Seven Kingdoms: Conquest

Seven Kingdoms: Conquest is a real-time strategy game in the Seven Kingdoms series, featuring a campaign spanning thousands of years from 3000 BC in the Middle East to 2000 AD and beyond, pitting humans—divided into seven historical ages like Bronze and Iron with three playable factions—against invading demons from seven realms such as Beasts, Nightmare, Plague, Fire, and Ice, as the demons seek to reconquer the world and free their master while humans fight to repel them. It also includes skirmish mode and four multiplayer modes with varied objectives.

Seven Kingdoms: Conquest: Review

Introduction

In the annals of real-time strategy (RTS) gaming, few series dared to blend intricate diplomacy, espionage, and cultural asymmetry with the frenetic pace of real-time warfare quite like Seven Kingdoms. Trevor Chan’s original 1997 masterpiece and its 1999 expansion, Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars, were cult classics that emphasized economic depth, loyalty mechanics, and hybrid turn-based/RTS elements, predating modern innovations like those in Rise of Nations. Nearly a decade later, Seven Kingdoms: Conquest (2008) promised to revive this legacy with a sweeping 6,000-year campaign pitting humans against demonic hordes. Yet, as this exhaustive review reveals, Conquest stumbles disastrously, transforming a storied franchise into a buggy, uninspired relic. My thesis: While glimmers of ambition shine through its faction variety and peon-less economy, Conquest is a cautionary tale of squandered potential, undermined by technical incompetence, shallow execution, and a failure to honor its innovative forebears.

Development History & Context

Enlight Software Ltd., founded by series creator Trevor Chan, helmed Conquest from its Hong Kong and China studios, with key credits like Technical Director Gilbert Luis, Art Director/China Studio Manager Li Kai, and a team of programmers (Edmund Wong, Benny Ng) and modellers (Tan Guo Yang, Chen Hui Qiao). Unlike the solo vision of Chan’s originals, Conquest involved collaboration with Infinite Interactive (led by Steve Fawkner of Warlords Battlecry fame), who handled design, AI, levels, story, and music, while Enlight provided the 3D engine and art assets. Publishers included DreamCatcher Interactive, JoWooD, Akella, and n3vrf41l, targeting a mid-price budget release amid a crowded 2008 RTS market dominated by World in Conflict, Sins of a Solar Empire, and polished sequels like Command & Conquer 3.

Development spanned roughly 16-24 months by early 2005 Q&A, entering late alpha with a focus on story-driven design over feature-bloat. Fawkner emphasized toning down micromanagement, introducing a peon-less economy (humans build for resources, demons destroy), and unique twists like ambassadorial espionage. Technological constraints were evident: Built on a mature but aging Direct3D 9 engine (with shaders for glows/shadows), it targeted Pentium 4-era hardware (min: 1.4GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, GeForce FX). No widescreen support, limited resolutions (1024×768/1280×1024), and HDR/bloom on blocky models screamed budget compromises. Released March 12, 2008 (some sources say Oct 15, 2007 early), it arrived two years late per German reviews, in an era shifting toward streamlined RTS (Company of Heroes) and away from micromanagement-heavy designs. StarForce DRM on Russian copies exacerbated compatibility woes on modern Windows, dooming longevity without community patches.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Conquest‘s narrative ambitiously spans 6,000 years, from 3000 BC Egypt to 3000 AD mechs vs. demons, framed by demonic “magical stone boxes” ensorcelled by greed (Thoringrad Lord of Fire’s ploy: “Greed breeds Fear”). Akkadians entomb one; Pharaoh Akhon Luminatos invades for “eternal life,” unleashing invasions every millennium. Humans (Illuminati preserving magic/knowledge) vs. Demons (reconquering Earth, freeing “Master Diablo”) alternate campaigns: Humans defend ages (Bronze to Space), Demons erode magic via 7 realms (Beasts, Nightmare, Plague, Fire, Ice, etc.).

