Clash of Crests is a turn-based medieval tactical strategy game for PC that places players in command of armies on detailed hex battlefields. It blends action, strategy, casual, and adventure elements in an Early Access title focused on deliberate planning rather than chance. Commanders build forces from over seventy units, navigate seven-phase turns, and engage in battles that emphasize positioning, terrain, and timing across single-player campaigns or multiplayer matches.
Gameplay
The core loop revolves around a strict seven-phase turn sequence that structures every engagement. Bow Fire opens the round, followed by Crossbow Fire, Siege Weapons, Movement, a second Bow volley, Melee Combat, and Recovery. Units that advance during the movement phase lose their ability to fire in the same turn. Mounted cavalry must dismount to cross rubble-strewn hexes, while siege towers require direct access to walls before drawbridges can lower. Elevation provides column bonuses in combat, and charging past pikemen incurs heavy penalties. Fog of war conceals enemy positions, and in multiplayer a separate Fog of Orders system keeps opposing plans hidden until contact occurs.
Over seventy distinct units populate the roster, including named knights such as Sir Conrad and Sir Gaston, crossbowmen, peasant levies, pack mules, and legendary figures like King Richard and King Phillip II. Armies assemble within point budgets that allocate siege weapons, watercraft, and equipment. The battlefield itself evolves through player actions: fire spreads from flaming ammunition that grants attack bonuses, siege engines reshape hexes into rubble, and scaling ladders enable infantry to assault castle walls one hex at a time. Dynamic encounters appear based on terrain and campaign state, introducing goblin warbands, an Iron Wyvern in mountain passes, or a Sea Wyrm near coastal routes without scripted triggers.
Game Modes
Multiplayer supports up to eight commanders through hotseat play on a single machine or simultaneous LAN connections. A hand-off overlay enforces fog of war during hotseat sessions by hiding the board between turns. Each participant selects a color, assembles an army within the shared point system, and competes on the same hex map.
Single-player options center on five campaigns that link scenarios into ongoing narratives where losses persist across battles. The Raven's War follows a noble house divided between loyalists and rebels. Blood and Stone focuses on castle sieges where players either defend walls or breach them. Order of the Lance follows a crusading order that rewards preservation of elite knights. The Gospel Road requires protection of civilians and supply mules along an ambush-prone pilgrimage. The Long Road places players at the head of a marauder horde that relies on horse archers across steppe terrain. Seventeen built-in scenarios and community maps supplement these campaigns, with a map editor allowing creation and export of custom battlefields complete with terrain, walls, towers, villages, and siege platforms.
Campaign Structure and Battlefield Dynamics
Campaigns chain individual scenarios so that prior outcomes influence later ones, creating continuity without resetting forces. Story Mode activates optionally during key moments, pausing the action to display parchment-style narration that records charges, breaches, and first sightings of objectives. Players can toggle the feature on or off at any time. The addon system accepts community unit packs and new scenarios through simple zip files that integrate immediately into the army builder without requiring a restart.
Is It Worth Playing?
Clash of Crests suits players who enjoy methodical turn-based tactics where every phase and terrain interaction carries weight. Its depth comes from the fixed turn structure, persistent campaign losses, and tools for customization through the map editor and addon support. Multiplayer hotseat and LAN modes extend the experience to groups seeking structured competition without online matchmaking. As an Early Access title scheduled for October 2026 release, the game currently offers no user reviews or post-launch updates, so prospective players should monitor development progress for balance refinements and additional content. Those drawn to hex-based medieval battles with layered mechanics will find a focused system that rewards study of positioning and phase timing over rapid reflexes or randomization.
