Thea: The Awakening Demo

There is only so much heroes can do when the world is full of monsters, even if they end up saving everyone in the end, somehow. However, few scenarios present a truly grim situation, because there always seems to be a fighting chance as long as everyone is willing to pitch in. Hence, it would be nice to see a more hopeless situation unfold in the form of a dark fantasy story.

Thea: The Awakening is an interesting strategy game that combines a lot of elements in the hope of devising a new way we enjoy turn-based adventures. It’s actually engaging from the first few minutes of gameplay, especially since it’s unlike anything else you might have played, at least not entirely. Thus, it plays like a 4X game with bands of heroes instead of troops, and your role is to explore the world and unravel its secrets.

You start with a small settlement and an “expedition” of heroes, which are actually a couple of people that can grow and evolve by using them in various situations. Besides combat, you can also put them to actual work, such as gathering resources or crafting objects. Naturally, everything takes place in turns, and the world is built out of the classic hexagonal tiles, which makes movement incremental.

Your heroes can show off their power in combat, but not like in a classic TBS. Instead, the combat is like a CCG mini-game, although the system is unique and quite malleable. Characters can attack and cast special abilities, and the combat itself has multiple phases you have to go through. On the other hand, there’s also the option to auto-resolve every encounter and let the AI decide the outcome.

There are many other things that could be mentioned, all of which make Thea: The Awakening a rich and exciting experience. You can craft items in a variety of ways, follow the course of the story, build a fortress and just try to survive for as long as possible, or many other such possibilities. Replayability is through the roof, which is exactly what’s missing nowadays in the genre.

All things considered, Thea: The Awakening’s greatest strength is the fact that you can enjoy it for hours and still not see everything it has to offer. Moreover, everything can be customized and changed, which expands your options even more.