Conquest Manager

Conquest Manager is a turn-based strategy game set in a fantasy world where players engage in tactical warfare, resource management, and alliance-building. The game features a variety of classes, such as Alchemist, Druid, and Bard, each with unique skills, and allows players to launch expeditions, hire mercenaries, and participate in seasonal events. With a focus on diplomacy, combat, and exploration, players can form alliances, share resources, and compete in a dynamic environment shaped by random and weather events.

Conquest Manager: A Strategic Misstep or a Hidden Gem?

Introduction: The Enigma of Conquest Manager

In the vast, ever-expanding universe of digital strategy games, Conquest Manager (2023) emerges as a curious artifact—a game that defies easy categorization. Developed by the obscure Surrealism Games and released into the wilds of Steam Early Access, it is a title that has largely slipped under the radar of both critics and players. Yet, its existence raises intriguing questions: What happens when a game’s ambition outpaces its execution? Can a title with such a sparse digital footprint still offer something meaningful to the strategy genre? This review seeks to unravel the mysteries of Conquest Manager, examining its development, mechanics, and the broader context of its release to determine whether it is a forgotten innovator or a cautionary tale of unfulfilled potential.

Development History & Context: A Game Born in Obscurity

Conquest Manager is the brainchild of Surrealism Games, a studio so elusive that its digital footprint is nearly nonexistent. The game’s development appears to be a solitary endeavor, with little to no public documentation beyond its Steam page and a handful of scattered references. This lack of transparency is striking, especially in an era where game development is often accompanied by extensive marketing, devlogs, and community engagement. The game’s release in October 2023 was met with minimal fanfare, and its subsequent disappearance from digital storefronts—likely due to its Early Access status—has only deepened its enigmatic aura.

Technologically, Conquest Manager is built on the Unity engine, a choice that reflects both its indie roots and the practical realities of modern game development. Unity’s accessibility allows small teams (or even solo developers) to create functional, if not groundbreaking, experiences. However, the game’s use of a “diagonal-down” perspective and fixed/flip-screen visuals suggests a deliberate attempt to evoke the aesthetics of classic strategy games, perhaps as a nod to titles like Heroes of Might and Magic or Master of Magic. This retro-inspired design choice is both a strength and a weakness: it appeals to nostalgia but risks feeling outdated in a market dominated by more visually dynamic competitors.

The gaming landscape of 2023 was crowded with strategy titles, from AAA behemoths like Civilization VII to indie darlings like Against the Storm. Conquest Manager’s release into this competitive environment was always going to be an uphill battle. Its lack of a clear marketing strategy, combined with its Early Access limitations, meant that it struggled to carve out a niche. The game’s Steam reviews—currently sitting at a lukewarm 71/100—paint a picture of a title that is functional but unpolished, with players praising its core mechanics while criticizing its lack of depth and technical issues.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: A World Without a Story

One of the most glaring omissions in Conquest Manager is its near-total absence of narrative or thematic cohesion. The game’s official description on Steam is vague, describing it as a “tabletop game with cards” where players “conquer creatures” and “use spell cards to confuse enemies.” There is no overarching plot, no character development, and no lore to speak of. This is a stark contrast to contemporary strategy games, which often weave intricate narratives into their gameplay—think Crusader Kings III’s dynastic sagas or XCOM 2’s desperate struggle against an alien occupation.

The game’s fantasy setting is similarly underdeveloped. While it borrows familiar tropes—spell cards, creature summoning, and war camps—it fails to imbue them with any meaningful context. The result is a world that feels hollow, a collection of mechanics without a soul. This is not necessarily a fatal flaw—games like Slay the Spire have proven that a strong narrative is not always required for a compelling experience—but it does limit Conquest Manager’s appeal. Without a story to anchor the player’s actions, the game risks feeling like a sterile exercise in resource management rather than an immersive strategic challenge.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: A Mixed Bag of Innovation and Frustration

At its core, Conquest Manager is a turn-based strategy game with collectible card mechanics. Players build decks, summon creatures, and engage in tactical battles across a grid-based map. The game offers two difficulty modes—Easy and Normal—which primarily affect the size of the playing field and the number of opponents (ranging from 1 to 3). The inclusion of both single-player and multiplayer modes (with bot support) suggests an attempt to cater to a broad audience, but the execution is uneven.

