Conan Unconquered – Scenarios, the feat system and not having enough cash to hire Arnie detailed for the RTS

There’s something amazingly malleable about the idea of Conan the Barbarian. Want an action-packed video game experience? Such a game exists and actually helped sell the idea of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 when they first launched. Prefer to eke out a living as a master of your environment while also spending perhaps far too much time toggling penis size sliders? That uh, that game set in Conan’s world is very real. And very floppy. Also, stop laughing at my digital sword, it was cold when I created my character that day.

Anyway, Conan’s next stab happens to be a more tactical affair. Conan Unconquered has you setting up a fortress in the barbarian’s merciless landscape, fending off attacks from bandits, scavengers and other mythological beasts. Developer Petroglyph games recently took to reddit for an Ask Me Anything session, detailing plenty of features in the upcoming RTS. Here’s a quick breakdown of the more important information that was shared:

• No traditional single-player campaign
• Conan Unconquered has a “five scenario set which is meant more to teach you the different mechanics of the game in ascending difficulty”
• Once players finish with the scenarios, they’ll be free to use the custom match system to configure their own solo and co-op games
• No mod support or map editor on the cards yet for Conan Unconquered, although this could be added at a later date
• The feat system is linked to Steam, and when a feat is unlocked it adds a bonus or other elements to the game to help you progress
• Feats can also unlock greater challenges, such as Crom mode which disables the pause screen freeze, greater artifacts and elite enemy types
• Resource management will be similar to Age of Empires, “roughly”
• No direct PVP, with competition instead coming from a Challenge Link
• Challenge Links allow you to set a high score, pass the result on and “challenge players to beat your score using your exact custom settings and map”
• No Arnold Schwarzenegger voice acting. Arnie is “outside our budget :)”
• The custom match system will have several sliders which can be used to toggle game elements and provide more variety
• No knowledge of the Conan lore is needed to enjoy the game
• A comic book version of the Black Colossus story will be available in the game, to set the scene for the story that takes place
• “Khoraja, Shem, Stygian and other southern Hyboria units along with some non-human enemies” make up the game units
• Conan Unconquered is 3D in its construction, but the map cannot be rotated
• Environment effects such as disease comes from corpses piling up, forcing players to keep their forts clean
• Likewise, fires can rage if left unattended and sandstorms will hinder your vision
• Sandstorms can also unearth buried treasure, so that’s neat!
• According to playtesting, most player armies see around 40-50 units used to repel hundreds of invaders
• Unit AI has light targeting priorities available as an option

The lack of a single-player campaign may sting a bit, but considering how Conan Unconquered’s nearest inspiration They Are Billions has managed to consume literally dozens of my hours without that mode (yet!), I think that the main game can still have plenty to keep you occupied with if it turns out to be just as meaty in its depth of play.

Last Updated: March 19, 2019