Warlords: Battlecry Review

The player is placed in the role of the hero which will help the Guardia Knights and little Elana restore peace and order that ruled before the meteor rain. In this campaign, only a human hero can be chosen. The Tears of Dawn is divided up into two initial chapters, and two by own accord, because half way through the campaign, the player can choose the evil Path of Darkness, or the good Path of Light. In any case, the story is interesting and surprising at times, and increases the re-play value. The first chapter of The Prophecy introduces the player into the campaign and with the companions, Minos and Robert who will follow the hero through the game. The second chapter is to explain everything about the two meteors and their powers, as well as to introduce the Elf girl Elana. The third chapter is optional. After the commander in chief of the Guardia sacrifices Elana in battle to cover up something, the player can choose to blow the whistle on him or continue to fight alongside the Knights. It's interesting, but the missions are identical in both Paths, only reversed in the roles. So instead of betraying the Guardia, you can chase the rebels, or instead of defending the dwarf caravan, you can attack it. Also, every chapter has six scenarios, each of different difficulty level.

Burn, baby, BURN!

WOW... You can fly!

The gameplay is a little conservative, because, no matter which race you play with, you have the feeling of deja vy. The scenario begins with you building the basic castle, the base if you will, from which other buildings will depend. The hero builds the first level of the castle, and then the basic construction unit is created (for example, for humans it is the peasant, for the minotaurs it is the thrall) . This unit builds all objects, barracks for the soldiers, stables for the cavalry, nests and other buildings characteristic for races. Of course to join the better units and objects, it is necessary to constantly improve the basic castle to a higher level (maximum level is 5). The basic function of every hero is to convert the resources on the map and build basic buildings. There are 4 resources: metal, gold, stone and crystal. Every resource has a area rich in it, or a mine somewhere on the map. The mine is neutral or property of the enemy. The hero's task is to convert these mines in order to bring as much resources as possible in order to build the objects and units.

Beside the hero, the conversion can be done by generals, mighty creatures characteristic for every race. They are on a very high level of production, and usually it takes the 5th level of your basic castle to enlist them in your ranks.

Through combat, the units gain experience in missions. It boosts their abilities or unlocks certain hidden ones. The experience of the hero, on the other hand, makes his life easier in many aspects such as cheaper units and easier spell casting, etc...By solving quests, you can win many prizes, including magic items that increase bonuses for the hero and the whole armies. The magic is done in a fun way, and divided in ten menus. Each contain five or six spells. Still, heroes that aren't magicians by profession have problem casting spells. Because of their profession, the percentage of casting a spell that will work will be diminished. The more they use magic, the bigger the chance that the spell will work. As the hero moves on through the scenario, his fame grows. After every scenario, it is possible to recruit new men drawn by your hero's feats. The amount of points needed for the recruiting of special units depends on the commanding experience (and the command radius that I mentioned before). The Escort are usually generals, beings with a lot of experience, but more important, beings that can replace the hero in critical moments ( if he is wounded and can't travel through enemy territory).

Warlords: Battlecry is a fun creation that can compete with 3D technologically more advanced games. There are few successful fantasy RPG, and the Warlords are a quality product. It will enchant every fan of fantasy games as well as RPG/FRP, and strategies.