"Spear Song": Let's play the alpha version!

I admit honestly: having over thirty years of gaming experience, I have never encountered "roguelikes"; I had no idea about the peculiarities of such games. However, I have always preferred to preserve my heroes, either by playing with a solitary character ("Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim"), or by not losing a single fighter while "commanding" an army ("King’s Bounty"). "Spear Song" intrigued me with the similarity of the battlefield to "King’s Bounty", and since I really love this series, I decided to get acquainted with the new game from Russian developers.

How surprised and even indignant I was when I discovered the lack of a save game option combined with the need to "sacrifice" more and more squads of fighters! Fortunately, my anger and confusion were quickly dispelled by a friend who explained the mechanics of this type of game. In the end, I completed the alpha version of "Spear Song", once again and again. Now I present to you a brief overview of this remarkable game!

Creating a Squad

It all starts in a city, four buildings of which vaguely resemble the city of Ancient Rus.

This is what the "starting" city looks like. And this is what the developed city looks like.

The barracks are responsible for recruiting and developing your fighters; the palace – for rewards and tactical components; the academy – for general spells used during battle; the market – for purchased equipment. Initially, the city buildings only allow for slight improvements to gameplay parameters, but with the glory collected and monster trophies (in simple terms – boss eyes!), their level can be increased, further enhancing gameplay possibilities.

Glory and monstrous trophies are earned by your fighters, who have ten specializations. At the very beginning, your squad will consist of three companions, who will undoubtedly perish on the first map (sigh!), but at the cost of their lives, they will earn the necessary glory. (First of all, it is recommended to get the "Volunteers" upgrade in the barracks, which will increase your companions to four.)

This is important!

When recruiting fighters, make sure that they do not have a negative trait. For example, for "tanks", the trait "Lame" is highly undesirable as it reduces the number of action points; for any companion, a trait that lowers mana is not suitable: the more mana a hero has, the more times he can use his abilities in battle.

"Lame" is not needed in battle!

Besides the traits of the chosen heroes, attention should be paid to their abilities: it is currently impossible to upgrade all of them, so it is worth hurrying to get the "Re-training" upgrade in the barracks, which will allow you to change an ability for gold.

How to compose a squad? I think there should be at least one fighter with ranged attacks: an archer or huntress (or better – both!); and one melee companion. However, each person decides for themselves.

How to develop fighters? For archers, the most important stats are damage distance, its amount, and hit points. For melee fighters – damage, its amount, movement, and life points. Mana is important for all without exception; defense should be increased last: it can be adequately covered by equipment items. (For beginner fighters, the most important thing is the amount of hit points.)

The maximum level of squad development in the alpha version is ten, so careful consideration must be given when choosing abilities and increasing attributes. (The only one who can be developed to the limit is the archer. At least among the heroes who deal direct damage.)

Don't forget to visit the market (the upgrade "Increased Funding" in the palace will increase the starting gold amount) to acquire spells and equipment.

What you see on the right will only appear on the second map. Or from free traders!

This is important!

When upgrading the market, first take "Wandering Market". If you are lucky, it will appear on the way to special quests (there are two such quests on each large map); upon receiving a message about a tent, immediately remove the equipment from the fighters and store all spell scrolls there as well: wandering traders sell enhanced magical scrolls and best equipment items.

Well, the squad is formed, equipped: to battle!

Large Map

Free movement is not allowed, only along the marked paths, adorned with icons. In the center of the map is the "Village", where the squad heals, purchases equipment, and keeps up with announcements. "Way Stones" are the most harmless, providing a little experience. "Volunteer" allows you to reserve one of three candidates of your choice. (What if during the next battle someone from the squad dies a permanent death? A volunteer will take their place!) "Spell" means to take one of three spells.

This is important!

There are only seven types of spells in the game; "Shatter" and "Stun" are useful against bosses; in regular fights, "Inspiration" and "Healing" are irreplaceable. The rest is up to your choice!

