Monthly Archives: April 2015

Worlds of Magic Review: 4X Strategy + Tactical Combat

Worlds of Magic Review: 4X Strategy + Tactical Combat

By Mohammad Abubakr (Abubakr)

The strategy genre has always been one of my favourites. When I was asked to cover Worlds of Magic, I was looking forward to trying out this 4X turn-based strategy game. Developed and published by Wastelands Interactive, Worlds of Magic is a spiritual successor to Master of Magic. The game revolves around the idea of exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination. Read on for my thoughts on Worlds of Magic.

Being given access to the beta version, I ran into some difficulties starting up the game on its release date. However, this was easily resolved by verifying files on Steam and was most likely caused by Steam missing files or conflicts updating from the beta version. This was understandable as transitioning from beta to full release can cause some problems in game clients and it is only being mentioned in case others face the same issues. Simply verify your game files with Steam, and Steam does the work for you.

After having resolved this issue, I booted up the game, and after having modified video settings to suit my needs I was presented by the main menu. My first impressions were great, the menu looks good and the music is amazing. Wastelands Interactive seems to have put a lot of time into the game’s music which is great to see in a strategy game. Often times you will take your time planning moves and play slowly, it’s good to do so with a good soundtrack playing in the background. I am not someone who listens to music but even I can appreciate the work that was done on this soundtrack.

Players are able to play the game in the single player, hotseat and arena game modes. While the Steam page does say the game is multiplayer, I was not able to find any option to play online but players can play local multiplayer with the hotseat game mode. Single player is self explanatory and consists of the main game. The arena game mode allows players to experiment and practice with custom battles, I enjoyed this game mode as the combat system in Worlds of Magic is great but more on that later.

Worlds of Magic Review: 4X Strategy + Tactical Combat

Kept it simple and went with the High Men for my first game.

In the single player mode, players are presented with many options to make their own unique game and sorcerer. There are multiple types of planes to select between that are used to randomly generate your map. These planes include prime, air, earth, fire, paradise, shadow, and water. The prime plane is the basic balanced plane while the others have their own unique pros and cons. You may also select the number of enemies, difficulty, and map size. One option I enjoyed using was doubling the walking distance allowed per turn to make the game go a bit faster, however this is not recommended if you want to get a taste of the game as the developers intended.

After selecting the map options, you can select a faction and create a sorcerer lord. Each player plays the role of a sorcerer that can use spells to aid their faction in and outside of battle. There are 8 factions or races available that all have their pros and cons along with unique units. This means that selecting a faction is more than just choosing those which are visually appealing, you must decide based on your planned playstyle. Selecting a race does not affect which spells you have access to as you create your own unique sorcerer.

There are multiple disciplines and abilities players can invest in to create a sorcerer that matches their playstyle. Alongside these disciplines are various spell circles such as fire and air which all feature their own unique spells. There are over 400 spells divided into 13 spell circles. In order to avoid overwhelming new players, there are predefined sorcerers available. I personally recommend selecting a predefined set up until you are more familiar with the game.

With 8 playable races, 7 planes of existence on procedurally generated maps, 10 terrain types, 80 military units, 40 wandering and summon-able units, 40 heroes and champions, and 400 spells in 13 spell circles, Worlds of Magic has done an amazing job with customization. All of these options are great to see and while it may be overwhelming for new players, the pre-defined Sorcerer Lords help guide new players.

Worlds of Magic Review: 4X Strategy + Tactical Combat

So many options available for customization!

However, it is not just enough to have a lot of options for customization, it is important to have interesting and fun gameplay. The game is definitely interesting with its 4X turn-based strategy coupled with tactical turn based combat. You can compare the game’s map gameplay to Civilization and the combat to Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics. Having played and enjoyed both Civilization and Fire Emblem, I was hoping Worlds of Magic’s gameplay would provide me with similar entertainment. However, the execution was not what I had hoped.

The map play is quite good, but the tutorials and interface could use some work. When I first started out, I was left thinking, “Ok… now what?” I was only able to progress due to my experience in other games from the genre. I can see players without previous experience in the genre becoming confused and even frustrated when they first play the game. You should not have to consult the manual or wiki to begin playing. In-game tutorials should be enough. The current tutorials only really tell you about the controls and explain some menus but they do not recommend your next action. An adviser system would be nice to help guide new players when it comes to strategy, as of now you are forced to experiment on your own to see what does and does not work.

Unlike Civilization, the combat is a lot more involved. When engaging in battle, both sides deploy their army on a grid. You then battle it out moving and attacking turn by turn along with using your sorcerer’s spells in a fashion similar to Fire Emblem. I am a big fan of this combat system, and it’s great to see it being used in more games. The combat uses the D20 battle combat mechanics found in Dungeons and Dragons. This combat system is easy to use and understand with the UI clearly displaying stats, potential damage, and accuracy.

