Prodigy Tactics

Prodigy for PC is a tactical strategy game set in a magical, fantasy world. Turn-based encounters between teams of characters having incredible abilities constitute the core of the experience. What distinguishes Prodigy from other games of this kind, is the presence of special components required to play the game. These include an electronic board, plastic character figurines to be placed on it, and cards needed to take actions. The game is the debut of the independent French Hanakai Studio, which was founded by Jean Bey, who specializes in creating traditional, figurine-based board games (for instance, Confrontation is a game he had created).

Plot

As mentioned, the game is set in a fantasy world named Thasis, which is being permeated by miraculous energy known as Mana - it is crucial for existence of all the beings. Unfortunately, the resource eventually begins to deplete, and as a result, fratricidal wars outbreak between the kingdoms wanting to put their hands on the remainders of the priceless energy; the events ruined the entire civilization and the kingdoms destroyed one another. The story begins, when two factions are still standing on the battlefield, namely the Sorcerer Kings and the Free People. At the same time, a comet appears in the sky, which foretells that the champions capable of saving the world will be soon chosen.

This is how the heroes inhabiting Thasis begin to gather themselves into Companies, above all, with the Watchers capable of creating Mana, and the Guardians protecting them. The creators had prepared many pre-defined groups of this kind, but most of the characters within those groups can be replaced, thus the players can build up their team freely, through buying suitable character figurines. The most important thing one needs to pay attention to, is who are people loyal to (Sorcerer Kings or Free People) – practically, each character fights for one of these factions, thus an assassin by the name of Soha, who is loyal to the Sorcerer Kings, cannot support the Company of the Storm, which serves the Free People.

Mechanics

In Prodigy for PC, the adventure begins with the player being authorized, for which the so-called Symbol of Power is used – it is an electronic ring that stores data of the player's profile. Once used, the player simply gains access to the game. The aforementioned board is the fundamental part of the experience – up to 12 figurines can be located on it at a time; once a character figurine has been placed in a position chosen, its digital equivalent appears in the same spot on the screen immediately. Simply moving the figurines moves the characters, and different actions can be taken using 8 special cards, which have to be placed on the board as well. Each character has their individual abilities and activating those requires the player to combine different cards together (for instance, "will" + "focus"). Having done so, the player watches the adequate animations on the screen.

However, the gameplay in Prodigy is not only about skirmishes. In the meantime, the player travels on the world map, visiting different places, talking to NPCs, and taking quests from them. The creators implemented a dialogue system similar to what cRPGs have to offer in this respect. This allows the player to choose between different dialogue lines and to make moral choices that affect the developments in the story. What is more, all the Companies have their storylines here, and the same applies to each character that can become member of them. As far as performing these actions is concerned, one also controls the game using the board, the figurines and the cards.

Game modes

Since Prodigy for PC focuses on duels between different characters, the creators also included a multiplayer mode here, which offers an experience for two participants.

Technical aspects

The visuals in Prodigy are powered by the Unreal Engine 4. This guarantees high-quality graphics, with detailed models, polished effects and nice animation.

Last updated on April 7, 2017