Warlords Battlecry

Essentially, Warlords Battlecry (WBC) is the missing link between WarCraft 2 and 3. On the one hand, like in WarCraft 2, workers disappear into the buildings they build, there are land, air, and sea units, and incremental upgrades for all troops; on the other hand, you have a hero unit with spells and an inventory like in WarCraft 3. Still, WBC does enough things differently to where it becomes unique. For instance, the RPG mechanics don't stop at the hero, as there are different damage types, resistances, and mental states like in a proper D&D CRPG, adding to the rock-paper-scissors mechanics typical of an RTS. Impressively, WBC has no less than nine races, all with their (mostly) own units, buildings, and playstyle. Another peculiarity is resource collection. There are four resources, of which each races needs different amounts, and they're only produced in mines, which ought to be captured. Only the hero and a few high-level units can do so, adding an interesting dynamic between having to defend the hero while capturing resources and going on the offensive. In the campaign, one gets to create a hero from scratch, whose stats can be increased inbetween missions when gaining levels. A few select units may also be added to the retinue, essentially forming a party of sorts. While most missions involve base building, some require making do without reinforcements. Whenever the hero or a story character dies, you get a game over, which can be frustrating given how high-level spells and units can often delete a unit's health within a single second. The game can be challenging in general, and after loading a save a couple of times, sounds will stop playing, necessitating a restart. Aside from this bug, I had no technical issues, and the game is still decent to look at, owing to its large and detailed sprites. Overall, if you like fantasy, and have enjoyed the likes of WarCraft 2/3 or Spellforce, you likely'll enjoy this one as well.

excellent game, its a bit more indepth and intense than warcraft.

I hadn't played this game since I was 10. Works really well o nWin11

A little gem of the fantasy RTS fare, one of the early RTS/RPG hybrids. Enjoyable and engaging, though lacking in customization of both gameplay and visual elements: for a game boasting of 9 playable races, there are way too mamy shared units and visuals, compared to, say, Age of Empires or SWGB, which give each faction unique looks despite samey mechanics.

Fantastic simple RTS game with light custom hero mechanics and leveling system. Would recommend for those who dont mind older graphics and simpler but fun game play.