Warlords III: Darklords Rising
- January 01, 2000 00:00 AM PST
Red Orb casts intelligence spells
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Why? Because this turn-based strategy wargame set in a fantasy universe has always been notable for its challenging AI. Darklords Rising doesn't cheat by giving itself extra units, attacks, or greater movement; nor does it secretly determine where your forces are. It plays by the same rules you do, and when that AI is pumped up to maximum, it rocks. If you win, you can pat yourself on the back and lay claim to more than just a high-powered joystick.
Darklords is a standalone game; it doesn't require the original Warlords III release to run. In fact, it contains all of the scenarios and the major campaign from Warlords III in addition to 15 new standalone scenarios, two new shorter campaigns, and two long ones. There are also nine new multiplayer games and a game editor that lets you design your own scenarios and edit existing ones.
Of the new standalone scenarios, Isle of Jodea is particularly interesting, with its world divided by mountains between four good warlords and four evil ones who are locked initially in conflicts within their own groups. Another good scenario is Toward Plague: three evil forces united against three as-yet unallied good ones. Warlords III players who enjoyed the original Banewars campaign will relish the return of the evil Lord Bane in a new 10-scenario campaign-with themselves in the title role.
As fantasy games go, Darklords won't appeal to the purist role-player any more than its predecessor did. It's abstract in its approach, more akin to tabletop wargames with their top-down, stackable fighting units than those RPGs that concentrate heavily on atmosphere and individuality. Spells aren't displayed in combat; they're simply "factored" in, with the pluses and minuses for magic listed along each side's combat bonuses. You'll never believe in the existence of a Darklords scenario the way you believe in Britannia, Dominus, or Enroth.
On the other hand, none of the premier RPGs let you create your own scenarios or multi-scenario campaigns with up to eight computer- or player-controlled sides, completely customizable through several dozen options that affect everything from map size to stack size to mana availability. And if spells aren't viscerally exciting in Darklords, they provide an interesting strategic dimension. There are 19 new spells, nine new abilities (including Banding and Cursing), and five new hero types.
There are still some features I was hoping to see included in this release that didn't make it. For instance, the small vectoring screen doesn't highlight the city you're in whenever you pull it up, which can lead to errors. And there's no option to click on a specific hero and turn off whatever spell they've cast.
These are minor points, however. Let the companies producing the latest imitation shooter or C&C claim that turn-based strategy games are dead. I'll take Warlords III: Darklords Rising any time. For a fun challenge, strategy lovers, look no further.
