Fareo: Shadowlands

Fareo: Shadowlands is a turn-based tactical RPG set in a fantasy world where machinery and magic coexist. When a mysterious rift opens a path to the Shadowlands—a dimension that devours energy to expand—various factions must unite to investigate the threat and confront the phantom of the dark entity Sakia. The game features a unique combat system that replaces traditional movement mechanics with ‘Command Cards,’ requiring players to utilize strategic deck-building and terrain manipulation to achieve victory.

Fareo: Shadowlands: Review

Introduction

In the crowded landscape of tactical RPGs, Fareo: Shadowlands emerges as a fascinating outlier, blending traditional turn-based strategy with innovative deck-building mechanics. Developed and published by indie studio EmpromGame and released on June 10, 2021, this Windows-exclusive title transports players to a world teetering on the brink of annihilation. Its premise—a magical-mechanical realm threatened by a rift to the energy-devouring Shadowlands—promises high-stakes fantasy warfare. Yet Fareo distinguishes itself through its reimagined “Command Card” system, which replaces conventional movement grids with resource-driven tactical choices. This review argues that while the game delivers deep strategic potential and a compelling core concept, it is hampered by technical inconsistencies and narrative underdevelopment, ultimately representing a valiant, though imperfect, contribution to the indie tactical RPG canon.

Development History & Context

Emerging from EmpromGame, a studio with no prior major releases, Fareo: Shadowlands arrived during a period of renewed interest in tactical RPGs post-XCOM 2‘s resurgence. The 2021 market saw both AAA juggernauts like Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions remaster and ambitious indies such as Into the Breach dominate the genre. EmpromGame’s vision was explicitly stated as creating a game “both challenging and of deck building depth,” a bold pivot from standard SRPGs. Development constraints are evident in the game’s 2D diagonal-down perspective and modest art assets, suggesting a lean team prioritizing systems over spectacle. The Steam release (app ID 1218810) was bolstered by community-driven feedback, evidenced by the game’s 14 post-launch patches within its first year—addressing everything from skill bugs to UI adjustments. This reactive development cycle highlights EmpromGame’s commitment to refinement despite limited resources, positioning Fareo as a passion project with room for growth.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Set in the dualistic realm of Fareo—a world where “fast-growing machinery and magic” coexist—the narrative unfolds after the defeat of the warlord Sakia. A cataclysmic rift in Kolytte links Fareo to the Shadowlands, a dimension that “devours energy to expand.” This premise introduces compelling thematic tensions: the fragility of post-war peace, the consequences of unrestrained technological/magical advancement, and existential dread from the encroaching void. The story’s factions—Auland, Chantigard, The Council, and Guardians of Nature—represent ideological diversity, though their motivations remain broadly sketched. Dialogue, functional yet occasionally marred by translation quirks (per community notes), drives the plot forward without deep character exploration. The true narrative focus lies in Sakia’s resurgence; her “phantom” in the Shadowlands and multi-stanced combat (Dragon-Shadow-Mage) symbolize cyclical evil and the inescapable nature of past conflicts. While the apocalyptic stakes are clear, the narrative lacks granular world-building, leaving factions and history feeling like archetypes rather than fully realized entities.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Fareo’s core innovation lies in its “Command Card” system. Instead of movement points, players receive a hand of cards dictating actions—movement, attacks, skills, or terrain manipulation. This deck-building layer introduces profound resource management, as card composition depends on champion abilities, equipment, and runes. For instance, a “Rogue” might draw cards enabling flanking attacks, while a “Mage” focuses on spellcasting, enabling the touted “over 10 million combinations.”

Combat unfolds on grid-based maps where “Battlefield Reshape” allows destructible obstacles to be repurposed tactically—walls become cover, rubble creates chokepoints. Over 40 champions, each with unique skills (e.g., Tylon’s “Cleave” area damage or Alta’s reduced “Channeling” duration), encourage diverse team compositions. The “Shadowland Keepers” serve as signature boss battles, requiring specialized strategies like targeting body parts.

Progression relies on gear and runes, modifying skills (e.g., “Chen’s Rune effects” enhancing abilities). However, systems suffer from inconsistent implementation. Community threads highlight persistent bugs: Sakia’s post-kill crashes, Nyphillia’s dysfunctional runes, and AI sequencing errors. Patches (v1.14 in 2022) attempted rebalances—like increasing “Invincibility” activation costs—but the UI remains cluttered, and tutorial depth is inadequate. The “Challenge the Nightmare” finale against Sakia, while thematically resonant, exemplifies the game’s technical roughness, with her multi-stanced mechanics often feeling punitive rather than strategic.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Fareo’s aesthetic melds steampunk machinery with ethereal magic—a fusion reflected in its “cartoon” and “anime” art style (per user tags). The diagonal-down perspective ensures battlefield clarity, though environments are functionally utilitarian rather than immersive. The Shadowlands, however, excel atmospherically: dark, energy-draining landscapes with oppressive visuals that evoke existential dread.

Sound design is understated but effective. Voice acting in Chinese adds authenticity, while English subtitles ensure accessibility. Combat sound effects are punchy, and the soundtrack (not extensively detailed in sources) leans toward orchestral fantasy, reinforcing the high-stakes narrative. Yet audio cues for card effects or terrain changes lack distinction, occasionally muddying tactical clarity. The world-building, while not expansive, successfully establishes Fareo as a land of fragile balance, with the Shadowlands serving as a potent symbol of entropy.

Reception & Legacy

Upon release, Fareo garnered a “Very Positive” Steam rating (81/100) based on 117 reviews, praising its strategic depth and card system. Players highlighted the “10 million combinations” and satisfying tactical puzzles. However, negative reviews focused on bugs (“Sakia phantom glitch,” “Boris skill unusable”), UI clutter, and steep difficulty spikes. No professional reviews appear on Metacritic, indicating limited mainstream coverage.

Post-launch, EmpromGame’s aggressive patching (13 updates by 2022) demonstrated commitment, though issues like achievement bugs and translation errors persisted. The game’s legacy rests on its niche appeal: it resonates with fans of hybrid tactics/deck-builders but struggles with polish. Culturally, it influences indie design by proving tactical RPGs can evolve beyond grid movement. Its Steam tags (“Roguelite,” “Chess”) hint at untapped potential, but without a sequel, Fareo remains a curiosity—a flawed but fascinating experiment that future developers may refine.

Conclusion

Fareo: Shadowlands is a paradox: a game of brilliant ideas undermined by execution. Its “Command Card” system revolutionizes SRPG movement, and the Shadowlands setting offers rich thematic potential, yet technical flaws and narrative thinness prevent it from reaching greatness. EmpromGame’s passion is evident in post-launch support, but the core experience remains inconsistent. For tactical RPG enthusiasts seeking innovation, Fareo is a worthwhile, challenging journey. For broader audiences, its rough edges may prove prohibitive. In video game history, it stands as a testament to indie ambition—a bold, if flawed, entry that could have been a classic with more polish and development time. Ultimately, Fareo: Shadowlands is a diamond in the rough: imperfect, yet gleaming with enough strategic brilliance to warrant a place in the tactical RPG pantheon.