The strategy portion of the combat is very well done. However, the animations, interface, and sound could use some work. The combat does not feel as ‘epic’: your armies attack each other, and you don’t feel like you are in a war. Better animations and sound could improve on the combat.

Worlds of Magic Review: 4X Strategy + Tactical Combat

You can fight battles with multiple units forming an army.

Conclusion: Lacking polish (3/5)
In conclusion, the idea of the game is quite interesting, but the execution was lacking. The developers focused too much on providing a lot of customization which led to the game missing much needed polish. Small changes such as a better tutorial system, improved animations, and better audio can have a huge effect on the game. It is better to have less features that are well made than a large number of features that could use some improvement.

There is definitely a lot of replay value in the game with the procedurally generated maps and customization options, but I don’t know if I will make use of this replayability due to the current state of gameplay. I would have preferred to see less customization and instead have the developers focus more on polishing the existing features.

Graphics: 3/5
There are a good amount of graphical options available and the game doesn’t look bad. The models are well made, but the animations could use some work. The game looks good on the map view with a lot of the environment being animated but the battles feel lifeless.

Control: 4/5
The mouse is all you need to play this game. The interface could use some improvement to be more intuitive and improve the control for newer players. The control scheme can be modified for those used to RTS games in the options.

Features: 3/5
There are a lot of options available for players in Worlds of Magic. You can research new spells, train units, expand your territory, and destroy enemy cities. While there is a lot you can do, these features lack in polish. I would have preferred less features with more polish.

Customization: 5/5
With so many options available, the customization in Worlds of Magic is amazing. You can create an army and sorcerer that matches your play style. The developers might have put too much time into this category though as it seems to have degraded the quality of other features.

Community: 2/5
Without being able to play online, it is quite hard to comment on the community. With Worlds of Magic being a spiritual successor to the classic game, Master of Magic, there is bound to be a good community around the older game. The game only came out this week and only time will tell if the community thrives or withers away.

Second Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft Adventure Releases First Wing

Blackrock Mountain Wing 1 Header

The first wing of Blackrock Mountain™, the fiery new Adventure for Hearthstone®: Heroes of Warcraft™, has opened! Blackrock Mountain pits players against a host of iconic hot-tempered foes across five challenging, magma-packed wings. Players who can handle the heat will be rewarded with a host of new cards to add to their collection.

In Blackrock Mountain, Hearthstone players find themselves amid a war between powerful forces battling for control of the legendary mountain. Deep within the mountain’s core, duelists go toe-to-toe against fierce minions, including Dark Iron dwarves, fire elementals, and dragons, while facing off against legendary menaces from the Warcraft® universe, such as Ragnaros the Firelord. Card-slingers who extinguish these villains will reap a mighty reward—31 scorching new cards inspired by the mountain and its denizens, bringing a wealth of new tactical options to the ever-evolving Hearthstone metagame.

“Adventure Mode challenges players to think outside of the box and come up with creative new strategies,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “After the new bosses and unique mechanics in Blackrock Mountain put their skills to the test, we can’t wait to see how players use all the new cards in their decks.”

The first wing of Blackrock Mountain—Blackrock Depths—opens today, with one additional wing opening each of the following weeks throughout April. Each of the Adventure’s five wings is available for purchase separately for 700 in-game gold per wing or for $6.99 per wing on PC, Windows and Android tablets, and iPad®. For those brave enough to take on the Mountain in its entirety, a complete Blackrock Mountain bundle package is also available.

Devouring Stars is available on Steam Early Access

Devouring Stars

Studio Nerial and publisher BulkyPix are announcing the release of the celestial real-time strategy game  Devouring Stars on Steam Early Access on Thursday, 2 April. This version is priced at $9.99 and is available for PC, Mac and Linux.

Greek Gods & Exploration

Inspired by Dan Simmons’ Illium but also by games like Eufloria or Faster Than Light, Devouring Stars is a strategy game with some exploration and a lot of Greek gods.

In Devouring Stars, players lead a tribe of godlike entities hunted by 4 other clans. To defend themselves, those entities have the ability to devour starfields, thus creating dynamic protective nebulas, but also to merge in order to create more advanced units. Depending on the set of entities a game is started with, different strategies may be unfolded.

A brief yet necessary Early Access

Devouring Stars will not remain in Early Access for more than a couple of months. Although at a very advanced stage of development, Devouring Stars still needs some final polishing. Developers most notably expect useful feedbacks from the community regarding the difficulty balancing as well as the enemy AI.

This Early Access version features the whole game, fully playable from the start to the end. English and French languages are available but more will be present in the final version.

