When we here at Nerds and Scoundrels first heard of Bestiary of Sigillum, we thought it sounded familiar. And it was! We’d come across this game in its original board game form, and now the creators have taken the bold steps of developing Bestiary into a one-on-one, turn based game for the PC. We were excited to try it out, and you can see our thoughts in our Bestiary of Sigillum Review below!
Bestiary of Sigillum Review
As we mentioned above, Bestiary of Sigillum is the online adaptation of the popular board game by the same name. Released in 2014, the board game picked up a number of awards for both the English and Russian versions. The PC version is true to the board game, and in our opinion it makes for a easy transition.
The basic idea of the game is tower defense, but you will quickly realize it is so much more. Each game takes place on a relatively small hex map. Each player has a castle to defend, and the map contains terrain like lakes and forest that plays an important role on strategy.
Game Mechanics
Game play is turn-based. Your goal is to move your heroes around the board in order to defend your castle and destroy the enemies. To win, you must defeat the hostile tower. One of the best parts of the game is that there is no randomness. You can put away the random number generator, because the game operates entirely without random chance or variables. This puts the focus on player skill and strategy, and highlights just how balanced the heroes in the game are.
When it comes to battling other players, you can rest assured that you will be taking on players with a similar skill level. The game includes a league-based matchmaking system that will allow you to test your skills against opponents that are on a similar skill level. As you win, you will face tougher opposition. Hit a rough patch and you will have a chance to face less experienced competition.
The Heroes
Each player will have their choice of three heroes to play. There are three different classes of hero:
- Strength
- Agility
- Intelligence
The classes each have their advantages and disadvantages, and there are 9 different heroes in each class. Every hero has a set number of hit points as well as unique abilities. These abilities vary greatly between each hero and class. Some heroes excel at hunting other heroes. Others are geared towards damaging the tower or healing friendlies. The options are almost endless.
The comparison to typical MOBAs fits here, because a lot of strategy can go into your team selection. Some heroes are strong on their own, while others are weak without certain heroes to carry them. Do you build an army of heroes that can each stand on their own, or do you put together a team that is weak individually but has a series of abilities that makes winning a cinch?
Conclusion
When you put it all together, Bestiary of Sigillum is a well-balanced blend of what we love about MOBAs and turn-based strategy board games. The reliance on skill as opposed to randomness is a welcome inclusion, and the art is fantastic. The more you play Bestiary of Sigillum, the more you will realize just how deep the strategy goes.
Plugs
Want to know more about Bestiary of Sigillum? If our Bestiary of Sigillum Review didn’t satiate you, check out their official site here. It includes an awesome rundown of every hero and their unique abilities. You can also follow them on Facebook or their Twitch channel. Convinced to give it a try? Then check out their Steam page.
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