Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes was on my Steam wishlist since release, and recently went on a 75% sale so of course was picked up. Initially I was a bit meh on it because at first glance, is almost the same game as Fallen Enchantress, and FE was a title I wanted to like a lot more than I ultimately did.

After putting a few hours into it, and fully completing one game, FE:LH is basically the fun, enjoyable, working version of FE, which I know was the whole point but man, did Stardock pull it off (and hey, it only took them almost four years and three releases!)

The game is a 4X turn-based fantasy strategy title set in a world with a story that is pretty whatever. If you are looking for lore or interesting stories, FE isn’t it. What it does have going for it are a slew of semi-complex systems all (finally) woven together to make a really interesting and entertaining strategy title.

Quick example: In FE, heroes were so overpowered your towns really didn’t matter, while in FE:LH towns are not only vital to supporting your heroes, they are also a major factor in getting them. It’s changes like this that abound in FE:LH, and (so far) it’s all working wonderfully together.

The only knock against the game for me is a total lack of multiplayer. This is exactly the type of game I’d love to play with my buddy ala Civilization or Heroes of Might and Magic, and its absence reduces the longevity of the game for me. That said it does allow for a lot of AI and map tweaking, along with mods, so I’m confident I’ll get my money’s worth here.

If you are looking for a new strategy title to sink your teeth into, even if you got burned by FE, I’d consider FE:LH a worthwhile pickup, especially when it inevitable goes on sale again.