The Low-down
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A royally impressive sequel. Immersive fantasy setting. Eye-catching graphics. Challenging and varied strategy. Spot on learning curve. Atmospheric music and sound. Fantastic sense of fun. Amazing number of hero and enemy types.
Overview
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For me this is a gem of a game and in my top three strategy games to get for this year.
It is essentially an RTS centred around your royal castle. This must be defended so that you can build up the town from near scratch. Which in turn will allow you to withstand the encroachment of hordes of fantasy creatures, animals and undead that want you to fail. You must overcome the odds until you are able to complete numerous different quests along a campaign of around 16 missions.
Basic resource management comes in the form of gold. This must be gathered by tax-collectors who return the money to your Royal Castle. They must be protected, as must remote trading posts (gold farms) which must be first located and built. Once these are up and running, they too must be guarded from attack as they send out periodic caravans with the gold that will enable you to prosper.
You will need to erect guilds to recruit the heroes that will defend the town and peasants. Who are essential to repair and construct both guilds and other buildings which carry the goods to equip your heroes with items as they aid you in your mission.
The crux of the strategy is a combination of numerous hero types and Majesty's flag mission setting system. In that respect, heroes are semi-autonomous, as in you cant select any of them and order them what to do, as in other strategy games. Instead, they rely on what is an solid AI to act sensibly in various situations from exploring, buying equipment, attacking your foes, defending buildings and other assets, amongst other things.
However, though you can't manipulate them individually, the game uses a simple yet affective flag setting system so that you can order them to perform certain tasks. There are four such flags: Fear - stop heroes from going to a point on the map, Kill - Obviously destroy a creature or enemy building, Explore - Go to a point on the map that is unexplored and finally, Defend - which can be placed on a hero, civilian or building.
Once flags are spent, you have to decide how many heroes you want to send to complete a particular task. This is done by assigning money that will be split amongst those heroes that respond to the request.
Thats the basic gameplay more or less. But it doesnt stop there.
Heroes can have their abilities and spells upgraded at guilds. They can also upgrade their weapons and armour at the smith (multiple times), while also purchasing potions and elixirs to augment they stats during combat or recover mana and health. Parties of heroes can be formed in taverns. Your best heroes can stored and retrieved during later missions if you need their help. While dead heroes can be resurrected during play for a large cost, if you get attached to them.
Basic hero types include: Warrior, Mage, Rogue, Cleric and Ranger. Elves and Dwarven allies can also be recruited. These can be upgraded by building temples in latter scenarios.
Adv. heroes include:
- Warrior: Blademaster (i.e. Barbarian), Paladin
- Cleric: Sister of Krypyta, Priestess of ....
- Ranger: Beastmaster, Archer of Helia
Enemy units include; rats, wolves, bears, skeletons (archers, warriors, snipers, veterans), zombies, serpents, imps, demons, minotaurs, ogres, vampires, dragons, bearmen, werewolves... not including monster-bosses.
There must be at least 50 hours of gameplay and loads of replayability.
Non-stop fun. A real must have!