Disciples: Domination Review

A lot of fantasy media revolves around the idea of a ragtag group of heroes facing off against an evil leader of some description, be it a tyrannical lord or malevolent monarch. However, these tales often end at the point where the villain is defeated, and the land is saved, seldom exploring what happens next. Thankfully, the latest instalment in the venerable Disciples franchise, Disciples: Domination, dives headfirst into said aftermath!

Set fifteen years after Disciples: Liberation, protagonist Avyanna finds herself crowned Queen of Nevendaar after an epic battle against the divine. Leading a kingdom turns out to be quite a bit different from commanding an army, however, and we find our newly minted monarch having succumbed to her fears and the pressure of rule, abandoning her kingdom while being abandoned, in turn, by her erstwhile allies.

A strange phenomenon, a constantly spreading miasma of corrupted mana, is what finally snaps Avyanna out of her funk, leading her to search out the previously missing Mountain Clans, who may have answers. From there, she journeys through the land, dealing with both the issues caused by the corruption and also taking responsibility for the unrest her absence has caused.

The gameplay itself can be divided into three major facets: overworld exploration, dungeon crawling, and turn-based combat. Starting with the first, the world of Nevendaar consists of five distinct areas, one for each faction, which Avyanne must journey through on her not-quite triumphant return to rule. While exploring, the player can talk to NPCs, gather resources, take on roaming enemies, and complete the many quests given by their subjects.

The maps themselves are suitably vibrant, with each area having plenty of detail and a unique look suited for its faction. Exploration is rewarded with additional resources, quests, and encounters, though the game does have a habit of placing horridly powerful enemies on the field for the unobservant to run into. I also appreciate how the world does change visibly as the narrative goes on: the corruption spreads, the scene of a large battle looks the part, and even a few trees go on a little walkabout!

Every so often, either the narrative or the player's own curiosity will lead them into one of the world's many dungeons. These smaller areas are navigated in the same way as the world map, though Avyanna smartly dismounts before delving in. Instead of resource nodes paired with long walks, these locations often offer a more tight-knit experience with more emphasis on puzzles and combat.

Though dungeons are basically the same as travelling the overworld, they do offer a bit of variety in approach, as they can demand the player pick their battles more carefully; it’s much harder to avoid a meandering enemy when you’re surrounded by brick walls, after all.

I had a bit of issues with map scrolling in both dungeons and the overworld being temperamental, suddenly not working before I reset the camera. Additionally, the isometric viewpoint can be a bit challenging, with some pathways or interactables being lost in the background. Not major issues in any case, but slightly annoying regardless.

The world of Nevendaar is seldom without its perils, however, which brings us to combat. Domination continues the series’ legacy of turn-based battles, with the five factions having their own unique units, skills, and synergies to experiment with.

Before the bout begins, the player is given the chance to look over the battlefield, see what the enemy has in their roster, and deploy their own troops. This view also shows if the battlefield itself has any special qualities, such as difficult or unpassable terrain. While I originally dismissed this screen in my haste to get to the actual fight, I did eventually learn to both love and respect the moment of planning before forgetting all of my plans, going in axes swinging.

Interestingly, the player will (for the most part) only fight units they themselves are also able to recruit, so it is quite possible to both know your enemy's army like the back of your hand, and learn a new strategy or two by observing your foe! While I do like this approach in theory, it could get a bit boring fighting the same creatures over and over again, especially when the units often represented the area they were fought in. Roaming around the human Empire? Guess who you’ll be fighting.

Skirmishes may also have secondary objectives or special combat events, which can alter the fight. The former, while optional, can net a fair few resources or items, and often boil down to dealing with the enemy in a certain way, refraining from using units from too many different factions, or simply dealing a specific type of damage. The latter, on the other hand, has a more pronounced effect on the battlefield itself, with events that may cause damage to fighters in certain spaces or have a foe call reinforcements if not silenced.

