The Sound of Silence (after a fireball)

A new strategy title on Steam has my heart, and I'm about to build a Magic deck.

Hey everyone, and welcome to another One More Turn. This week, Songs of Silence has stolen my heart, while Magic’s Foundations set is finally here.

Main Topic

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you took Teamfight Tactics and smushed it together with Civilization? No, me either, but as it turns out it could be a very, very moreish experience for strategy fans.

That’s a little like what Songs of Silence is offering, a gorgeously designed mix of autobattling and 4X gameplay that I’ve been really enjoying this week. Songs of Silence, despite the name, has a lengthy campaign with solid voice acting, and while it won’t win any awards for originality as good battles evil once more, its art stylings are impeccable with painterly character art and sweeping world map that sees players laying siege to cities and marching on opponents in huge battlefields.

Cities are built and upgraded, a la Civ, but combat plays out in a sort of side-on, card-based setup that feels like an odd fit at first, but soon starts to reveal hidden depth and lets you fling spells onto tiny foes from a distance. This is a deep cut, but it reminded me of using magic in Kessen II, a game I loved on PS2, to terrorise armies.

It’s a game that you really need to try for yourself, and I’d recommend you do so - it has a 25% launch discount as it out on Steam right now.

Card Corner

Speaking of card-based spells, it was my monthly Magic The Gathering: Commander night last night. Sadly, I didn’t win either match, but I did get some MTG goodies through the post (thanks, Wizards of the Coast).

Magic’s latest set, Foundations, is here, and it’s a little different to what’s come before. Rather than offering an expansion to the long-running card game, it’s actually more of a new base level for it to build from (like a Foundation, if you will).

It’s around half reprints of great cards, and around half new cards, but what’s different this time is how you acquire them. I was sent the Beginner Box (and some other boosters), which essentially replaces the starter decks by offering a new way to learn.

It has two decks, which you unlock gradually through Jumpstart packs, and a nifty playmat, too. Still, as a (relatively) experienced player, I’m actually more excited about the Starter Collection.

Wizards of the Coast told me they consider it the ‘Ultimate Shoebox’ - a box that contains over 350 cards (plus some extra packs), which range from Commander staples to tournament-ready cards. I’m planning to build my own Commander deck before the next Magic night, and that’s something that would’ve felt like a lot of hassle before the arrival of this product, so I’m keen to see how I do!

Recommended Reading

Two from me this week, which I acknowledge is a little cheeky. We’re approaching 2025 now, and the arrival of Civilization 7, but before then I wanted to touch base on Ara: History Untold.

It’s a 4X strategy title made by a much smaller team, and it’s one of my favourite titles of this year. It also just got a hefty 1.1 patch that adds a whole host of new features including improved tooltips, a new leader, streamlined army upgrades and more. Definitely one to check out for Civ fans waiting for the next big launch.

Finally, I was lucky enough to chat to Holly Longdale, Executive Producer on World of Warcraft, about the game hitting its 20 year anniversary and what that’s meant to her and the team. It’s my first interview content since I rejoined The Daily Star, so please give it a read.

End Step

That’s all for this week’s One More Turn, but I’ll be back next weekend with more strategy game fun. Thanks for reading!