Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground (PS4) Review
Release Date: May 27, 2021
Publisher/Developer: Focus Home Interactive
Platform: PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Price: $39.99
Roguelikes are all the rage right now, and many developers are trying to figure out a way to squeeze the new hotness into other genres. Some work amazingly, while others struggle. A grid-based strategy game seems to be a good fit, but some of the issues inherent in a roguelike keep Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Storm Ground from being everything it could be, and a few design choices make it play a little unnaturally. When it hits, it hits, though, and after a bit of early struggling players will gain enough experience and abilities to overcome those rough first challenges.
At it’s core, this Warhammer game (based on a tabletop of Age of Sigmar) is a turn-based, tile-based strategy RPG. Players create their team and then go against opponents, with differing conditions for victory (frequently “kill ‘em all” but sometimes to hold certain positions or such). For that, Warhammer offers a serviceable experience. There’s guides, meters, and all the good stuff to help you see your position in combat and what’s to come. The graphics are clean, the magic and attacks are flashy and showy, and overall is very well presented.
Unfortunately, some of that presentation falls apart outside of gameplay, and I’m hoping that those issues can be cleaned up. The first screen with “press button to start” took several presses before I felt it recognized. My game crashed in the menu several times during setup. Starting the solo game for the first time clearly shows three factions, and three options under each faction: however all but one are locked and it felt frozen up again before I realized those strange glyphs were padlocks.
Therefore, the game locks you into one character, one level, and one setup, despite the roguelike attitude. You gain experience that carries from run to run, and obtain cards that represent additional units to add to the battlefield, but again, you start at the beginning every run. It’s a slow crawl out of the mire at the beginning.
In game, there’s a few design choices that frustrated me. I felt basic attacks were limited: my hero could only move then attack, it wouldn’t let me attack enemies from the particular side of the hexagon I wished to, and at times that would put me in the line of fire. Enemies are slightly randomized too, andat times I’d be overwhelmed and others I’d mow them down. Sometimes I felt that my victories were more luck than skill. It’s hard for me to meld the deliberate, slow pace of a strategic title with that of a roguelike, which often punishes bad decisions with a full reset.
Despite all my frustrations with the title, when it worked it worked. If the developers can squash some of these bugs that are not gameplay based, underneath lies some well crafted stories, excellent voice work, unique characters, and a gameplay loop that, slowly but surely, allows you to get more characters, feel more in control, and become more powerful. It can be glitchy, slightly confusing, and would likely feel more natural with a keyboard and mouse, but the game is serviceable on console. I’d love to see the Switch edition; see if it has any touchscreen controls, but my first impression is this may be a title best played on a PC, or at least after it has time for some updates.
Pros:
-Wonderful character design immerses you in the world of Warhammer
-Fun once you get some extra characters, abilities, and levels
-Online versus and cross-play
Cons:
-Glitches and crashes abounded on menus
-Roguelike resets are frustrating for a strategic RPG
-Strange limitations on what you can actually do in battlefield
Special thanks to Focus Home Interactive for providing a code for review.