies, and resources. Resources are of utmost importance in the game. They can be found on the map, mined in battle.

They can be recruited in the future, but the number of these characters in the army is limited. Each hero increases the maximum size of the squad, and representatives of new races will open up the opportunity to start playing for that race.

The player's manor has a very important role. Increasing the level of the castle opens up new game possibilities, such as opening up new territories or the ability to change races. Additional buildings allow you to conduct research, strengthen your army, and heal wounded soldiers. The buildings in the manor are built in specific locations, so the development process will be linear and not require much thought.

The manor is initially located in the capital of the kingdom, and it is restricted from the influence of other players. No one can plunder such an estate, but neither can its owner attack other people's cities. You will have to be a member of one of the guilds to enter into full-scale warfare.

The clash of armies takes place in real-time and the main way to influence the outcome of the battle is the deployment of troops. Before the battle begins, the player must place units and heroes from his army so that they overpower the enemy. Once the battle has begun, the only way to make a difference is to use the special abilities of the heroes. 

When planning your battles it's important to consider the race of your troops and their type. Different races have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, dwarves deal more damage with ranged attacks but take longer to reload. An army of skeletons has neither a penalty nor a bonus to morale. Troop types work along the lines of "Rock, Paper, Scissors": Infantry are better at hitting archers, archers are effective against lances, etc. All of this makes the strategic element very important.

With enough development, you can challenge other players. In the game, you can wrest cities from other guilds or kingdoms, find the enemy while traveling. Defeating a living player is always more rewarding, but battles with them are much harder.

In the end, the game aims to compete with other players. Guild domination, war with other kingdoms - all this is very exciting and makes you feel part of a small but rich world. Dominating the enemy is the main goal of Art of Conquest.