Core Gameplay Loop

The gameplay revolves around three key systems:
1. Table Cards: Players place creatures on a grid, using hand cards to attack or defend. The spatial element adds a layer of tactical depth, as positioning can determine the outcome of battles.
2. Boss Encounters: A “Boss” creature appears unpredictably, forcing players to adapt their strategies on the fly. This mechanic introduces an element of chaos, which can be refreshing but also frustrating if the Boss’s behavior feels arbitrary.
3. War Camps: Players can raid enemy camps to deal damage or defend their own. This system encourages aggressive play but is hampered by unclear rules and inconsistent pacing.

The game’s turn-based structure is reminiscent of classic tabletop games, but the lack of a robust tutorial or in-game guidance makes it difficult for newcomers to grasp the nuances. The UI, while functional, is clunky and unintuitive, with poorly labeled buttons and unclear feedback. This is a common pitfall in Early Access titles, but it is particularly egregious in a strategy game, where clarity is paramount.

Character Progression and Deck Building

Conquest Manager’s deck-building mechanics are its most promising feature. Players collect cards representing creatures, spells, and abilities, allowing for a degree of customization. However, the system is underdeveloped. There are no clear synergies between cards, no meaningful progression paths, and no sense of discovery. The result is a deck-building experience that feels shallow compared to contemporaries like Gwent or Hearthstone.

The game’s “classes” (such as Alchemist, Druid, and Bard) are similarly underwhelming. While they offer unique abilities, these are often poorly balanced or poorly explained. For example, the Druid’s nature-themed skills might sound appealing on paper, but in practice, they feel underpowered and situational. The lack of a comprehensive guide or tooltips exacerbates this issue, leaving players to experiment blindly.

Multiplayer and AI

The multiplayer mode is a missed opportunity. While the game supports up to four players, the lack of a matchmaking system or a vibrant community means that finding opponents is a challenge. The AI, meanwhile, is predictable and uninspired, offering little in the way of strategic depth. This is a shame, as a well-designed AI could have compensated for the game’s lack of narrative and multiplayer appeal.

World-Building, Art & Sound: Aesthetic Ambitions Fall Short

Conquest Manager’s visual and auditory design is functional but unremarkable. The game’s diagonal-down perspective and fixed/flip-screen visuals give it a retro charm, but the execution is lackluster. The creature designs are generic, the animations are stiff, and the environments are repetitive. The game’s fantasy setting is evoked through familiar tropes—castles, forests, and magical artifacts—but none of these elements are explored with any depth.

The sound design is equally forgettable. The game lacks a memorable soundtrack, and the sound effects are sparse and uninspired. This is a missed opportunity, as a strong audio experience could have elevated the game’s atmosphere and immersion.

Reception & Legacy: A Game Lost in the Shuffle

Conquest Manager’s reception has been muted at best. With only seven Steam reviews at the time of writing, it is clear that the game has failed to capture the attention of the broader gaming community. The reviews that do exist are mixed, with players praising the game’s core mechanics while criticizing its lack of polish and depth. Common complaints include:
– Technical Issues: Bugs, crashes, and performance problems are frequently mentioned.
– Lack of Content: The game’s limited card pool and repetitive gameplay loops leave players wanting more.
– Poor UI/UX: The clunky interface and unclear mechanics frustrate even experienced strategy gamers.

The game’s legacy, such as it is, will likely be as a footnote in the history of indie strategy games—a title that showed promise but ultimately failed to deliver. Its disappearance from digital storefronts (it is currently listed as a “defunct live service game” on MobyGames) suggests that Surrealism Games has either abandoned the project or is working on a major overhaul. Given the lack of communication from the developers, the latter seems unlikely.

Conclusion: A Game of Missed Opportunities

Conquest Manager is a game that could have been so much more. Its blend of turn-based strategy and collectible card mechanics is intriguing, and its retro-inspired aesthetic has a certain charm. However, its execution is fatally flawed. The lack of narrative depth, the underdeveloped gameplay systems, and the technical issues all conspire to make it a frustrating experience. While it is not without its merits—particularly in its deck-building mechanics—it ultimately feels like a half-finished prototype rather than a fully realized game.

In the grand tapestry of strategy games, Conquest Manager is a minor thread, easily overlooked and quickly forgotten. It is not a bad game, but it is not a good one either. It is, instead, a cautionary tale about the dangers of releasing a title before it is ready, of prioritizing mechanics over meaning, and of failing to engage with the community that could have saved it. For strategy enthusiasts willing to dig through its rough edges, there may be a glimmer of fun to be found. But for most players, Conquest Manager will remain an enigma—a game that promised much but delivered little.

Final Verdict: 5/10 – A Flawed Experiment