Thea 2: The Shattering - Released

[HiddenX]

The strategy RPG Thea 2: The Shattering has been released:

Thea 2: The Shattering

Thea 2: The Shattering is a follow-up to the successful Thea: The Awakening, which brings the idea of innovative genre hybrid, with elements of turn-based, 4X strategy, survival, RPG and a card game, to entirely new and thoroughly polished level.

The player takes on a role of a deity from the Slavic mythology-inspired pantheon and as such, controls the fate of a small flock of believers struggling for survival. This goal can be achieved in many ways, from diplomacy to war, from exploring to conquering, but any playstyle will surely lead to completely unique adventures thanks to the procedurally generated environments. Rich options, from crafting to town-building system, as well as the co-op multiplayer gameplay, make Thea 2 an ideal choice for tactically minded players, who are up for a challenge.

Key features:

• Explore rich, procedurally generated and diverse new environments and biomes.
• Expand your influence in the world, build towns, widen your territories or choose the much tougher path of a nomad.
• Exterminate your way to victory, battle through the vast array of creatures or simply strive to survive till sunrise.
• Exploit the many wonders of the land - discover and combine resources, collect materials and craft them into your equipment.
• Become a deity of Thea and direct your Chosen to victory in a world inspired by Slavic myth and folklore.
• Play together - co-op mode for up to 3 players allows you to build your pantheon with friends.
• Choose your playstyle - become a warlord or a diplomat, or simply remain an outsider wandering the world in search of glory.
• Survive any way you can and choose your challenge style as you resolve conflicts via battle, mental or spiritual challenges.
• Free DLCs, built-in adventures editor and other modding tools.

More information.

 

[you]

yea! We all get gog keys (well backers). Hum. I should fire this up when I have time. So bloody busy next 3 weeks.

 

[DarkELVES]

Looking forward to reading some Thea 2 reviews/ 1.0 impressions.

 

[Hastar]

Seems like a great game but the card combat has kept me away from the first one. I only like playing cards for money. Will have to maybe give this a try.

 

[forgottenlor]

Seems like a great game but the card combat has kept me away from the first one. I only like playing cards for money. Will have to maybe give this a try.

In the first game at least, the card combat was done well. It synergized well with the equipment. Spears, for example, let you play out a card and let you lay it out before and not after your last opponent's card. In fact, I found the mechanics in general really cleverly done, and fairly unique.
The problem, I felt, was that the campaign felt too repetitive. I played through and finished the game twice, which is rather little (for me) for a 4X game. Thea's gameplay is based on completing quests and survival, rather than competing with rival factions, and once you've played through once, you simply don't encounter that much new material in a new playthrough. If you look at the game as a one playthrough type game, then its pretty decent. Its just a matter of determining whether a 10-12 hour campaign is enough for the entry price.

 

[fadedc]

My main issue with the first one was just how annoying it was to gather resources from the map. If they added some automation or quality of life improvements there I’d be far more likely to check out the sequel.

 

[Carnifex]

What's kept me from the first one was a friend telling me that it focuses a lot on maintaining a town/village, and constantly scrounging for resources. I get that some people might enjoy those things, but they don't inspire me to reach quickly for my wallet.

 

[wolfsrain]

I liked the first game, so i will get this one (on GOG). I hope that they've improved the more annoying aspects of the first game.

 

[fadedc]

What's kept me from the first one was a friend telling me that it focuses a lot on maintaining a town/village, and constantly scrounging for resources. I get that some people might enjoy those things, but they don't inspire me to reach quickly for my wallet.

I actually really liked the idea of constantly looking for resources to use to upgrade the village and steadily unlock new things. The part I hated was that once you found those resources you had to micromanage a supply chain of gathering the resources and bringing them back.

 

[Carnifex]

Ok, that somehow makes it sound even worse. Fortunately for now, I don't lack stellar games to play!

 

[ChienAboyeur]

The part I hated was that once you found those resources you had to micromanage a supply chain of gathering the resources and bringing them back.

That is hating the core of the design.

Day was dangerous, night was terrifyingly dangerous. Preparing expeditions to gather just enough resources to craft that most needed item, balancing risks.

The game was not about mindless mass consumption, blindly robbing ressources from other people, denying their existence to pretend infinite growth.

It was about collecting just enough to ensure survival.

 

[ChienAboyeur]

In the first game at least, the card combat was done well. It synergized well with the equipment. Spears, for example, let you play out a card and let you lay it out before and not after your last opponent's card. In fact, I found the mechanics in general really cleverly done, and fairly unique.
The problem, I felt, was that the campaign felt too repetitive.

Battle brothers of course is not. Repetitive that is.

I played through and finished the game twice, which is rather little (for me) for a 4X game. Thea's gameplay is based on completing quests and survival, rather than competing with rival factions, and once you've played through once, you simply don't encounter that much new material in a new playthrough.

Thea originally was meant to be a game that ensures uncertain outcomes to a gamer who knows how to play.
It was not about freshness of content, it was about making efficient decisions based on knowledge.

If you look at the game as a one playthrough type game, then its pretty decent. Its just a matter of determining whether a 10-12 hour campaign is enough for the entry price.

Thea is a multi layered, complex designed product. 10hours are quite short to claim to learn it.
Content browsing, sure.