Wartales

Turn based mercenary fights are unusually friendly to a workout, because the game waits while you decide where your crew should move and who should get hit. I’d bring this to an easy run or a steady bike ride, though the time between battles can turn into a lot of map watching.

Gameplay

Wartales has a good idea at its center: you’re taking a group of mercenaries across a huge medieval world, looking for work and trying to make enough money to keep everyone around. I like that the goal isn’t to save the world, it’s to keep your little company going, and that makes the contracts and travel feel practical in a way I don’t expect from every fantasy RPG. You’re doing a job. Then you need another job.

The battles are turn based, so you can take time to place your companions and choose attacks instead of trying to keep up with a screen full of action. I think that’s a nice fit for the game’s mercenary setup, because you’re making choices for a group rather than just charging forward as one very capable person. There’s a lot to consider, though, and I’d expect to spend a good chunk of some fights looking at the situation before I commit to anything. That can be a nice change of pace, or it can feel like planning a small work meeting.

The open world gives you places to explore, bounties to collect and companions to recruit, and the game’s happier when you’re deciding which trouble is worth your time. I’d probably enjoy that push and pull more than a story that keeps stopping me for long scenes, since I can take contracts at my own pace and make the group feel like it belongs to me. I don’t know how much I’d want to wander without a plan, though. A big map can make a short workout feel like a long walk to the next thing.

Keeping the group fed and paid gives the adventure some useful friction, because taking on one more companion isn’t just a new face in the lineup, it’s another person you have to keep going. I like that kind of pressure when it gives my choices a little weight, but I can see the upkeep and menus getting in the way if I just want to move and fight. I’d handle the camp and money decisions when I’m not pushing hard, then get back to the parts where the crew is actually out doing something.

The tombs of the ancients sound like the kind of detour I’d want to save for when I can give the game my attention, rather than trying to fit exploration and the next tactical fight into the same distracted stretch. Wartales has several different kinds of activity to keep the journey from being only battles, which is good, but it also means your momentum can stop while you figure out what you want to do. Sometimes that’s the point. Sometimes I just want the next fight.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

The turn based battles are the big reason I’d try this while exercising. You can pause to think between moves, and the game isn’t asking you to aim quickly or react to something coming at you in real time, so a little movement from the treadmill or bike shouldn’t ruin every decision. That’s a pretty unusual luxury in a strategy game.

The open world is less consistent as a workout companion, because traveling between jobs and choosing what to do next can mean stretches where you’re mostly navigating and checking the map. I’d stick to a pace where I can still pay attention, and I wouldn’t try to make every minute of a workout productive in the game. Some of the time you’re just getting the company where it needs to go.

Full controller support helps, and I’d use it rather than reaching for a mouse while moving. The tactical choices still ask you to be deliberate, especially when you’re placing companions and choosing attacks, but they don’t have to be fast. I think a bike is a little easier for the more involved fights, while a treadmill makes sense if you keep the pace comfortable and don’t mind moving more slowly through decisions.

I’d skip the tombs or any bit that has me concentrating hard if I’m already tired, and save those for a time when I can stop exercising. Not because the game is suddenly impossible, just because I’d rather not have my attention split between a tricky choice and keeping my feet moving. The ordinary contracts seem like a better workout rhythm.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum points to an older entry level graphics card, so you don’t need a recent, high end gaming PC to give it a try. I’d check your graphics hardware first, since that’s the part most likely to fall short on an older computer.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Worth trying if you like managing a mercenary crew and want a turn based game that gives you time to think while you exercise. Skip it if you want nonstop action, because the travel and planning are part of the deal.

Overall Score: 2.67 out of 3