Songs of Steel: Hispania - turn-based tactics set during the Numantine War

[udm]

I've very little knowledge of Roman history, but I think this game's p. cool after having tried its Steam Next Fest demo.

Spoiler

Lead your people to victory and make history: Relive the confrontation that took place, from 153 BC to 133 BC, between the relentless Roman Republic and the brave Celtiberian people of Numantia.

Choose your side and immerse yourself in a system of classic combat strategy and tactics mechanics based on positioning, flanking, and covering, in-battle missions, and decision-making, through battles and cinematic with powerful hand-drawn illustrations.

Manage your resources and skilfully mobilize your troops in challenging settings, from dense forests to ancient cities and majestic mountains, taking advantage of the environment and weather to defeat far more powerful armies.

Every choice you make will resonate in the narrative. Face moral dilemmas, make political decisions, and guide your people into an uncertain future.

Explore this war event through hand-made illustrations, capturing the beauty and brutality of the time. Each stroke will immerse you more in the past, making you feel the intensity of each battle and the emotional burden of each choice.

Meet great figures of the Numantia War such as the great Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio and the fierce Celtiberian warriors Rhetogenes, Megara, Ambo, and Leuco, who played a fundamental role in a turbulent era of conquests and wars. His legacy and decisions will accompany you as you enter a world full of challenges and change. Are you ready to follow in his footsteps and become part of Hispania’s history?

• Live historical confrontations and forge new paths with two full campaigns to choose from, featuring battles and historical figures from a war that lasted two decades.
• Experience the intensity of decision-making and its impact on combat and history. In-battle missions are a real challenge, where objectives can change in the blink of an eye. Prepare to adapt and make crucial strategic decisions in real-time.
• Strategy for everyone, from beginners to veterans. Immerse yourself in a strategic combat system that perfectly balances tactical depth with universal accessibility.
• Experience a complete combat system based on positioning, flanking, and covering as you face challenging scenarios, from dense forests to ancient cities and majestic mountains.
• Use every resource at your disposal to defeat armies bigger than your own; in "Songs of Steel: Hispania", your strategic skill is the key to success.
• With hand-drawn illustrations that capture the beauty and brutality of that era.
• Meet historical figures such as Rhetogenes, Scipio, Megara, Ambo and Leuco

Your skill and decisions will mark the fate of your people!

 

[Stormcrowfleet]

This game looks awesome. From the historical perspective I think it's very cool. Underrated part of Roman history.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Demo is out and is p. gud. I will definitely be getting this on release.

 

[Denim Destroyer]

I could not finish the second capitulum battle due to one of my units becoming stuck after ordering them to a new position. The demo has promise but I am not fond of battles ending the moment all victory conditions are fulfilled. How am I suppose to live out my fantasy of crushing hordes of barbarians for Rome if the game forces me to leave survivors?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

https://tallyhocorner.com/2024/06/demo-disc-7/

...

Songs of Steel: Hispania​

Madrid-based outfit Combat Time have big plans for the Songs of Steel series. After mining the Numantine Wars for hexagonal gold, they intend to move on to other fractious frontiers of the Roman Empire such as Carthage, Masada, and Constantinople.

Will Songs of Steel: Hispania generate sufficient sales to warrant sequels? I hope so. The demo doesn’t put a foot wrong. Battles are absorbing, legible, pacy, and packed with the kind of mechanical nuances wargamers love. Between scraps you get to recruit new units and patch-up, promote, and equip veterans. There’s even some moral, political, and strategic decisions to be made at various points in the campaign.

Surprisingly plump, the trial trains newcomers well, and seems entirely free of the kind of gimmicky mission premises that sometimes blight games of this type....

 

[Beowulf]

I was dismissive of this title based on the aesthetics reminiscent of mobile games and how the general presentation reminded me of Hexwar titles, but reading your praise in this thread I decided to give the demo a spin.
And what do you know, it is indeed surprisingly decent and the initial battles give hope that the design has been though through. There are unit abilities, but no buttons and cooldowns. The mechanics seem rather simple.
I wonder how will they handle the endgame, when the player that performed well in earlier battles will be able to bring experienced and well equipped troops to battles - will you always be at a numerical disadvantage to offset that, or will the enemy troops also appear leveled up and with upgraded gear? Or will they manage to avoid common pitfalls somehow?

Anyway, wishlisted.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Finished the demo, had a blast. Cant wait to lead my legionaries and nigga elephant rider auxiliaries to victory over filthy barbarians!

 

[Harthwain]

How is combat in this one? Reminds me a bit of Field of Glory II. How accurate is that impression?

 

[Parsimonious cook]

It is somewhat like that though on much lower scale and it has more RPG-like approach to things then Field of Glory II. To give a closer description:

- all units (both heroes and rank and file) have "inventory" which lets you give them various types of weapons and shields to alter their stats, along with special items, which give various bonuses, all units also gain experience and level up - they get perks but the perk system isnt that deep (all rank and file units seem to have the same skill tree, which is a missed opportunity)
- units are assigned to "battlegroups," each one is led by a hero, battlegroups are relevant for deployment (each battlegroup usually has its own deployment zone) and initiative (initiative goes by the battlegroups, not by individual units, ie when a battlegroup gets to go, all units that are part of it can act)
- units have several important stats, such as cohesion (gets depleted as units take damage, units with less cohesion are less effective), morale (low morale units can flee) and health (selfexplanatory), there are many unit types, each having a specific traits that often have synergies with other units (for example Velites can make ranged attacks that give target malus to defence, Principes get a bonus for attacking a unit that was previously attacked by a different unit etc)
- terrain plays a huge role, you get bonuses for high ground, crossing rivers slows units down and decreases their defence etc

In general, the combat is somewhat more gamey - it is not a wargame/simulation. In any case I like it a lot plus there is a whole lot of storyfaggotry, CYOA elements (special events on the strategic map where you can decide what to do and there are consequences) and well written interactions between the main characters/heroes.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

I would describe combat as 2 action system and compared to FoG 2 it's more mobile, for example units can disengage from close combat at cost of taking reaction hits.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2603300/view/4164221871980292936

Announcing the Official Release Date for Songs of Steel: Hispania!
Experience the Epic Numantine War with a Special Launch Discount
We are thrilled to announce that
Songs of Steel: Hispania
will be
officially released on July 11th!
After months of dedicated work, we are excited to finally share this immersive strategy game with all of you.

Songs of Steel: Hispania transports players to the historic
Numantine War
, where the
mighty Roman Republic
clashed with the
brave Celtiberian people
. We had put immense effort into creating a gameplay experience that matches the rich narrative and historical depth of this epic conflict.

To celebrate this milestone, we are offering a
20% launch discount
, giving you the perfect opportunity to dive into the game and command your own Roman or Celtiberian army.

Prepare for
breathtaking battles, strategic decision-making, and a chance to make history
. Add Songs of Steel: Hispania to your
wishlist
now and be among the first to experience this thrilling journey on July 11th!

Thank you for your support, and we can't wait for you to join us on the battlefield.

Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Reddit at
@songsofsteelvg

 

[Parsimonious cook]

 

[Tomas]

That was quick. Haven't had the chance to try the demo yet.

 

[udm]

Infinitron how about a dev tag for songsofsteelvg?

 

[Infinitron]

Infinitron how about a dev tag for songsofsteelvg?

This person hasn't posted yet. What do you know?

 

[udm]

This person hasn't posted yet. What do you know?

Only that I just got the notification he's stalking me lol. But pretty sure that's the dev (or one of them at least) as I also just got a reply to the email that I sent to him notifying him about this thread.