Valheim
Valheim
Game
Game2022
Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
Developer Dancing Dragon Games
Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is a 2022 tactical role playing video game developed by Dancing Dragon Games and published by indie.io. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
326 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 4, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
89
LovedLoved
215 positive · 26 negative
95% range 85–93%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 215 | 26 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 31 | 1 | 30 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Lemmy * | 1 | 0 | 3 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
7,717 of 8,189 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
89% recommend · 193 yes, 25 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 218 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Very Positive (14,083 of 14,908 positive).
Players praise the deep squad customization and strategic gameplay. [1][2][3] Many compare it favorably to Fire Emblem and Ogre Battle. [4][5][6] Some criticize the story, writing, and AI. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [8]
As a fan of other strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem, I was excited to try out Symphony of War. However, I can't help but feel disappointed in its execution. Probably the worst part about this game is that a lot of the flaws aren't immediately obvious, so I started off optimistic, but the more I play, the worse it gets as I slowly discover the flaws. Now I'm left feeling like I wasted my time and money for basically …
- [1]
This is one of the best tactical RPG games in recent years. One of the key features of the game is to form your squads with various troops. Combining this with artifacts, affinities, traits and unique characters, there are many possible combinations and viable strategies to organise your army. I can stay between chapters and trying out different combinations for hours. Being able to demote your troops without losing …
- [16]
I have complaints about this game. I think the menuing is wonky. I think the story is not very inspiring. I wish there was a fast forward button for certain animations. There is quite often too much 'maintainence' downtime inbetween matches that is very time consuming. There are a few 'hidden' or not obvious mechanics that take a lot of digging/playthrough to understand. I also think the title of the game is awful. …
- [3]
Gameplay is like Fire Emblem except instead of controlling a single unit you make a squad of named + generic units and they auto-battle it out against other units. This is by far the best part of the game and customizing my units in my army was very fun. Story is like Fire Emblem but the GBA era. It's pretty generic, but not terrible. It's fine. Characters are much blander than FE, maps are more flat and less …
- [7]
Recommended, but only for the gameplay. The combat and squad-building are fun and solid throughout. But holy hell, the writing, story, and especially the ending are awful. It’s utterly cliché, the dialogue is piss-poor, and the finale turns into a convoluted speedrun of “twists” that seem clever only to the writers and have no comprehensible in-world logic.
Summarised from 34 of the 303 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga talk about deep squad customization and army management; those who didn't talk about weak story and writing. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga received positive reviews on Metacritic. Rock Paper Shotgun's reviewer, who said she initially found it good "for an RPG Maker game", eventually came to believe to it to be one of the year's best games. Although PC Gamer criticized the story writing as melodramatic, they concluded, "Novel tactical mechanics make this indie a contender for the best strategy RPG this year." RPGSite said the game's quality and professionalism was "astonishing" given it was made in RPG Maker, though they criticized the combination of chibi artwork with more realistic portraits. RPGFan said that it "draws from classic heavyweights of the genre, but it also has more than enough…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 326 · most liked firstThis is one of the best tactical RPG games in recent years. One of the key features of the game is to form your squads with various troops. Combining this with artifacts, affinities, traits and unique characters, there are many possible combinations and viable strategies to organise your army. I can stay between chapters and trying out different combinations for hours. Being able to demote your troops without losing anything is very appreciated. Difficulty of the game is well designed.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This scratched an itch I had from an earlier game I played as a kid called Ogre Battle 64. This is very similar. I heard there are other games like this called Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics. You might have heard of them too. Anyways, I just beat this game on ludicrous difficulty. It was hard but I enjoyed it. What is this? It's a fantasy army management, squad based RPG with level up and customization mechanics, turn based overland map positioning and auto battler combat. I hope that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really enjoyed the game. If you liked Fire Emblem or Unicorn Overloard, you'll like this one. We need more games like this on pc.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dark Deity w/ 2 more games is $2.99 on Fanatical Triple Pack Bundle buff.ly/4fC7Zgv Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga w/ 1 more game is $4.99 on Fanatical Very Positive Bundle buff.ly/4hoMPoq
