A song once asked what war was good for, and apart from things like fighting off aggressors, the thing it’s best for is providing a background for strategy gaming. Songs of Steel Hispania uses one particular war for its basis, namely the conflict on the Iberian Peninsula between 153 BC and 133 BC. If you aren’t familiar with that series of wars then don’t worry; Songs of Steel Hispania will get you up to speed with its combination of historical turn-based strategy and consequence-filled narrative decisions. What’s more, with its first big patch, it just got a whole lot better to play.
Songs of Steel Hispania tasks you with picking a side during this lengthy conflict, choosing between the forces of the Roman Republic and the defending Celtiberian people from the ancient Numantia settlement. What plays out follows along some classic strategy game lines, as you manage resources, build forces, and take the fight to your opponents – but there’s plenty of unique twists here that show that this is a work with a huge amount of depth.
The big thing that this game adds is a narrative that evolves as you play, with your decisions on and off the battlefield influencing how your campaign plays out. From moral conundrums to political maneuvering, there’s lots of meaty story to get your teeth stuck into even when you’re not commanding your forces against, or for, the Romans.
Your forces will also evolve throughout, with surviving units becoming stronger as they earn experience while also learning new abilities to enhance your prowess on the battlefield. Developer Meteorbyte Studios states that Songs of Steel’s combat is aimed squarely at recreating tactical decisions, with positioning and unit placement being of supreme importance if you want to succeed.
That all sounds extremely enticing already, but its new update takes things even further with some big changes that should make the game easier and better to play. Experience has been overhauled with units able to reach maximum rank faster than before, and some lesser-used units have been overhauled entirely, buffing them to ensure they have more of a place in your army. There are also quality of life additions, bug fixes, missing achievements have been added, and much more.
The 1.1 update for Songs of Steel Hispania is out now, and you can also save 20% on the title until Wednesday, October 23. Head over to Steam to learn more and get the full lowdown on exactly what’s new.
If you’re on the hunt for something else, you can also take a peek at our guides to the best turn-based strategy games and the best war games you can play in 2024, perfect for all computer owning generals.
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