Put the mercenary band back together to stop the Scourge

May 5, 2022 18:47 GMT  ·  By

The pyrolancer is my most effective unit. Not only because he can deal plenty of damage to two units using one of his special attacks but because he can set a trap that effectively negates an enemy’s turn. I keep a Huntress right behind him, trying to line up high-damage shots or root enemies to the ground. My Pugilist often works on his own, dealing plenty of damage but also often taking a beating. I tend to use the Stormcaller more conservatively, mainly because it is difficult to line up chain lightning attacks, but also because he is fragile.

The Iron Oath is developed by Curious Panda Games, with publishing by Humble Games. The game is in Early Access on Steam, set to take feedback from the community for around one year. This is a turn and party-based tactics and management experience with solid core mechanics.

The narrative starts with a betrayal that forces players to build their mercenary command up from almost nothing. The world is a pretty classic medieval fantasy one, with an approaching recurring catastrophe that means there’s plenty of work for mercenaries.

Dungeons are where the core gameplay loop happens. A party of four moves from location to location. Some are empty, some feature events, some objectives, and inevitably battles. They are hex and turn-based, with characters able to move and attack once. The approach is pretty classic, with a focus on positioning, special ability use, and careful health management.

The Iron Oath
The Iron Oath
The Iron Oath
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The Iron Oath adds complexity by putting a timer on dungeon exploration. Spend time making camp to recover health, searching bodies, or moving past obstacles, and the events will happen, making opponents stronger. Move fast and you might miss a lot of what a dungeon has to offer.

To run a successful mercenary band, players will have to also rest at inns, deal with various powers, shop for the best equipment, invest in upgrades for their caravan, develop individuals, and more. Individual life is expendable if the group prospers, or at least has money to pay everyone at the end of the day.

The Iron Oath has good art and coherent presentation. This is not a graphics powerhouse but makes it easy for players to become invested in the mercenaries they control. The sound design is a little weaker, but there’s time to improve it.

Conclusion

The Iron Oath has the foundation to be a great video game and the fact that it has been getting updates at a good pace is a good sign for its future. Before the 1.0 version arrives, Curious Panda Games aims to introduce a new region as well as more mechanics.

I also hope that they add depth to the relationships between characters and make the world feel more alive. The narrative hook of the Scourge is an interesting one, but the universe is at its best when it deviates from standard fantasy. If all the pieces come together, The Iron Oath can be one of the best experiences in its genre when it leaves Early Access.

Preview code provided by the publisher.

The Iron Oath screenshots (16 Images)

The Iron Oath key art
The Iron OathThe Iron Oath
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