14 DAY TRIAL // Raw Moldavian spearmen have managed to hold back two charges from Ottoman sipahis, allowing my own boyars to move to the flank of the enemy force. From this very good position, my force has peppered opponents with arrows, while my general and another set of boyars are charging, killing quite a few Ottomans and destroying their morale. My center is holding and moving forward, while my other flank is in a bit of trouble. Now the question is whether I can rout their sipahis and spearmen before my own losses mount.
Field of Glory II: Medieval - Sublime Porte is developed by Byzantine Games and published by Slitherine. I played it on the PC. This downloadable content pack expands the tactical possibilities of the core game, with content based around the Ottomans and their biggest historical moments.
Two campaigns are focused on the soon-to-be empire, showing how they initially fought the Byzantines, finally conquering their capital of Constantinople, and then expanded into the Balkans, threatening the rest of Christian Europe.
Gamers can also control Timur as he creates his own short-lived empire in the steppes, as the mercenary Catalan Company, and push against the Ottoman advance as Matthias Corvinus. An extra eight historical battles are also included.
The battle system, with its focus on morale and positioning and its melee randomness, offers a deeply enjoyable simulated version of medieval battles. Engagements evolve in unpredictable ways, but players can always shape them as they seek to rout as many enemies as fast as possible.
Field of Glory II: Medieval - Sublime Porte does not aim to improve the presentation of the game, which is still solid for a tactics-focused turn-based title. It does add 22 new units, with some good miniature-inspired models. Battles are easy to understand and nice to look at. The sound design is also decent, although this is the type of game that works very well with a solid history-themed podcast.
Conclusion
I appreciate the extra variety, but I would still like to see more mechanics for the campaigns, with an effort to tweak those already present. Field of Glory II: Medieval has solid mechanics, a lot of armies to choose from (just take a look at the options in the Sandbox campaign) and can inspire anyone to look deeper into the historical moments it depicts.
Review code provided by the publisher.
