Erfworld 140 The Battle for Gobwin Knob, Page 127

[Mukashi]

I always thought the game most closely resembled Age of Wonders(2 being the only one that I played). Especially since some files in that game had .erf extensions(if memory serves).

Personally, I've always thought that the game more closely matched the old turn-based Warlords series. A number of factors seem very similar to parts of the battle system in each of the seperate games. The stacks of 8, the inclusion of units like Archons, how units pop, and cities turning neutral on the death of the Warlord (only added for IV, which was crap, but still) seem to be the biggest hints from my perspective. There's also a possible link to dance fighting, with a website called "The Dancing Thief" having been the primary hub of the game's community online in its early years.