Avyanna, being the Queen of Nevendaar, can enlist units of any faction to fight for her, so the player is free to mix and match while looking for a synergistic combination. Each faction, consisting of the human Empire, the demonic Legions of the Damned, the Elven Alliance, the Undead Horde, and the Dwarven Mountain Clans, has their own fighters, with more advanced versions and new options being unlocked as the player upgrades their home base (more on that later).

Though one is free to form their army as they see fit, each unit has an associated point value, with higher-tier units costing more, that must be fit into Avyanna's current allotment of Leadership. At lower levels, it can be tough to get more than a handful ready for battle, though, as Avyanna gets stronger, it can quickly become like packing an overstuffed suitcase, desperately wanting one more cool fighter to fill out that combo!

In addition to placing combatants on the front lines, the player can also designate up to three warriors on the sidelines as support. Most units have a special Backline ability that runs the gamut from giving a static boost to fighters to dealing damage to an enemy once per round. The backline was a surprisingly fun and deep system that allowed for a lot of synergy. The fact that support units don’t count toward your point maximum also makes it much easier to try things out without worrying overmuch.

Once combat proper begins, the units are set on a hexagonal grid, and fighters take turns using their actions one after another. Each character has a pool of Action Points that can be used for moving (blue), attacking (red), or both (orange), in addition to which they can either wait, delaying their turn to the end of the initiative, or end their move early.

Fighters often have two skills they can use, one that is constantly available, considered the “main” attack, and a special ability that takes a few rounds to be usable again. Though not always stronger than the main strike, the skills often have a trick or two that make them worthwhile! Finally, units have passive abilities that are constantly in effect, such as human Paladins blessing the spaces adjacent to them after their turn.

A new feature in Domination is the Push and Pull system, where abilities can cause an ally or enemy to be moved on the battlefield. With skilful use of this mechanic, the player can smash enemies against obstacles or other foes to deal collision damage, or simply control the flow of battle by breaking up units or grouping them together.

The combat was possibly my favourite part of the game. The different types of unit synergies were fun to experiment with, and the fights themselves were challenging enough to keep me invested, even when fighting weaker enemies. Domination is a brutal game set in a darker world, meaning that an ally that falls in battle stays fallen, with the exception of plot-critical characters. Happily, the game is not over if Avyanna herself is taken out. You don’t even recover completely (depending on settings) between fights, needing to find special healing fountains to treat your wounds.

Though it sucks when your units die, it’s also a good motivation to keep your roster topped up and updated. Lose your favourite melee fighter? Try a build that emphasises range and crowd control! Much like in the Nuzlocke challenges seen in Pokémon, the risk of losing a beloved warrior can be that extra nudge to plan and play carefully.

Or, well… it should be. You see, those healing fountains I mentioned? They are refreshed, not based on in-game events, such as completing a fight or leaving an area. They reset every 30 minutes in real-time. Having not played the series before, it is hard to say if this is just how things are done in Disciples land, but I found this choice a bit on the strange side.

More often than I’d like to admit, I found myself hanging around a used fountain, walking in circles, waiting for the timer to run out. Since facing more enemies with injured troops ran the risk of permanently losing able hands, I just didn’t see the logic in flipping that coin when I could just waste five minutes goofing off and come back fully healed.

In addition to the general units, Avyanna herself leads her army in battle, while also being joined by a cohort of Companions. These elite fighters have unique skills and attacks, while also providing utility outside of combat. For example, your Dwarven ally, Helmer, enables teleportation, whereas the human fighter, Ethel, gives Avyanna the ability to gallop on the overworld map. Not sure how that works.

As Avyanna regains her former strength in battle, the player can customise her skillset and powers via four classes: the Warmaster, the Primordial Ruler, the Holy Regent, and the Witch Queen. Each offers different approaches to combat, be it a strong melee focus, summoning allies, or hindering your opponents. Additionally, the player is free to change things up by resetting the entire skill tree for a small pile of resources!