neutral · AI labelView post →As a fan of other strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem, I was excited to try out Symphony of War. However, I can't help but feel disappointed in its execution. Probably the worst part about this game is that a lot of the flaws aren't immediately obvious, so I started off optimistic, but the more I play, the worse it gets as I slowly discover the flaws. Now I'm left feeling like I wasted my time and money for basically nothing. Symphony of War does give a good first impression, so I'll start off…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I hesitated 3 years before getting this game. I wish I were able to leave a neutral review and I don't like to leave a negative, but I gotta be real. Storywise: the actual story is a no, the writing is painful to sit through, the characters are forgettable, the pacing is tedious and the plot twists are too straightforward and expected to be called twists. The art direction tries to put together RPG Maker cutscenes and maps, decent pixel art SRPG battles and very bland Mobile Game style…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like Fire Emblem except by buying it you aren't supporting Nintendo and their anti-consumer practices.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sometimes I wonder whether it was better to adopt a JRPG-style graphics for my game. The examples below include Dark Deity and Symphony of War, then it's my game. #gamedev #pixelart #indiedev #indiegame #runepact
neutral · AI labelView post →Don't let the uncanny valley AI-ish promotional material fool you, in its bones this is a fully fleshed out '90's tactical RPG
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sunless Skies is a better game in terms of gameplay than Sunless Sea, but it lacks the sheer amount of cannibalism in Sunless Sea. These games are basically the opposite of Symphony of War - the moment to moment gameplay is lacking but the writing is amongst the very best in all of gaming.
neutral · AI labelView post →I have complaints about this game. I think the menuing is wonky. I think the story is not very inspiring. I wish there was a fast forward button for certain animations. There is quite often too much 'maintainence' downtime inbetween matches that is very time consuming. There are a few 'hidden' or not obvious mechanics that take a lot of digging/playthrough to understand. I also think the title of the game is awful. Despite all of that, I think this game has sauce. The gameplay is amazing. That…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really like the customization for each army unit, but.... I spent a good long while in the first few chapters customizing my army and min maxing everywhere i could, AND THEN A STORY EVENT TAKES AWAY ALL YOUR ARMIES!!!! I really really REALLY HATE when games like this do that. Drives me up the wall like nobodies business. Still probably gonna like the game though, unless that happens a second time, then I'm definitely giving it up. Recommend for now.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Oof. This one was painful. The premise is cool. There were some legitimately well written scenes and moments. The plot started off very strong. The squad-style combat is an interesting idea. But the game fails at everything it tries to do the longer it goes on. -Combat quickly becomes a trivial matter of deathballing with super units. Counters? Who cares. Just send in the ubermensch and one shot their squad while taking 0 damage. -Fights get waaay too big and long towards the late game. Some…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game mostly satisfied my Ogre Battle itch. The battle animation and sprites are wonderful. The combat isn't too simple or overly difficult. One of the best utilizations of permadeath I've ever seen. I felt like a desperate General after a few pyrrhic victories, but in a good way. The challenge was so compelling, I didn't feel the need to save scum at all. The same can't be said for my playthroughs of Fire Emblem or Xcom. The music is pretty good, though it sometimes feels directly…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[Epic via Prime] *Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga*, retro turn-based strategy indie. > At the turn of the millennium, the world of Tahnra is headed for a reckoning. A long and bloody conflict left the Empire of Veridia scarred. Now a rogue general has abducted the Empress and raised the flag of rebellion. You, a young academy graduate, will command an expedition that sets off a chain of events to shake the very foundations of the world. > > Symphony of War is a 2D turn-based strategy RPG…
neutral · AI labelView post →When I first started Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga, I didn’t expect much. The screenshots showed a charming retro aesthetic, and I figured it’d be a light strategy game to fill a few evenings. But sixty hours later, as the credits rolled, I realized this was something more special. A game that completely pulled me in and reminded me why I love tactical RPG. At its core, Symphony of War is a deep, squad-based strategy RPG that combines the nostalgic feel of Fire Emblem and Ogre Battle with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like Unicorn Overlord-style strategy gameplay, I can recommend this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Big fan of this one. For those who enjoy old school Fire Emblem, it scratches the itch while being visually and mechanically distinct enough. The story is extremely solid, gameplay is satisfying with side content that allows you to tackle the campaign as you're ready to, and the characters are engaging in a way that makes me care about how I use and place them. One of the GOAT's, 9.6/10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Scratches an itch most PC games typically don't provide. The stat building and army making is hella fun and the story is an enjoyable experience. Better yet this is one of the more affordable games out there in this day and age, you get a solid 35-45 hours of enjoyable playtime out of this bad boy for $26.00 CDN. That being said, the strategy component to this game isn't *perfect* partially because the AI is pretty dumb; often-times feeling like a chess game with an amateur where you wait for…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay is like Fire Emblem except instead of controlling a single unit you make a squad of named + generic units and they auto-battle it out against other units. This is by far the best part of the game and customizing my units in my army was very fun. Story is like Fire Emblem but the GBA era. It's pretty generic, but not terrible. It's fine. Characters are much blander than FE, maps are more flat and less special. Voice acting is terrible (why are some lines 100% louder than others?),…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Indie tactical RPG Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga was released 3 years ago today! With influences from Fire Emblem and the Ogre Battle series, this game adds its unique twist to a familiar combat system and tells a familiar story in a new way. Review: www.rpgfan.com/revie...
