Fantasy General 2: Invasion

At first glance (e.g. opening missions) the game looks like a potential snooze-fest, "Civilisation combat without the cities" thought I. Give it time, everything changes.
You will find yourself in huge moving battles with upwards of 40 very different units sprawled across a dangerous map, sending stealthy scouts out to shady territories to scout, and check for alternate routes or places of power to give your armies an advantage.
Summarily, the strategy is strong in this one.
You will have lots of summons, buffs, debuffs, and a plethora of magic items (of different rarities) to kit out not just heroes, but basic units too. These basic units can, in time, both level up to become more powerful, and be transformed into higher tier variants, with multiple options available - but this will cost resources which can only be looted. Stray too far from the path and you may come unstuck, high risk high reward...
In an RPG-lite kinda way, the units will mean something to you - their experience, their different items, roles and functions. Losing a high investment hurts, as it should. And losing a key hero loses you the game (good to have a lose-con for bad play, no matter how good you get).
There is a learning curve. On ironman mode and normal difficulty, I was forced to restart 3 times(!?) due to rookie mistakes, and I am a regular 'impossible/diety level' strategy veteran. Modest, too.
Some advice:
1. Tick 'enemy scaling' off until you have learned the game. You are welcome.
2. Play Ironman mode. Because let's face it, you deserve to be punished for sending your 'lose the game if he dies' hero ahead of the army to be ambushed by three spiders.
3. If you play Ironman mode, please use captured cities to hire mercenary reinforcements each map. Don't question it, just do it. And ensure you have at least a couple hundred gold free at any time for precisely this.
4. You died, didn't you? You went Ironman on hard with enemy scaling on, didn't bother hiring battle-only reinforcements, and watched all your main characters simultaneously get eaten in the wilderness while your army faced down a force half again its size...and lost. Go to steps 1-3
Enjoy!

Gameplay Mechanics: 8/10
Narrative: 6/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound and Music: 7/10
Replayability: 5/10
Innovation: 6/10
Fantasy General II brings back the classic hex-based tactics of the original game with a solid modern revamp. It’s a turn-based fantasy strategy title that knows its niche—tight tactical battles, solid unit progression, and just enough RPG flavor to keep it interesting.
Gameplay mechanics are the highlight. The combat is tactical and satisfying, with plenty of emphasis on terrain, flanking, morale, and unit synergies. Each unit type has its role, and the addition of hero units with gear and leveling adds a light RPG twist. The campaign features varied objectives, and while some missions drag a bit, overall the flow of combat and progression is solid. Score: 8/10.
Narrative is passable. It sets the stage with some political and personal stakes, and there are occasional choices that branch the campaign slightly, but the story won’t leave a lasting impression. Score: 6/10.
Graphics are respectable. The hand-painted style gives the world some visual flair, unit models are clean, and the battlefield has enough detail to keep things readable and immersive. It’s not flashy, but it looks good for a mid-tier tactics game. Score: 7/10.
Sound and music do their job. The fantasy soundtrack fits the mood, and the combat effects are satisfying. Nothing especially memorable, but nothing distracting either. Score: 7/10.
Replayability is limited. While there are some branching paths and optional side content, the campaign plays out largely the same each time, and unit choices don’t dramatically shift gameplay. Once you’ve seen the core content, there’s not a huge reason to return. Score: 5/10.
Innovation is moderate. It does a good job modernizing an old-school tactics formula, but it doesn’t bring much new to the genre. The RPG-lite systems are familiar, and there’s little in terms of bold mechanical leaps. Score: 6/10.
In summary, Fantasy General II is a fun, focused tactics game that delivers satisfying combat and a nostalgic fantasy feel. It doesn’t offer a ton of replay value or innovation, but what’s here is well-made and enjoyable for fans of hex-based strategy.

Awesome fantasy strategy game with RPG elements. Your troops earn XP, level up, gain perks, and can be equipped with various items. The gameplay is deep and highly tactical, offering tons of strategic choices every battle. Terrain, unit placement, and morale actually matter, and it rewards careful planning rather than mindless rushing. There’s a lot of single player content here to delve into. It has a great sense of progression, and that nostalgic old-school feel with modern polish adds to its charm. It stays true to the original while introducing new mechanics that make battles more engaging. The art style and soundtrack are also top notch and fit perfectly with the game’s tone. That said it does fall victim to a campaign that can get repetitive after a while, and the random loot system sometimes feels unbalanced. The UI could use some improvement, especially when managing large armies, and there are occasional minor bugs. But these issues don’t ruin the experience they’re just small bumps in an otherwise fantastic strategy title.

I enjoy it well enough, but I did get it for free so keep that in mind.
The fantasy stuff is pretty generic; think of your typical Age of Wonders style mashup of fantasy tropes. Fun enough, but not exactly unique or super inspired writing. The gameplay is tactical enough, and if you like getting attached to your units the game supports a lot of customization options for them, from renaming to multiple upgrade paths that turn them into more specialized unit types, and you can even give them the same artefacts your heroes get, which is cool.
If you get it for free (or at least discounted), and you like that slower paced tactical strategy gameplay with a decent enough fantasy angle, you'll enjoy it. Solid 6.5/10 sort of game (as in, 5 being 'average', not an IGN 6.5/10).

I played many, many hours of the first Fantasy General, tinkering with the units upgrades and getting attached to my armies. I was so mesmerized by the beautiful choirs that I did something completely out of character, I wrote a letter to SSI gushing on the game and asking where I could buy the soundtrack. Remember that it was the late 90s, the internet was just starting and we didn't have downloads then. They were kind enough to write me a letter back, stating that unfortunately there wasn't any soundtrack to be bought but wishing me to game happily. Now almost 30 years later, I booted up Fantasy General 2 and I was elated beyond measure to hear the same choirs again on the starting screen. I am a little sad that the rest of the soundtrack is new - still good but not as great.

This said, you don't need to have played the first to enjoy Fantasy General 2. It is an excellent turn based wargame. I got the game for free during the anniversary giveaway and did not expect it to be this good.

One of the good games that were given away on Steam. A simple strategic plot,
classic graphics. User friendly and simple. the story is great and the choices matter over all 9/10

Fun game if you like strategy war-games. It has a clunky UI, some annoying design deficiencies (hard to scout effectively if you don't want your scouts dying a lot!), ok story, repetitive music (main theme is pretty good but rest are like 30 second loops! I turned game music off for most of the time and played Two Steps from Hell and Viking inspired battle/folk/rock. That was a good work around. In fact probably made things more exciting!) and it goes on too long and it kind of requires save scumming to get through it sensibly... But it has that X factor of just being fun. I am not sure if I will return and play the DLC campaign, as I am fatigued right now, but maybe. Certainly it is worth playing the main campaign.