Sentinel Heroes Officially Launched on Armorgames with New Features

First World Boss

Sentinel Heroes Studios today announced the launch of Sentinel Heroes on Armorgames.com, one of the best online games websites. From now on, players can join the turn-based strategic role-playing game with an Armorgames account directly. The release comes with some new features including League War and World Boss battle!

League War is the hotly anticipated “League VS League” battle. It’s million people’s war. All league members can join to win some credits for their own league. And the League winning the most credits at the end of the event will be the winner and get loads of league wealth as reward. It’s also one person’s war. Every league member will face a worthy opponent from a different league and have to face another opponent immediately after defeating one. No time to restore HP or Mana, no help from friends or any other league members. So every player needs to fight for themselves and their league at the same time.

New Hero Templar Assassin

The World Boss battle is a server wide event. The goal is to seal the King of Ice Golem, one of the most powerful ancient creatures in Orson Land, who will revive at 16:00 – 16:30 (Orson Calendar) every day. All players can join the event to help and get some rewards. The player who kills the boss will get a large amount of coins.

To celebrate the launch of Sentinel Heroes on Armorgames.com, Sentinel Heroes Studios also prepared some nice events. Check the ongoing events here.

Island of Kelba Revamp Part Two now Available in WAKFU

Island of Kelba Revamp Part Two now Available in WAKFU

The island of Kelba, coming from the WAKFU animated series, still has many secrets for the player to unveil.  With a whole new design and new transmedia adventure, that was revealed on the 27th of March, anew area is awaiting players in this tactical online game.  Whether they know about the key characters of the WAKFU universe or not, they will immerse themselves in this adventure, which offers many new elements: a new family of monsters (the Raskaws), new dungeons and quests…

But there is more! The second part of the area of Kelba is now available.  After the encounter with Kabrok and Miranda, the famous couple from the TV series, and with Hadibal Toot, Kelba’s merchant, players must continue the quest to recover a much sought-after artifact! A new dungeon appears, in which players will go head-to-head with the Black Crow (seen in episode 3 of the first season of the series). Once defeated, his secret identity will be revealed. But this ‘villain’ is not the only one the players will meet. Another transmedia character will be involved. But who? We can’t tell you that, but only brave players will be able to discover this mysterious character at the end of the adventure!

VoidExpanse Now Available on Steam

VoidExpanse Now Available on Steam

Introducing VoidExpanse, a new space exploration RPG that mixes a top-down, arcade-style perspective with dynamic content, an advanced 3D engine, and enough depth of play to rival most space-faring games. Now available on Steam for the promotional price of $13.49, VoidExpanse puts you at the heart of an interstellar civilization facing an alien invasion — giving you the freedom to chart your very own path through the stars.

As a young adventurer who barely manages to avoid life as a farmer, you are called upon to unite the galaxy under one banner to thwart an alien invasion. However, in order to achieve this objective, you must first align yourself with one of three warring factions (Order, Freedom, or Fanatics), accept their values, and help them achieve their goals. Living the life of an adventurer won’t be easy: You will need to complete a number of quests and grow in power to strengthen your faction.

Take the helm of your starship as you fight enemies, mine asteroids, trade with space stations, and complete missions to upgrade your ship and your character’s abilities. Explore a massive procedurally-generated universe and meet characters who can influence each faction and the game world as a whole.

VoidExpanse Now Available on Steam

In addition to the single-player campaign, VoidExpanse also features a multiplayer mode with fully persistent worlds — turning each server into a mini MMO. Players can create their own galaxies through custom mods or play on existing servers created by the community.

“With VoidExpanse, we wanted to blend the unique gameplay, excitement, and feel of old-school classics with a new game engine and modern gameplay mechanics,” says Valentin Gukov, managing director of AtomicTorch Studio. “The player is both independent and at the same time tied to the world  – a living universe with factions, agendas, memories, and storylines large and small. VoidExpanse provides a spectrum of possible careers, skill development, and in-game choices that can greatly impact each playthrough.”

VoidExpanse Now Available on Steam

Key Features

  • Open exploration of procedurally-generated galaxies in sandbox mode.
  • Design your ship using hundreds of different modules and devices.
  • Complex real-time combat system.
  • Factions — complete with their own agendas, people, territories, and storylines.
  • Character customization with a number of diverse skill trees and branches.
  • Meaningful trading system involving trade routes and supply/demand simulation.
  • Advanced asteroid mining with multitudes of ores and mining devices.
  • Persistent worlds in multiplayer mode!

Pricing and Availability
VoidExpanse is now available for the promotional price of  $13.49 until April 9 (10% off). After this introductory price expires, the game will go back to the original price of $14.99.

Steam & AtomicTorch Store