In addition to the day-to-day battles the player can take on, Domination also offers epic boss battles to test their strategic thinking. Often featuring unique mechanics and abilities, these fights can be a real challenge and will often result in the player losing a few units at least. While I enjoy feeling like I’m one step away from total loss, the game does thankfully have a few different difficulty options and sliders the player can use to find their preferred level of hardship.

Now, I know I mentioned the game is divided into three facets, but there is a fourth one that is intermingled with everything else: the Throne. Though our heroic heroine would probably prefer otherwise, rule begets responsibility. Having returned to lead her people, Avyanna must now deal with their grievances as well.

The capital city of Ylian is the Queen's seat of power and a location the player can warp to whenever they are on the overworld map. Here, players can recruit units, buy or sell items, converse with their allies, and check on their resources. However, at certain points in the game, the citizens or groups of the world will lodge a Grievance that the Queen must settle.

These issues usually take the form of a short description of the situation, followed by a set of options, each with an associated cost and gain of either resources or reputation. While they often boil down to using resources to gain influence with the five factions, they can also net the player with new quests, items, or even allies!

Grievances come in three distinct forms: Main Quest issues, which are triggered by plot beats; Exploration complaints, which are gained by talking to the denizens of Nevendaar and interacting with the world; and Crises, which are triggered every 30 minutes in real-time. The third form is easily the most numerous, as one can assume, and the Grievances repeat a fair bit. However, I’m not sure if these ever time out or if there are any negative repercussions for ignoring them other than losing out on the rewards.

The Throne system is a fun addition to the gameplay loop and integrates Avyanna’s new status well into the mechanical side of the game. However, the system does feel a bit shallow, with results often being little more than a short bit of text. The concept shows promise, and I hope it is experimented with more, but as is, it feels more like a chore to click through than deep narrative roleplaying.

I’ve mentioned resources a few times already, and they are pretty much self-evident: you collect goods like gold, wood, or metals while adventuring, which are then used to settle Grievances or upgrade units and buildings; simple. You can even capture buildings found in the overworld to gain a steady supply! However, this is where a familiar issue arises: you gain resources at set intervals, again, in real time.

So, if you’ve captured a few gold mines, you’ll gain something like 3000 of said resource every hour of time spent in-game. While I appreciate not having to worry about running out, I do question the need for the real-time mechanic in a solo experience, especially when most of the game isn’t timed.

Moving on to audio design, the game does a good job at setting the tone with epic music and impactful sounds in battle. Though the background music isn’t something I’d listen to on my commute, it does its job well enough.

I did have some strange issues with the voice acting, however. Some cutscenes that seemed like they should have voice-over were completely quiet, and some sound effects would spike needlessly in combat. Additionally, the performances in the game seem to be missing polish, with Avyanna’s lines being especially sibilant.

Quality aside, the general feel of the dialogue as a whole was a bit at odds with the setting itself. Purported to be a dark and deep fantasy tale, Domination loses a lot of its edge when the characters are cracking jokes, being sassy, or seeming mostly unbothered by the horrors happening around them. It’s not a major issue, but it is disconcerting.

Visually, I am pretty impressed by the game; the landscapes are vibrant but foreboding, the unit designs are distinct and easily told apart, and the effects are suitably flashy. I also appreciate how Avyanna’s look can be customised to some extent with different armour or weapons, allowing the player to go for the look that they feel fits their monarch. The corrupted mana gets a shout-out for looking both ominous and possibly something I’d like to poke with a stick.

In summary, Disciples: Domination has a lot going for it, with stellar combat and an interesting world to explore, but it seems a bit rough around the edges. If the player is going into the game with the hope of strategy and planning with a side of dark RPG, they’ll probably leave happy. However, if one is looking for a gripping narrative or deep storytelling, this may not be the place to look. Definitely worth a look, especially if a fan of the franchise, but with tempered expectations.