Plot unfolds via text/voice-over intros to ~12 “glorified skirmish maps,” lacking cinematics or depth—critics like IGN called it “no turgid storyline,” a backhanded compliment. Characters are archetypal: Human heroes/gods (Ra-priests to laser tanks), Demon lords (evolving from Fryhtan-like beasts). Dialogue is sparse, functional (e.g., “Join the epic battle”), with no standout lines or arcs. Themes echo series lore—greed’s peril, civilization’s fragility—but devolve into generic good-vs-evil. Humans embody progress (magic → tech); Demons, corruption (burn for resources). Subtle Illuminati secrecy adds intrigue, but execution feels tacked-on, prioritizing skirmishes over cohesion. Writers Zhu Qi Sheng/Yi Chao Xiong (also level designers) crafted a framework ripe for epic scope, yet buggy missions (e.g., blocked tutorial villages) and absent plot payoff render it forgettable.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Conquest diverges from predecessors’ worker/economy focus via peon-less loops: Capture/upgrade sites (villages → cities) for pop/building slots, generating food/gold (humans) or blood/stone (demons). Core loop—expand, research, promote, conquer—innovates with asymmetry: Humans build farms/barracks; Demons raze for resources. 7 Human civs (3 sub-factions each? Sources inconsistent; e.g., Egyptian/Greek/Roman/Medieval) and 7 Demon realms offer variety (e.g., Fire Demons siege, Ice slows).

Combat emphasizes mass over tactics: No formations, poor pathing (units clump/jam), dumb AI (zerg rushes). Heroes/Greater Beings (summonable via essence from map “demonstones”) and promotions (reputation/fear XP for abilities) add RPG flair—spearmen → kings—but manual micro overwhelms. Demon essence sub-system funds spells (buffs, mind-control); ambassadors/spies corrupt sites diplomatically, nodding to series roots.

Progression/UI: Research menus per-building; troop leveling rewarding but fiddly. UI is cluttered—context-sensitive panels, mini-map, hotkeys (Ctrl+1-5 groups)—but broken (non-functional keys, no quick-build access). Skirmish/MP (2-8 players, Annihilation/King of the Hill/Die Diablo/Domination) shines in variety, map editor boosts replayability. Flaws dominate: Slow resource trickle induces boredom; bugs (unwinnable objectives, crashes); no matchmaking (separate launcher). Patch 1.04 fixes some (tutorial blocks), but core sluggishness persists. Innovative? Yes (essence economy). Polished? No—feels “pulled in too many directions.”

World-Building, Art & Sound

Settings traverse eras: 3000 BC Middle East pyramids → Medieval Europe → 2000 AD+ global/futuristic battlefields, blending history/fantasy. Maps feature creeps/chests for essence/XP, fostering exploration. Atmosphere evokes cyclical doom—demonic portals spew horrors amid human forts—but fog of war and scale dilute immersion.

Visuals disappoint: Blocky 3D models (dated polygons), muted palette, generic buildings (demon haunts/voids blend). HDR/bloom/grass density feel slapped-on; no widescreen/4K, graphical corruption common. Free camera (zoom/rotate) aids diagonal-down view, but aliasing/pathing kills fluidity.

Sound excels relatively: Orchestral soundtrack suits epic scope; quality VO (campaign intros), effects (clangs/screams). FMOD engine delivers, but recycled library sounds grate. Overall, elements contribute unevenly—lore teases wonder, execution delivers drabness.

Reception & Legacy

Launched to dismal reception: MobyGames 5.1/10 (47% critics, 2.8/5 players); Metacritic 38/100. Highs: Adrenaline Vault (80%, “brain-bending challenges”); PC Action (70%, fresh for fans). Lows dominated: GameSpot/GameSpy (20%, “disaster,” “low blow”); IGN (30%, “inexcusable mess”); complaints of bugs, “dated graphics,” “dumb AI,” “unpolished” (e.g., “half-finished,” “avoid like bipolar ex”). Commercial flop—budget title, pulled from stores, rare collections (10 Moby owners).

Reputation evolved negatively: Forums decry it as “not true sequel,” inferior to originals/HD remaster (2015). No major influence; echoes Rise of Nations city-slots/ages but ignored amid 2008’s giants. ModDB/7kfans.com patches extend life, but legacy is tarnished—warns against sequel bloat without polish. Parallels Empire Earth 3: Ambitious scope, failed execution.

Conclusion

Seven Kingdoms: Conquest tantalizes with its millennia-spanning saga, asymmetric factions, and series nods (espionage, diplomacy), yet crumbles under bugs, archaic tech, and vapid execution. It neither innovates like its progenitors nor competes with contemporaries, earning a definitive 3/10—a footnote in RTS history, best left to die in obscurity. Play the originals or 2015 HD remaster; Conquest conquers nothing but fan goodwill.