neutral · AI labelView post →Overall a really well done game. It offers a good balance between executing a battle and managing your army between the battles. Good amount of unit variety and viable strategies makes it so that you can often feel like you're really strong, but you can still be quite vulnerable if you make mistakes. Despite the core battle gameplay being fairly simple in terms of what you can do, it doesn't feel too repetitive for the duration of a campaign as there is constantly some progress for your army.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its like someone who played Ogre battle March of the Black Queen (Im a huge fan of Ogre Battle too) and they took the bones of that, did a decent job at the art work, and then completely $h!t the bed on the rest. The story is unimaginative, trite, and feels like a copy/paste of every "the empire is the bad guy" story ever written. The characters are extremely two dimensional, they do not grow, and the interactions between the PCs are like a few lines of shallow banter between a group of worn…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're a fan of Ogre Battle, Fire Emblem, or Unicorn Overlord I would check this game out. I am about 10 hours in and I am very satisfied with Symphony of War. 16 bit look, squad based tactic rpg. Recruit units, create 9 person squads and build out your army.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I want to recommend this game, but there are too many things I'm struggling to enjoy with it. To be honest, it almost ticks all the boxes but falls short on numerous things. I eyeing the 2nd game closely, I hope it does meet some of those expectations. I'll put some things I enjoyed first before I get into the bad. Pros: Character design: Designs are pretty decent, only a few exceptions (lol the dragons look ridiculous) but overall I enjoy the sprite design and choices made.…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is the first game I started playing in 2025. So far I like the story and the gameplay, but I feel a bit restricted in organizing my squads due to size limitations. Still, I'm making progress😅
neutral · AI labelView post →I waited too long to make this review, but in light of the sequel being in development, I want people to know about this game. I love Fire Emblem. This is FE on crack. You actually get more customization to your unit, and it creates interesting opportunities for clever strategies. Once you get the basics, you'll find that the depth of strategy in this game is impressive and addictive. This was the first game in years I could not put down. Also, the home base mechanics are a nice break. It…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →[GreenManGaming] The Indie.io Collection ($1+). $1 Tier - Blood and Zombies - Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga - To The Rescue! $8 Tier + above games - Dust Fleet - Everwarder - One More Island - Troublemaker $13 Tier + above games - Dream Tactics - Echoes of the Plum Grove - G.I. Joe: Wrath of Cobra - Immortal Hunters
neutral · AI labelView post →Viewer Games Day 3! Monday, Sept 7th: 8:00 AM- Champions of Norrath Return to Arms , PS2, 9:00 AM- Uncharted Waters: New Horizons, SNES, 10:00 AM- Symphony of War: Nephilim Saga, Steam, 11:00 PM- Princess Crown, Sega Saturn twitch.tv/jennybeans #RetroGaming #ViewerGames #Twitch
neutral · AI labelView post →reminded me of Unicorn Overlord (another fantastic game) i liked it alot. only real complaint would be the "relationship" stuff was kind of weak and almost pointless. still 5/5 imo.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game was great up until Chapter 17, I uninstalled the game and have come back to it months later. It is still the same, it's overly difficult, forced to sacrifice minimum 1 unit to ensure your good units and characters survive, then you need to pull both switches and make it to the portal in the middle...which guess what, BUGS OUT. Literally wiped so many times, so many resets on this stupid mission only for it to bug multiple times when reaching the portal with Diana, stepping on…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →THE MOST pleasent experiences I've had in gaming. Halo's true power was it was a very friendly to user game- this game runs rings around even that. The game is complex but rarely over-wellming. The missions have some challenge but are strait-forward. The army builder is one of the most fun I've had in crafting in any game. Much like fantasy general its resource system is a little restrictive to induce a little challenge but you will definantly find ways to build and upgrade your army. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a VERY fun and enjoyable game with a lot of customizations. Story is alright, music is fine, but the gameplay is absolutely stellar.