Planar Conquest (2016)

Developer: Wastelands Interactive
Publisher: Conglomerate 5
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Indie, RPG, Simulation, Strategy
Rating: 3.1 of 5, 581 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 8.5 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A methodical, retro-inspired 4X strategy game where you build an empire and command magical forces at a deliberate pace.

retro-inspiredstrategicdeepcomplexmoderateatmosphericmethodicalrewarding

What players say

Players see Planar Conquest as a flawed spiritual successor to Master of Magic that gets some strategic ideas right but stumbles badly in execution. They cite broken spells and items, dumbed down systems compared to the 1994 original, and sluggish 3D graphics that make enemy turns drag and the map hard to read. It was ported from mobile, and it shows.

Screenshots

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More by Wastelands Interactive

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.