Posted on: November 9, 2016
NightHornet
Possesseur vérifiéJeux: 302 Avis: 27
A solid, turn-based strategy
I played "Age of Wonders" around the time when I was hyped (again) on "Heroes of Might and Magic 3" as I was searching for games in similar fashion. The most common opinion on the net was that AOW2 (along with "Disciples 2" and "King's Bounty") was the most similar experience to Heroes. So I gave it a go. Before going further I would like to point out that despite the above, AOW2 ISN'T the same as Heroes. Yes, it's a turn-based strategy set in a fantasy setting, but for the most part that is where the similarities end; in stead of stacks, you get single units, which can even travel through the world alone, without the need of a "hero". There are no, different "towns" and you are given, rather common, actual races to choose from (such as orcs, elves etc.). Unit statistics are also different. The gameplay of AOW2 is not that different from Heroes: you have a map and take turns to do whatever it is you feel like doing that will help you achieve victory (generally granted to the "last side standing"). Much like Heroes, battles between your armies take place on a battlefield, which is a separated map from the main one and pops up whenever your encounter enemies. During battle, each unit (specifically NOT a stack) has a limit to what it can do: move, attack etc. Because each unit is an individual, you can even encounter suicide bombers among the unit types that die upon attack, but cause decent chunks of splash damage. Another thing of note is that flying units are constantly in the air, so you'll need shooters to bring them down (or flyers of your own). Most of these things you learn pretty quickly, so it doesn't hinder you much during the game. In the base game you have 12 races to choose from (3 more are added in the expansion): elves, dwarves, halflings and archons (the good); humans, tigrian, frostling and draconian (neutral) plus orcs, goblins, dark elves and undead (evil). Most are common sides in fantasy conflicts. From the lesser known archons can be considered demigods or angels, tigrians are desert-dwelling cat people, frostlings live in the forzen wastes, draconian are humanoid dragons and YES: orcs and goblins are two, separate armies in this game. Each army has 4 tiers or units; some are unique to their race, but commonly each unit has its own counterpart in other armies. They look different and have different statistics, but most of this is cosmetic - where Halflings have "pony riders", orcs have "heavy cavalry", while humans have "cavalry". Units specific to an army are few (such as human flying galley or the mentioned suicide bombers in goblin lineup). Be warned however as after training them, each unit has a certain upkeep. The battles themselves are nice; can require some getting used to, but as a whole you can jump right in and won't have much trouble in knowing your way around. Magic is also an integral part of the game and can be cast during battle as well as outside of it. This is where towns come in handly - while your wizard is in one, he/she has a certain sphere of influence and can cast spells even on battlefields he/she isn't part of. Area management becomes helpful, so that is another thing to look out for. The graphics are decent - they may not be timeless like in Heroes 3, but they aren't ugly, so you'll either admire them or quit paying much attention quickly. The music isn't bad either, but it isn't particularly memorable. Generally AOW2 is a decent TBS - it may not be the pinnacle of such genre (like many, myself included, consider HoMM3), but it is certainly better than a great deal of other titles created in a similar vein. In some places it sports "quantity over quality" philosophy, but if you enjoy TBS, I believe you'll like AOW2 anyway. Just don't be surprised if it won't blow your mind.
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