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Probably one of the best games I'll have played all year. Really wish there were a lot more games like this that had each squad being made up of multiple units that you can customise in a lot of ways, it really simulates the feeling of controlling a large army well without cluttering your screen. The story is surprising great for how simple it is and all the characters are memorable with their own personalities even with how little they actually speak. It was a great experience overall where I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Recommended, but only for the gameplay. The combat and squad-building are fun and solid throughout. But holy hell, the writing, story, and especially the ending are awful. It’s utterly cliché, the dialogue is piss-poor, and the finale turns into a convoluted speedrun of “twists” that seem clever only to the writers and have no comprehensible in-world logic.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Gameplay is amazing. The customizability of your units is unparalleled in any other game. The depth and breath of the system is truely mesmerizing. Unfortunately the writing is really bad. The plot is straightforward and okay. The interpersonal relationships and characters are terrible. Ultimately, a good game, but you will be smashing the skip button through any dialogue.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I came into this game expecting Ogre Battle. It really isn't that. It does not scratch that itch. Yet despite some people comparing and contrasting them, it isn't really quite like Fire Emblem or even Advance Wars in any meaningful way either by my estimation. It is, all things considered, something of a unique or, at least to me, novel experience within the realm of SRPGs. I can't say that it necessarily does anything I haven't seen before - indeed all of the component parts feel familiar -…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's hard to overstate how fun this can be with unit builds and squad construction. The animations are fantastic and so is the sound. If you were ever a fun of Ogre Battle this is something to look in to.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga is a tactical RPG with a very strong inspiration on Fire Emblem, but it evolves on some concepts and takes a few steps further. Gameplay revolves around controlling your army on a square grid map trying to achieve a map's given objectives while taking turns with the cpu, like an overly elaborate chess game, but you move all your pieces on your turn. This game's strongest point is the army customization process. The combination of the game's many classes,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A top tier game from one of my favorite indie devs, Dancing Dragon Games, Symphony of War is definitely a great pick up for fans of strategy RPGs. If you'd like to take a look, you can check out my play-through here! Watch: youtu.be/UD1BNlq4Y4g
positive · AI labelView post →This is a fun and satisfying tactics game. The progression feels well-paced up until just about the end and the levels can be quite clever with their positioning and tell a narrative organically. The overarching narrative itself is solid, but the dialogue is rather terrible, unfortunately. This is one of those rare occurrences where I see something in a game and can confidently say "I could do better." I really don't want to be mean about it, because I know another human being put effort into…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A great strategy game despite flaws, genuine gem. Excited for the sequel. Gameplay is fun and the systems are interesting and enjoyable. Game does not overstay its welcome. Critiques: 1- The plot is serviceable. Good in some places and kinda bad in others. Considering it's an indie game with a 2 man team it's good enough but for the sequel a better story would go a long way. 2- The enemy AI is extremely simple. It's "always target the team with lowest threat within range". This gets annoying…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Perfectly good characters art got turned into AI slop
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →short answer: decent game solid 9/10. Long answer: If you like fire emblem and okay with thinking a little bit more i would recommend it. I would recommend turning perma death off. I played with it and it made the whole experience kind of tedious cause i was focused on not letting people die i felt restricted in how i could build my squads. Story is decent general good verse evil with a couple twists. art is good not the best but its good enough that it doesnt take away from the experience.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really like this. The story surprised me by how much I ended up enjoying it with some twists, the characters have me endeared too. The game is not complex for both getting into and on the higher end (not unless you grab the dlc but I decided not to). Its a good time for a play once and never touch again.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's fun game, too bad we don't have a skirmish or an option to replay the previous chapter. DEAR DEVELOPER.... please add a skirmish or training gameplay, you don't have to give EXP or gold just let me test my new squad..
