Wartile is a real-time strategy game that mixes tabletop scenarios with the often frantic pace of RTS. Currently in pre-Alpha and mid campaign on Kickstarter, backers have been given a demo to satiate themselves until the product is released as Early Access (hopefully) this fall, and then fully released in 2017. We got a chance to check that demo out as well, and they’ve succeeded in turning a skeptic into a believer.
I’ve been playing tabletop games my entire life. Card games, war simulators, RPGs, I’ve dabbled in most of the popular franchises and have been heavily invested in some as long as I’ve had the money and time to do so. However, these days it can be a bit harder to get enough like-minded people together to enjoy these hobbies, so when I first saw Wartile I thought it was too good to be true and would fall flat. Well, I was wrong. It’s fun, it’s fast, and if you’re not paying attention it can be a real challenge.
You’re given slots for four Viking warriors, each of which you can spend gold to deck out in gear in the final version of the game. There’s also a card system you customize, and you use these cards in-game using battle points. Once your band of warriors and cards are selected, you head off into battle on a hex grid map and are given objectives as you progress. Everything happens in real time, so managing your cards and units can be overwhelming at first but you get used to it quickly, eventually mastering how to position your Vikings quickly and when to utilize your cards.
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“The artists have done a great job of making the maps look and feel like you’re playing a high-end board created by a dedicated hobbyist, yet alive at the same time.”
The demo featured two full levels, a tutorial, and a multiplayer arena. I was unable to match up online, but was impressed by the single-player content. In the first map, you have two shield warriors and one spear warrior, and the objective is to rescue five prisoners held within the snowy fortress. I failed miserably on my first attempt, getting flanked by reinforcements early on and taking much more damage than I should have. Armed with some advance knowledge I set out again, making sure to keep an eye out for any doors that could potentially house the enemy. It was still a tough fight, particularly getting through the first objective taking little damage as you’re beset upon by enemy archers nested in towers. You really need to make use of your shield Vikings to lead the charge and block incoming arrows if you want to make it through the snowy pass.
The second level is set along the English coast, where you now have to take out watch towers and monasteries. By this point you can start with four Vikings, having freed the berserker from his snowy prison. More of a straight fight, this was a challenging map until I remember just how useful some of the cards can be. I think at least early on, the lightning bolt card is a bit overpowered as all I did was stack them so I could bolt and kill several enemies before they could even touch me. Other cards are useful as well, like the group heal and group buff, but they’re not even necessary if the enemy doesn’t get the chance to land a single hit on you.
I’m really glad the developers, Playwood Project, decided to show off two different tilesets in the demo. The art for Wartile is beautiful, particularly the still imagery like crashing waves along the coast. The artists have done a great job of making the maps look and feel like you’re playing a high-end board created by a dedicated hobbyist, yet alive at the same time. Animations are still a tad wooden, but it works for the type of game you’re playing. As long as your models will eventually reflect the gear you can inevitably equip them with, I’ll be pretty happy with the end result.
The user interface and menus are a little rough at this point, but they’re intuitive and easy to use. Tooltips are displayed when you hover over just about everything, which is greatly appreciated by myself and so much better than simply giving you a huge tutorial window to read through. The developers and artists have also taken the time to really make it feel like you’re interacting with a virtual tabletop, because you basically are. Like I said, this area can definitely use a bit of refinement, but Wartile is still in pre-Alpha so there’s plenty of time to spruce things up a bit.
There really isn’t much to complain about at this point. It’s only a preview so obviously we have no idea just how long the finished product will take to beat, or how in-depth the customization will be, but so far this is all looking quite promising. If you’ve ever enjoyed any tabletop games like Warhammer/Warmachine or D&D/Shadowrun, then you should definitely look into Wartile, even if you’re not usually the biggest video game fan. The real time combat might throw you off a bit at first but once you get the hang of it, it’s a refreshing change of pace. Besides, do you really think Vikings would want to sit around and take turns?
*** PC code provided by the publisher ***
