Expeditions: Conquistador

Good
  • Strategic depth provided through a leader unit and an army of 10 from several different classes
  • Great historical setting foundation with the option to take the expedition beyond historical accuracy by choice
Bad
  • Tedious elements around plot and overworld movement which hinder the enjoyable combat sequences
  • Not enough reward to explore the abundance of side quests
7.5

Expeditions: Conquistador is a historical turn based strategy experience with a focus on tactical role playing gameplay that will take you to a time long past. Released in 2013 players will also be required to balance their resources as they advance through a branching story adventure that requires you playing as a Spanish conquistador who embarks on an expedition in the early 1500s.

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While this story is fictional it draws real world inspiration and features real world location which adds an important sense of realism to Expeditions: Conquistador. Ultimately your objective is to move outward from Spain to collect as much gold and influence before returning to Spain as a hero. Importantly as the game is set in the 1500s the weapons and resources you’ll need to master are from that time period which means no modern weapons in sight. While there might not be modern weapons players can bring a modern strategy to the table as they fight battles and manage the team morale.

Along the way players will also face some tough decisions that impact the lands you visit and also help you create connections with your companions on the expedition. These are primarily features with the main story players undertake although there is also over a hundred different side quests for those wanting the additional rewards they provide.

expeditions-conquistador-gameplay-papantla

Story aside the level of gameplay depth in Expeditions: Conquistador is above what you can expect from other similar strategy experiences which stems from your ability to be able to build your team as you see fit. With much of your time in game spent building up your army with different characters and watching them grow throughout the journey you’ll also feel closely connected to all of them as well as intimately understanding their individual strengths. Trade and diplomacy are also present in Expeditions: Conquistador which provides a well rounded sense to gameplay.

Notably players do not commit to combat themselves with your growth instead defined by your non-combat stats of leadership, tactics, diplomacy, healing, survival and scouting. The balance of these is selected upon character creation whereby you’ll also build your initial expedition army of 10 although a small number of events in game can modify these. Each has its key role to play in your decisions and can impact how you approach each situation or your starting position when combat begins.

expeditions-conquistador-gameplay-combat

The roles that your units fill is the second key element of your combat outcomes with players having access to soldiers, scouts, hunters, doctors and scholar that each perform a particular role and are later enhanced with native classes as you progress. Unlike the player’s leader unit which does not gain stronger over time these units earn experience into a shared pool and can earn themselves passive bonuses from combat experience to further enhance their battlefield usage.

Summary:

  • Turn based strategy in a historical setting that sets players on their own expedition.
  • No shortage of strategic depth with players able to create their own mixture of army units from class options.
  • Grow your expedition army with native specialists
  • Fight, trade and participate in diplomacy as you seek out greater wealth and influence.
  • Select from four different options for difficulty to ensure an appropriate expedition challenge.

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Review Platform: PC

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Written by
Samuel Franklin
Samuel Franklin is the founder and lead editor of the Games Finder team and enjoys video games across all genres and platforms. He has worked in the gaming industry since 2008 amassing over 3 million views on YouTube and 10 million article views on HubPages.

Games Finder is a Steam Curator and featured in the aggregate review scores data of MobyGames and Neoseeker.
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