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I do recommend the game but I would probably never beat it to the end. For the most parts, I believe you can have 2 types of tactical games: ones with fewer squads that are more customized (equipment, classes, affinities, traits, ...) and the one with more squads and less customization. The Symphony of war starts as the former, making you command and customize a comfortable number of 6-9 squads. You can still remember the leaders, the units, have some specific plans and develop according to it.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Me: what is this Symphony of War game? Why is Starfire playing it? *Does a Google* 🤔🤔🤔
neutral · AI labelView post →40 hours to complete the game and 100% all achievements. I wasn't a mega fan of Ogre Battle from back in the day, so this one pretty much flew under my radar. But it's a real strategy game gem. Tons of scenarios, huge array of units and army customization, charming presentation. Also, the devs/writers are closet Star Trek TNG fans, so if you are too, you'll enjoy the various easter eggs and references sprinkled throughout the game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Overall, I enjoyed the fighting gameplay. I didn't enjoy the squad management part of it though, too much micromanaging, and even if that is what was required, it didn't have a good UI for it to make it easier. I know it could be the limitations of the RPGMaker game engine, but still it is a core part of the game, and it isn't very easy to work with.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredibly fun and replayable! I have played this game countless times and love doing it over and over with different squad builds. I've never been a huge Tactics style fan but this game with it's squad building and different strengths and weaknesses made me love it!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Video game advent calendar (posting a game I enjoyed this year each day) Day 10: Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
positive · AI labelView post →✔ customizations on your armies (three artifacts with interesting effects per squad, rank ups for every unit with dozens of unit types) ✔ gameplay loop of battle->squad setup->small bit of story->battle with no time wasted in any overworld map ? (timed!) chests during battles with unique rewards ? randomized artifacts/soldiers in shops after every battle ? lots and lots of auto-battles ✘ user experience for army management is bad and I started feeling it more and more with the number…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is a must have for RPG/tactics gammers. The leveling up of squads is ingenious! I am having so much fun playing this game and it's hard to put down and the story is well written. If your looking at this game it's a must have I didn't realize how much depth there was to this game. The character development of personalities is wonderful. In depth story for those who want it and for the just get me to the fight group you can skip all scenes. I play this on the steamdeck but would also…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It does a lot of good and I want to like it. But I just spent 10 minutes watching slowly as so. many. enemies. that spawned out of nowhere slowly took their giant turn and attacked. I get it. You want an ambush. Good for you. But making me watch every single animation with no skip as literally dozens of units move one at a time is egregious. Immediately killed all enjoyment of the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Strangely compelling gameplay combined with a very non-compelling narrative/presentation. I'd still recommend for the enjoyable gameplay though.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I found Unicorn Overlord fun to play but weak on story going to strongly second Symphony of War. That game is really operating above it's class. A friend got it for me as a gift and I wound up doing multiple playthroughs for no reason at all just having fun
positive · AI labelView post →Scratches the Ogre Battle itch. The character and party customization outpaces Unicorn Overlord as the game progresses, though may initially feel overwhelming or less accessible.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Alright Folks, I can't decide which game to do next. So y'all will decide between: 1. Symphony of War(Fire Emblem like with giantess) 2. Deadpool 3. Dead Space 4. New Vegas Vote with the link Below! youtube.com/post/UgkxssO... #Vtuber #Lewdtuber #Voretuber #ENvtuber
neutral · AI labelView post →Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga - 6.8/10 this game was like fine. the characters are not interesting and the game looks like it MIGHT be going somewhere right at the end only to basically get bored of itself. gameplay is goodish but i feel like squad design gets really flat by the end
neutral · AI labelView post →
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