Two important notes so you don't bounce off Lords of Ravage: 1. Menace. Every time you travel between nodes, menace will build up, buffing your enemies. If you end up wandering around the map or backtracking, it will build up very quickly, so set a course and stay focused instead of exploring...sometimes the random map will screw you and you'll end up with 80-100% menance anyway. Don't ragequit. if your run is going decently, this is still perfectly beatable. 2. Get stuck in: don't wait for your minions to start dying before sending your boss in. Your minions are meant to set the stage for your boss (by either buffing him, eliminating priority enemies or weakening them enough for the boss to sweep up), not wipe out the enemy forces themselves. You will run out of minions fast if you don't use your boss enough. If you go in knowing that, you'll find a tight, intuitive tactics game with a short but surprisingly good story. "Play as the villain" games don't always deliver on the premise, but Lords of Ravage nails the fantasy with three genuinely malevolent player characters who know exactly what they are. Or maybe two - if I have a criticism, it's that Azneya and her demons are just too damn nice, more reminiscent of post-retcon Warcraft orcs than demons. They're also too damn easy (upgrade your Ironclads ASAP and they'll see you right), making it a little baffling that she's the last unlockable character. Having completed all three campaigns on normal, I'm interested to see if the harder/custom modes will give Lords of Ravage real longevity, but at this price point, it's already earned its five stars and anything else is a bonus.
