Games: Age of Wonders - Shadow Magic

Description
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic takes the acclaimed fantasy strategy series to new heights; enhancing the series' praised fusion of empire building, role-playing and tactical combat. The reigning Ord...er of Wizards drew upon the forces of creation for their own needs, until their wars awoke a great evil that devastated them. The remaining mages became despised and hunted, blamed for the darkness that crept across the lands. Their towers fell one by one, as the Emperor Phobius rose to power under banner of the abolition of magic. The wrath of the Empire then turned to the ancient races that share the wizards? magical nature. The drums of war can be heard again, while the shadow grows ever larger.

General/Summary:
Well, I wanted Warlords, and I wanted to get Heroes of Might and Magic III, but fortunately for me, I found AoW:SM first. My search for the others has ceased. It’s stopped due to the impressive reviews this game has received, and my personal opinion of it. Essentially what the first AoW game was lacking, has been nicely rectified in this, the third incarnation of the game.

What essentially boils down to a Fantasy turn-based strategy game, with Heroes and Magicians ruling the fields of combat, goading the forces of Orcs and Goblins, Elves and Halflings, Demons and Undead towards the end goal of utter domination, the amount of depth, balance, and strategy required is staggering. A serious overhaul of the graphics engine, unit tweaking, and tactical combat combines to make for some serious, Fantasy turn-based campaigns, that will stretch far into the night, and leave you wondering about the next turn while you’re away from your computer.

To top it all off, is the MUCH needed, and touted, Random Map Generator. I jumped into this option the moment I cracked the case, and installed the game. The included 16 scenarios in the Campaign, as well as the 19 stand alone scenarios, intrigue me, yet it’s the random map generator that will increase this games’ longevity and replayability for me… much more than the simple graphic and combat tweaks. Why? Well, I think simply because the first game (AoW) was so well done, and I know of what to expect of the scenarios in this game.

Everything that made AoW great is back, with Heroes that can be “levelled” ala AD&D, and a powerful wizard avatar that represents you on the battlefield, which in turn becomes more and more powerful, make succeeding that much more important, and worthwhile, since powerful units, artefacts and resources can be carried across to other scenarios within an episode. Units clashing on the field of battle can be fought in either quick battle mode, or turn-based tactical mode, offering a flexible variety to veteran grognards, and newbies, alike.

Hmm, a simple expansion you may be thinking? Ah no… It’s so much more than this, since the 3 new races, added to the existing 12, and the new spells and unit skills offer more on top of the original, and top even the second game in the series, AoW: The Wizard’s Throne. AoW:TWT is the true overhaul of the original, but not NEARLY as finely tweaked as this, nor with as many options. For new-comers, skip AoW with it’s tiny combat units, and questionable AI, AoW:TWT for it’s lack of a Random Map Generator, and buy AoW:SM straight-out (it’s a stand-alone game, not an expansion), then go back and buy the previous games for the extra Campaigns and scenarios, if you ever feel the need. The included Map Editor though, should keep most people very entertained and happy with this one purchase for a long time to come.

Gameplay:
As previously stated, this game takes place in a fantastical world populated by all manner of creatures, from the minute to the gigantic, the obscure to the common. Your avatar used to control these denizens of the game, are all manner of wizards, from a variety of races, and magic schools. Selecting a wizard to use when starting the game is the first step, with selecting a “sphere” of magic next, if you decide to custom create your mage. However, playing the Scenarios, or the Campaign allots you with a pre-generated wizard that is tightly knit with the plotline, and no modifications or customizations are needed, but they are allowed. Spheres of Magic are Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Life, Death, and Cosmos with each Sphere having a differing variety of spells than the next. You have 6 points to fill with the realms of magic, so if having a point in each is to your liking, than by all means, do so. However, the phrase a jack-of-all-trades, yet-a-master-of-none really could be applied here.

So assuming that you have selected a map, and now your wizard, it’s time to become enmeshed in the conflagration of war. This game is not so much a game played like some strategy games, where economics, peace, or diplomacy can win the day; it’s all about the nitty-gritty machinations of strife. Only the sole survivor (or allies) can win in this game, yet despite this limitation, it doesn’t detract from the game at all. So, it’s time to start building your empire, one turn at a time. The interface is clean, and informative, with Heroes, Cities, unit production and spell research available at the click of a button (for the most part- see below). For starters, your wizard is nothing more than a low level spellcaster, with nary a spell at her disposal, or a large entourage to protect her.

Turn one. Selecting Research will allow you to research new spells, and spell/empire related skills, and it’s imperative you keep up on this at every chance you get, since your opponents will be doing the same. Upgrading and fortifying your city (generally only one for starters), is the next step you should be taking, as well as sending out scouts to explore the hither-to unexplored lands where the battles will be fought. Ruined cities can be rebuilt, and enemies’ strongholds can be captured and exploited under your command in various ways, including looting, razing, or migrating your population within their walls. Spooky dungeons and haunted ruins can be discovered, cleared out, with ancient weaponry, artefacts, and armour being the spoils to equip your wizard or Heroes with, making them ever stronger. Magic Nodes to increase your Mana can be captured, and gold, wandering parties, and independent nations also can be found, captured, or assimilated into your empire.

