Stardock has officially launched Elemental: Reforged on Steam, blending the high-stakes world of 4X strategy with deep RPG mechanics.

Elemental: Reforged is a turn-based strategy title set in a vibrant RPG universe. You create your own Sovereign hero, build a civilization from the ground up, and traverse procedurally generated fantasy maps in a race to control powerful magical shards. Every unit here isn't just a number; they are distinct entities with their own names, stats, equipment, and backstories. You'll spend your time researching technology, mastering spells, sending heroes on quests, crafting magical gear, and either forging alliances or waging total war against rival civilizations.

Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock, claims that "Elemental: Reforged is the pinnacle that finally achieves the original vision of the franchise." He adds, "The original Elemental trilogy was a truly unique strategy experience, and this project was a real labour of love, aiming to combine the best bits of all three games into one tidy package for the fans."

The saga began in 2010 with Elemental: War of Magic. It was an ambitious design, featuring a living world where every character had a personality and various civilizations vied for control. Despite its innovative spirit, the game struggled under the weight of 32-bit hardware limitations. Two years later, Stardock followed up with Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, which streamlined the feature set to fit better within those memory constraints. Later, a spin-off titled Elemental: Sorcerer King shifted focus back to the crafting, questing, and character growth mechanics that had been trimmed away from the original.

Elemental: Reforged brings everything together with a new 64-bit 3D engine and remastered visuals, packing all the content from the previous three titles into one fresh experience. It has been 16 years since the first entry, and this release finally delivers on that initial promise with new additions. Most notably, there is a new dynasty system where Sovereigns can marry and have children who inherit traits from both parents, allowing your legacy to span generations. Plus, you get Steam Workshop support, new quests, dungeons, and characters.

The world of Elemental: Reforged is populated by unique characters. You can design your units with custom aesthetics and stats, recruit champions, and watch them grow over the course of the campaign. All three story-driven campaigns from the original trilogy—Prelude, Fallen Enchantress, and Legendary Heroes—are included, letting you dive deep into the history and ultimate fate of this world, while the robust crafting system lets you kit out your army with bespoke weapons, armour, and magical artefacts.

Hundreds of new quests, characters, and dungeons expand the scope of the game, taking you beyond the boundaries of the original titles with fresh storylines and encounters. There are 10 distinct civilizations, each with its own traits, playstyles, and visual identity. You can even terraform the land using shards of elemental magic. It all culminates in turn-based tactical combat against a surprisingly sharp AI, and if you're the creative type, the full suite of modding tools via Steam Workshop lets you build and share custom maps, scenarios, and total conversions.