Developer: Mind Over Matter Studios, Nordic Games
Publisher: Nordic Games
Platform: PC
Spellforce 2: Demons of the Past – Review
Demons of the Past is the third and final stand alone expansion for real time strategy game Spellforce 2. It’s an update to a game that’s been around for some time now, and as such it manages to stretch its engine very thin at times.
As fans will attest, though, there’s a reason why Spellforce 2 is still getting new content this long after its initial release.
Story
I won’t go into the story too much, mostly because this is the first Spellforce game I’ve ever played and as such, much of the lore and and history of the series is completely lost on me. As such, I don’t think it would be fair if I subtracted or added from or to the game’s score based on how I experienced the story.
What I did manage to gather is that you’re fighting the same Nameless Evil personae you fended off during the previous games. Which, in a world full of fantasy clichés, means you’ll encounter dragons, elf-folk and other mystical creatures, as well as deal with plenty of intrigue.
During the campaign, there’s ample opportunity to wander off and tackle tons of side quests. Dialogue is never far off and you’re often given a choice in how you’ll have your heroes act towards other characters.
Personally, though, I didn’t understand the need for the game’s over-reliance on unique terms and. Making up words just to add a layer of mysticism to your story is never a good idea. Sadly, it’s a trend that has been ruining both high fantasy and anime over the past decade. Adding a touch of realism, even when you’re creating a story centered around demons and dragons, allows for a more immersive story.
Graphics
Spellforce 2 was first released back in 2006. Of course, this means you shouldn’t expect too much when it comes to visuals. Even if we’re now 2014, Demons of the Past is still based on an eight-year-old game. There are also only so many graphical upgrades a developer can make, before he starts to alienate a large group of his install base.
Zoomed in, characters look chunky and the environments lack the amount of detail we’ve come to expect from modern PC games.
Sound
I wasn’t particularly fond of Demons of the Past’s voice-acting. It sounded bland, even dull at times. Characters sound as if they’re just going through the motions, failing to sound convincing when a situation turns dire. They also seem to have a tendency towards rattling, as more often than not, lines were delivered much faster than they should.
In-game music serves its purpose, but never becomes remarkable enough to applaud.
I’ve also had a problem where cutscenes would blast through my sound system, forcing me to turn the sound down, only to have to turn it up as soon as the actual gameplay started. So yeah, there’re some mixing problems.
Gameplay
Essentially, Spellforce 2: Demons of the Past is a throwback to real time strategy games the way they were delivered during the early 2000’s.
The single-player campaign is mostly where it’s at. You start off creating a personal avatar, who then goes on to recruit up to five other heroes. You can pick between typical archetypes like healers, warriors and mages and each character has a set of skills to develop.
Your team members represent your lives. Should one die, you’ll have to resurrect him or her within a certain time limit, lest they be lost and a game over screens signals the need to start all over again.
Each hero can learn new skills as the get stronger, as well as equip loot. The only problem with that, is that it’s much safer to keep them near the back of your army, only occasionally using their skills to pick off enemies. As I sai, resurrecting them carries a big risk, as does it claim a hefty amount of gold.
Missions usually tend towards the base and resource management type, but occasionally they add a bit more flavour by introducing simple puzzles and dialogue.
Resource management and building is fairly straightforward; You collect stone, silver and Lenya to both place buildings and recruit units. A decent-sized tech-tree adds some spice to the different strategies you can follow.
It’s all pretty old-school, but at least it makes for a game that never forgot that simple things, more often than not in our game industry, tend to offer the most fun.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, Spellforce 2: Demons of the Past is a likeable strategy game. It won’t bring any beauty contests, its RPG-features are misplaced more often than not and its voice-acting is a thing best ignored; but it’s certainly a more than decent strategy game.
At least there’s tons of depth and fans of high fantasy will more than get their share.
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