One thing to keep an eye out for is Heroes… These mighty units rival only yourself and other higher-levelled “summoned” creatures, and can be persuaded to join your cause for a small donation. Having a Hero lead your lesser units into battle, is less dangerous than your wizard doing it herself, while greatly bolstering up morale, fighting ability, and, while outside your wizards’ Domain of magical influence, can be used as magical channels to unleash your repertoire of spells upon your hapless enemy. As the Heroes win more and more battles, they can be increased in level, with new spells, abilities, and attribute increases. Combined with magical equipment, they are not lightly ignored, or thrown aside as casually as other units that can be easily massed produced as per most strategy games.

Turn two. We now have a larger area explored, and a Hero or two in our contingent. A couple spells have been researched, and lo and behold on the horizon of your empire is the enemy! Time to teach the interlopers a lesson they will never forget. Global spells can be cast anywhere within your wizards’ area of influence (called a Domain), and can have both beneficial effects for your troops, and harmful effects for your enemies… Such spells include Wildfires, Summoning, Evil Woods, Enchanted Roads, and Forge Blast that can have a drastic impact on turn-by-turn play. Combat spells include Fireballs, Cosmic Spray, Double Gravity and so forth, and can be cast only during tactical combat, which we will be engaging in shortly, but first a short explanation on just how those enemy troops approached your domain and the rules concerning movement. Essentially the board is made up of hexes, with 8 units being allowed to occupy each hex in a “stack”. Clicking on a stack shows which units are in the group, with the most powerful representing the whole. Each unit has a movement type, representing water-walking, flying, or land-based travel. Each hex has a terrain tile, and, for instance, open grassland requires 4 movement points to traverse it, while mountains and water offer differing movement rates. Thus, bigger, faster, or flying creatures will cover more land, more so than smaller units per turn.

In the case of our foes that are approaching, for simplicities’ sake, I’ll cast the Global spell Wildfire on the area in which they stand, burning all units in a wide area… WHOOSH! A parcel of my land is now burning for a short time, and the poor saps caught within burn, and will continue to do so until they leave the area. Clicking on the End Turn button, I can watch my opponent scurry his troops out from the fires of my creation, and move slowly closer to my City and my units waiting to pounce upon the demoralized, wounded troops. At the start of the game, I had the option of choosing from two types of turn-based styles: Classic (in which each commander waits until his opponent is done with all commands, and then moves his own), or Simultaneous (where all commanders move at the same time) styles. The choice is yours, and is dependant on your play style.

So, my opponent has made all his moves, and has completed his segment of the turn (I chose Classic style for this example), and he’s clicked his End Turn button signalling my time to mobilize my troops. Sending out my small stack of creatures, led by a Hero, I engage the enemy in Turn three. Landing on top of the enemy unit, I am faced with a further screen, with a few options. First, all units engaged in the conflict are shown, along with the option to Retreat, Quick Battle (where the computer totally controls all AI, in a relatively unseen skirmish), or Manual Battle. Battles containing Heroes are best controlled by the player, since the plethora of skills and items available may be utilized more effectively by a human rather than the AI. By clicking Manual, this will zoom my view into a tight view of the landscape, replete with structures and landmarks, where the field of battle will commence and the fields will run red.

Combat movement and spellcasting is done in much the same way as on the Global Map, but on a smaller scale. Each unit can be seen in great detail, and every unit can be examined, assessed, and targeted as you see fit. Flying creatures can attack any creatures, while non-missile weapon characters cannot touch these forces, except in defence. Spells can be cast willy-nilly (by your wizard if combat takes place in your domain, or by your Heroes or other spellcasting units) at all targets, while hails of arrows can be launched at targets if they are within range by units that have the Archery skill, and are not obstructed by buildings, walls, or other units. Of course, you can fire if you wish, but success is not always guaranteed, especially when dealing with Green troops, and the possibility of hitting your own men, or the building is greater. Terrain modifiers apply, and combat moves on as such until a retreat is initialized, your forces prevail, or are wiped out. Defending units however, don’t have the option to retreat, and for them, it’s only fight or die.

There’s not a whole lot more to the game than the three turns I have outlined, but instead of just three turns, expect hundreds to fully bring a game to conclusion, with mass unit movements, skirmishes, captures, and upgrades dominating your time and effort. Units that gain experience are eventually treasured, and herald the might of your whole army in some ways. Overall the game is great, but I will have to bring down the score a notch for a couple things. First, the manual is incomplete, and has Structure, Spell, and Unit addendums printed in PDF format on the CD. This is bad, since many building upgrades are only available after certain structures are built, buildings can only produce certain units, and certain units have weaknesses that can be only exploited by other creatures or effects. Having to guess or read through each individual unit, both on your side and your opponents side in game is cumbersome, and could result in a tactical error. As well, not having a list of available spells in the printed manual is a shame.

