Developer: Oxymoron Games
Publisher: Oxymoron Games
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Heroes of Science and Fiction – Review
Sometimes it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and play a game you wouldn’t usually pick out for yourself. Heroes of Science and Fiction (briefly known as Silence of the Siren during its Early Access phase) is a turn-based strategy game with a focus on combat that uses a futuristic science fiction setting. It’s the type of game that appeals to a very specific niche in the genre, and people who enjoy that niche will readily pick it up, while others might pass it by because of how complicated it looks. However, with how passionate the devs are, we think this one deserves a closer look.
Story
Heroes of Science and Fiction takes place in the Siren star system, where several species had once made an alliance to live in peace. However, when the star system is abruptly cut off from everything else, a war for the limited resources breaks out. You can play the game as one of five different factions, each with its own quirks and technology that changes how they play. As such, each campaign also offers you the chance to explore the story and lore unique to that faction. While the narration is interesting, it’s mostly relayed through still images and text, so it’s nothing too exciting.
Graphics
We thought the game looked great, with the art style seeming to be a blend of 2D and 3D graphics. 3D is mostly for the backgrounds and overall scenes, while every unit is hand-drawn gorgeously. Obviously an indie project, the animations are rough around the edges, and if you zoom in too much, the details are a little lacking. But we did appreciate that every faction had its own aesthetic that comes with unit and building designs. A lot of love was clearly poured into this. We also found that the user interface looked incredibly complicated at first glance, though you quickly get the hang of what every button does once you’ve been playing for a while.
Sound
This game could be nominated for the most underrated soundtrack of the year. Very often in these types of turn-based strategy games, the music blends into the background until you hardly hear it anymore over the sound of your own thinking. So we were pleasantly surprised when that wasn’t the case for Heroes of Science and Fiction. In keeping with the setting, an array of synthpop sci-fi is waiting for you, with some epic orchestral music mixed in. This is then accompanied by a lot of fun sound effects for immersion, though the game lacks any voice acting.
Gameplay
Heroes of Science and Fiction is – as the title might have you guess – directly inspired by the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise. In a lot of ways, the gameplay is almost identical, with some tweaks. You start the campaign by picking a faction to play, each coming with its own missions and commanders that can be upgraded in a variety of ways. Since you cannot possibly get every upgrade in a single run, the game does require you to make your own build. A main part of the game is turn-based exploration, where your commanders and their units can move across the map to find loot and scout out different areas. Some buildings or locations can be captured and then give you resources, such as mines. These resources are vital for further developing your base. But of course, enemies are also plentiful on the map.
If you decide to attack another faction’s base or if you’re (un)lucky enough to run into a group of enemies on the move and start a skirmish, you’re transported onto a new hexagonal grid map to engage in combat. It’s pretty standard turn-based strategy stuff, where your units can move, attack, or use special abilities if they have the energy for it. As mentioned, the units and commanders you have available depend on your faction. Furthermore, there is some RPG progression as your commander levels up and develops unique abilities, like a skill tree. There are always multiple ways to approach combat, and you can have a lot of fun experimenting.
Another main facet of the game is managing your base, where you can use your resources to build and upgrade a solid colony. The gameplay loop is pretty satisfying here. Upgrading your base will allow you to employ bigger armies with more powerful units. This will help you explore further along the map, facing natural obstacles and fierce enemies. And that will then allow you to find better resources. The campaigns are divided into four levels each, where missions will guide you through how to progress the story. Though we thought the campaigns weren’t necessarily short, they’re not very long either, but new factions might be added in the future.
Conclusion
For people who want something that’s in an extremely similar vein as Heroes of Might and Magic, but with a fresh sci-fi coat, Heroes of Science and Fiction must be a godsend. As is, we thought it was an extremely serviceable strategy game that offered good gameplay and a decent story to get invested in. Even if it’s not your genre, you might want to consider giving this one a look.
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