Awesome Civilitation-like, turn-based strategy game! As you'd expect from the genre, it combines land control, city building, economy management and militar planning. Master of Magic adds, precisely, magic into that mix, in the form of many varied spells under the different schools of magic that each wizard can dominate. The spells range from very specific effects to worldwide enchantments and even summoned units to support your army. Each of those, properly used, are potential game changers. Powerful artifacts and heroes will make apperance too, some of the later also able to cast spells right on the battlefield. There's a lot of different races to choose from, every one of them unique and interesting. You can also pursue victory aggressively in the way of conquest, or try a more defensive approach and survive long enough to research and cast the feared "Spell of Mastery" - Beware ! Doing so means depriving the use of magic to the other wizards, which will greatly enrage and rally all of them against you. While this means instant victory, be sure to have enough forces to resist their attack before you start its long casting process.
Icewind Dale 2 delivers a great experience. The graphics are the best you can expect from the beautiful Infinity Engine. The soundtrack, made by Inon Zur, is captivating with very beautiful pieces (like Targos). The 3rd edition D&D rules are surprisingly well adapted and implemented. The game's difficulty is on point, challenging yet not impossible. Most parties will be viable but I strongly recommend using at least a caster and a priest. The only bad thing I could find was the pathfinding, which will test your patience in some narrow corridors.
An excellent, addictive and immersive adventure as the ruler of a kingdom! Reminds me of so many good things I don't know where to start; It's amazing this game was done by a single developer. There are tons of things to do and plenty of options to customize, so every game is guaranteed to be different. Virtually every alignment & playstyle you can imagine is in. The text is fun, well-written and easy to understand. There is quite a bit of information to digest, but you'll quickly get the hang of it. Playing the game isn't hard, but it can get as challenging as you wish. Navigating the menus is as easy as typing numbers, you can set the font as big as your eyes need and there is even optional music for enhanced atmosphere (I love the 'menu' and 'calm' themes) Easily one of the best kingdom sims I've played - Wish we had more games like this around Gog!
Rogue Mage is a single player mode of Gwent, the well known Witcher card game. The cards are the same and while many of them have had their rules changed in the multiplayer version, they remain untouched here. This mode features 'rogue' elements, adding new cards and treasures the further you progress in your run and also experience levels that will unlock new leaders, units, spells, potions and decks to help you and also offer new strategies you can experiment with. Every run is randomized and will end in one of three different bosses. Enemies are plenty, as are the possible nodes you can encounter. Once you beat the three bosses, you will earn a cinematic and a new difficulty mode which you can also customize by choosing 'curses' according to your preferences. The game is considered finished when you are delivered the last cinematic, after achieving three victories in the 'master' difficulty, though there is a 'grandmaster' level after that. Fun, intense, challenging, with an excellent soundtrack and very solid voice acting, I can only give this game 5 stars. Wish we get more of these !
Love the wallpaper from Witcher 1 - Happy anniversary CD Projekt.
Beyond the beautiful graphics and the magnific 34-minute soundtrack (how I wish it was longer!), Rites of War is an excellent, engaging turn-based strategy game. The action takes place in hex maps; no resource gathering and no base building, though you will obtain Glory, Experience and Artifacts throughout the campaign. Glory is the currency to recruit new units into your army, Experience will earn them upgrades and traits, while Artifacts are powerful objects which grant different bonuses to the wielder. Scenarios have different objectives and win conditions, though most of them revolve around overpowering your foes with your troops. You'll want to study every map and watch the movement of your enemies, so you can avoid as many losses as possible, specially regarding your most experienced leaders. The AI has overwhelming numbers but it's easy to predict, so use this to your advantage! Warning, very addictive :)
A perfect game in many ways, this King's Bounty is a blend of questing, exploration, turn-based strategy and tactical rpg, with colorful warcraft-style graphics and a superb soundtrack. The story is hilariously good and the difficulty is well balanced, yet I recommend being wary of not losing too many units in the later battles. Gold and magic crystals are important resources, so try to invest those on troops and spells you will frequently use. I would entirely avoid comparison with HoMM, King's Bounty is a completely different thing, though you will recognize many of the creatures and races from the same universe.
Just an excellent ARPG containing everything you'd expect from the genre defined by Diablo. In fact, this title felt to me like it was Diablo 1.5! Very simple and intuitive gameplay since the first level, yet challenging and engaging until the last one. Plenty of different options to specialize yourself in, many different playstyles are viable, plus an heritage system which guarantees replayability. The atmosphere feels great too, lots of different levels and detailed monster models. Also LOVED the soundtrack, both in town and dungeon. Again, if you liked the older Diablo or Torchlight titles, you won't miss with this one :)
Loved Revenant from start to end! It has a beautiful setting with a colorful cast of characters, each one passionately voice acted. Graphics are excellent for their date with a perfectly fitting soundtrack. The story, while predictable, is mature, great and engaging thanks to Locke's barbaric personality and crude humor. About the gameplay: it features character progression up to level 30, letting you focus on might, magic or a mix of both (health and fatigue regeneration are very useful!) lots of different weapons, armor sets, combo attacks and magic spells to fight the many enemies that will stand in your way. Everything a D&D fan would expect is also here: lots of dungeon crawling, traps and treasures waiting to be plundered!
Starting with the bad: Too many DLCs (not precisely cheap), lack of a complete edition like Steam has and also lack of achievements (again, Steam has achievements, but GOG doesn't). That being said, Gladius is an awesome game. The overall experience feels really smooth, with units reacting quickly to orders and turns going by pretty fast. Thanks to this responsive interaction, combats are frantic and intense, revolving around land and resource control. First, you'll fight for survival against hordes of xenos, then try to cut your opponent's advance and finally decimate their base. Every faction shines with detail, interesting lore and different specialization paths which you'll prioritize through the research system. Many different combinations are possible and every match feels new and different, making replayability the game's strongest point. Honestly, I wasn't expecting it to be this good! Worth every cent, in my opinion.