The in-game tutorial though is well done (as is what is presented to you in the manual), and will teach you the basics regardless of this oversight. Next, what still bothers me from the original game is the fact that they still haven’t properly fixed the lack of a fluid diagonal movement during the combat tactical phase. This isn’t a huge deal, but it greatly intrudes on the suspension of disbelief when some of your units can be seen zigzagging through the fields towards their targets, eating up valuable movement points.

Another couple quirks- some units and active enchantments can be a pain to keep track of at present, as there is no Total Unit Roster available, and cast enchantments are listed, but not their targets, making clicking through each one necessary to locate a particular target. I also have to wonder at your inability at games’ end to view the map with or without the Fog of War. One thing they have done away with from the original game is your capacity in tactical combat to mass select your units and move them to one destination in one go. Each unit must be clicked on and moved individually. Why? Suspect CPU controlled AI can be frustrating for some, but I for one have found the game challenging, fun, and absorbing, and a great leap over the originals’ successful formula.


Graphics:
Singularly the next best new feature upgrade since the release of AoW is the awesome retooling of the graphic engine, second only to the Random Map Generator. Features are lush, vibrant, and BIG now, as opposed to the tiny units walking the Global and Manual Battle maps. While squinting helped things, only two things could truly help the matter… buy a bigger monitor, or play in a lower resolution, even on your more than powerful enough machine- wasteful, and disdainful indeed. Not only is everything more colourful and bigger, but also a simple flick up or down of your mouse wheel now brings the action closer or farther away respectively. Being able to zoom in on a chaotic battlefield not only throws you right into the fray, but also makes unit selection easier, while between combats getting a good glimpse of the theatre of battle on the Global Map is much easier now, and gives you a better overall feeling of how things are going in your empire.

All the units are depicted very nicely, and spell effects are resplendent in their execution, and the corpses that litter the battlefields lay in broken ruins until the end of the fight. While these effects are nice, other effects are richly utilitarian at best, such as the repetitive nature of the Archers firing their weapons, the simple animations detailing movement to and fro, and the overtly simple melee attacks. Sometimes though, because of the lush backgrounds, units can and will get lost in the textures, and if it weren’t for the Go To Next unit button, you could very well lose track of them without even realising it. Plots are advanced through simple CG movies and text, and while wizard portraits aren’t animated, they can be replaced with user made images and portraits for those users who like to fiddle and tweak the game.

The interface is clean, legible, and intuitive, and important locations can be found instantly by a glance at the map for the most part. Diplomacy and Race Relations are illustrated with wizard portraits and icons, but sadly the Race Relation icons are just a tad bit too small, making a more detailed examination of the race in question needed in order to discover the races’ disposition towards you more apparent. So although I normally talk a little more about the graphical qualities contained within a game, this one doesn’t have a whole bunch to talk about, but the changes from the original are certainly welcomed and enjoyed, despite their tame appearance when compared to other new released games available today. For games of this genre (RPG/Strategy) though, it leads the pack in Graphical sparkle, and may very well do so for a while to come yet. Something to hope for in AoW 3 would be a few more detailed movement and melee combat animations, a larger Race Relation screen, and a larger Unit picture when each unit is examined. If we’re really lucky, possible implementation of a 3D engine may be in the works.



Sound:
Not the best I have heard, but not bad either by far. Music is appropriately inserted and reflects the campaign or scenarios nicely. What little voice acting there is, is not done badly, but the screams and combat sounds are stunted, brief, and tinny sounding at times. A few more variations in guttural roars, visceral screams, and hideous slithering sounds could have been implemented.

What there is of the sound effects are nice, and really the purpose that they intend to serve does so well. Spells resonate with cascading booms and shrieks, while gongs, bells and whistles alert you promptly to activities that need attention, to units that have been completed, or incoming invasion forces. Shuffling feet, flapping wings, or rustling sails can be heard when units move. Terrain also has suitable scrolling sound effects that fade in and out, depending on Viewing Distance. Music tracks can be imported now, so there’s no need to run a jukebox program in the background that may eat up valuable resources on a lower-end gaming rig.

This game was a pleasure to play, review, and I don’t think you’d be doing yourself harm getting this version of the game even after the purchase of AoW: The Wizards’ Throne. It’s unfortunate that some may have bought the aforementioned game first, but again, I think this is more than worth the price of admission, despite there being nothing really new besides the Random Map Generator. For those that have only played the original, or haven’t played the game at all, and you’re interested, then snag this game first, by all means. If Heroes of Might and Magic III or Warlords is up your ally, this game is now the new king of the genre, and it’ll be the only RPG/Strategy game you’ll need to pick up for a while. Enjoy!

Gameplay
(4 of 5)

Graphics
(4 of 5)

Sound
(3 of 5)

Overall Rating
(5 of 5)

Where did you get the score icons?

PhotoShop.