"Treasure" grants access to a simple equipment item. "Event" offers a chance encounter with a choice of actions; depending on the decision, the squad will gain glory (or will be deprived of it!), gold, experience, or a trait for one of the heroes.

Here are events - decide how to act and what to respond!

Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict which hero will get a trait and what it will be; many times I couldn't even understand where a certain trait came from for a hero. And there is a great chance that the trait will be negative.

This is important!

The most unpleasant traits are those that remove mana: it may be worth immediately replacing a hero who "received" such a trait. Additionally, some fighters might receive multiple traits during the game, sometimes cancelling each other out!

"Event", indicated by a scroll with an exclamation mark – is a special encounter that will likely end in a challenging battle involving several "waves" of enemies. (A beginner squad should completely avoid such icons: death is almost inevitable.)

No, not with your hedgehogs! The squad barely survived after the "waves"! This is also not a gift, but at least the enemies are not too strong.

The "Battle" icon indicates a confrontation with an enemy squad; we should discuss battles in more detail.

Battles

The first move in any battle is always yours; it does not allow you to deal damage to the enemy but lets you optimally position your fighters on the map. For example, hide archers behind natural barriers or, conversely – move them forward to attack the most dangerous opponents. If the placement area is limited, it’s wise to place "tanks" in directions with the most enemies, hiding archers behind their backs. (In short, once you start playing yourself, you will quickly understand.)

We shouldn’t have approached this oak - its defense is higher than that of the boss! And the squad is separated! And there will be "waves"! What kind of victory is this if two died, and more enemies are approaching?! No, our team won’t survive...

On the right side of the battlefield is a bar that fills by one unit each round. After three rounds, the entire squad can restore one mana unit. If it is not used, after another two rounds, two units will be restored, and so on. (It is very rare to reach seven rounds: by that time the squad will either win or perish.)

To avoid losing the squad, battles can be skipped. But is it worth it?

For winning simple battles, rewards include either simple equipment items, magical scrolls, or a volunteer - all at your choice.

Simple battle - simple rewards. Difficult battle - wow!

But there are also more complex battles; to choose them, you need to accept one of the announcements on the corresponding board.

On the first map, there are nine possible tasks executed by announcements; however, you will only be allowed to complete two (a fact that irritated me a lot at first: leaving the map with undefeated enemies behind?!), after which you will face the first boss, the One-Eyed Lich. (It is highly doubtful that you will manage to defeat him with your first squad - but who knows?)

This is important!

To combat the Lich, at least a couple of "Shatter" spells with a power of four units are required, a minimum of one "Stun" - keep in mind that after using it, the boss cannot be stunned for two rounds – and one or two "Inspiration" spells with effectiveness of two to three units. (This is if you took the "Spellbook" upgrade in the academy.) It's better to position your squad as far from the boss as possible so that he cannot deal damage in the first round. The attack should start with the archer's ability "Hunter's Mark"; your warriors will then be able to deal increased damage with any attack. From there, it’s up to luck.

Sooner or later, you will be able to defeat the first boss and move to the second map: the enemies will be slightly more dangerous, but more powerful spells and improved equipment will be available for sale. The second boss, Gorynych, has three heads, each capable of attacking in close combat. Plus, he can push away all opponents, dealing damage in the process; thus, engaging him in close combat is only possible when he is under the effect of "Stun". And yes: to destroy his armor, three "Shatter" scrolls with a power of six units are needed.

The warrior misfired, didn’t hit the heart. Let’s try again!

The third, and currently the last boss – the Water Spirit. He has the same armor as Gorynych; much more "life" and an extremely unpleasant ability to attack from any distance. However, after receiving significant damage, he moves to another location, even while under the effect of "Stun" (perhaps this is a bug?). If your fighters manage to make him jump from place to place, sooner or later the rider will dismount – and become much more dangerous, so act fast and stun him!

Congratulations, you have completed the alpha version of the game! Now, we just need to await the encounter with the main boss and his army - I hope it’s not far off.

Good luck to all of you!