Expeditions: Conquistador

by Marko Susimetsä
reviewed on PC
Manage your expedition (cntd.)
Another aspect in the game that requires managing is camping. You can only move so far on the game map before you have to stop and make a camp. And when you do so, you will have to assign your crew to specific functions, such as hunting, patrolling, guarding and gathering herbs. Each of these tasks is important to the survival to your expedition and - given the steep price of food at local markets - hunting perhaps the most so. Guarding is almost as important, unless you hope the natives to interrupt your sleep every single night.
Go to battle!
Every time you end up in battle, you choose six people from your party. I have no idea what the rest of the expedition is doing in the meanwhile, could it be that they turn into a cheerleader squad for the fighters? In any case, after you have picked your melee soldiers, ranged hunters and a doctor, you enter a preparation phase. Here you change the positions of your units on a hex map and perhaps set a few traps and obstacles to slow down the enemy. Once you are done you enter the battle proper, where you move the units around and try to cut down the enemy before they cut you down. The enemy will attempt to focus their attention on your units and take them down one by one and it is usually a good idea to mirror this tactic. A downed enemy is a harmless enemy.
When your people get hurt, that hurt will not stop when the fighting does. Instead, you may have to spend several following nights with one of your doctors attending to the patients. If you lack in medicine, you’ll be in trouble. And if it is one of your doctors who is hurt, you would better have a second one in your party to heal him back into working order.
Naturally, your party members will fight better when their morale is high and their bellies are full. This means that you have to consider several different factors when you lead your expedition through the quest ridden New World, transporting bibles, defeating rebels, finding people etc. while hopefully gathering your fortune and not spending it all on food and equipment.
Quite an experience
For the patient gamer willing to spend time with a game and learn its quirks, Expeditions: Conquistador is a definite boon. The branching storyline, seeing the long-term consequences of your actions and the already-mentioned people and equipment management will assuredly entertain those who used to play Sid Meier’s Pirates! and new fans alike. For me personally, this is one of the best and most unique games that I’ve played this year.
9.0
fun score
Pros
Good storyline, moral choices, character interaction, simple but multifaceted management
Cons
Food is too expensive!