Not everyone loves a turn-based strategy (TBS) game, and in the interests of transparency, I have to admit that it’s not exactly my preferred genre to play. If there’s something interesting about the title that can pull me into its game world, I can manage the TBS, but it’s got to be pretty compelling. Clash II doesn’t quite hit the mark for me, but if you’re a fan of the genre, there’s something to be found in Clash II.
Plot Ahoy!
Clash II puts you in a medieval-ish world, in which there are two factions: the Pure Ones and the Old Ones. The Pure Ones are your standard European colonizing force while the Old Ones are more animist and happen to be indigenous to the land over which you’ll be squabbling. Not so surprisingly, the Pure Ones are winning and claiming ever more territory as they move inland on the magical continent.
The narratives around the generals really serve to tell the story. Elena is the leader of her village and the Old Ones general, and her husband, Draumar, was murdered by the invaders. She is the scion of one of the first to stand against the foreign gods. Harwig, the Pure One general, is also descended from a significant character in the previous story, and he has made a name for himself as a member of the Albertine Order. While Elena seeks to protect her people, her faith, and their way of life, Harwig wishes to distinguish himself by obedience to the Holy One at any cost.
That’s really about all there is for the plot.
Review Notes
Clash II offers two gameplay modes: a campaign mode for solo players and a skirmish-style multiplayer mode. The campaign mode lets you choose which faction you’ll play as, and your choice will dictate what your missions will look like. If you opt to play the Pure Ones (puritans), your general will be Harwig de Trevil, and if you’re more in the mood to play the heathens, your champion will be Elena.
From there, you’re off to the races. In terms of gameplay, Clash II isn’t breaking new ground. You have a set number of points that you’ll be able to expend on your turn for movement or any actions you may take at a place of interest. Once you’ve exhausted these points, your turn ends, and your enemy’s turn begins, following the same pattern. Places of interest reflect how you interact with the physical world. These can be monoliths, at which you can collect buff-granting glyphs, battlefields where you might find useful items, or even altars which provide healing.
When you do engage in combat, you’ll do so from the combat screen, which is a grid. You generally just move your units and attack the enemy over and over until one of you exhausts your forces, including your general. Or you just fight until one side withdraws. You do have the option to automate combat, which is nice because the combat can get quite repetitive and a bit lengthy. Deaths are permanent, so you’ll need to replenish troops fairly regularly. While you can occasionally acquire new units around the map, most of the time, you’ll be doing so at a stronghold.
You’ll also need gold to hire these new recruits. The gold mechanic is pretty straightforward as you can acquire the currency at various places around the map or by capturing mines that will automatically generate gold each turn. You’ll also need to acquire and watch your reserves of other resources, but those mechanics will be familiar to you, I promise.
Clash II does offer the opportunity to engage in research that will afford you the opportunity to upgrade your units and the weapons with which you equip them. You can have eight units per group, and it’s up to you how you choose to staff your groups. Your main force, obviously, will be those protecting your general, whether that is Elena or Harwig.
In terms of visuals, the graphics are pretty solid, and the sound design is lovely. I do wish there had been a bit more in terms of dialogue options, but the voice acting is good.
If there’s an issue with Clash II, it’s that it does get repetitive, but that’s pretty par for the course for a TBS. The story is exactly what you think it will be, though Elena’s opening mission results in a bit of a plot twist. Clash II wasn’t going for innovative storytelling so much as a solid turn-based strategy title, which is why they went with some pretty cliched tropes in terms of characterization.
TLDR
Clash II retails for $24.99 on Steam, but I really recommend looking hard at the reviews and watching some gameplay trailers before making your decision. There’s a lot to like about Clash II, but it’s definitely for fans of the genre.
Stray Thoughts From Behind the Keyboard
- I do think the original scripting for Clash II was not in English because there really is a line about the “Burning Oak bathed in fire.”
- Ragna wears antlers.
- I liked the monoliths and the options for acquiring artifacts.
- The automate battle option is a lifesaver.
- The tutorial was a bit short, but again, if you’re familiar with the genre, you’re going to find gameplay very intuitive.