[BLOG] Old School is Cool Vol. 1 – Behold, the World of Mystara Awaits…

ColgereColgere Cincinnati, OH Icrontian
edited November -1 in Community
Welcome to Volume 1 of Old School is Cool. Last week, I explained what this blog was about, and if you missed last week's blog, you can read it here. So what game did I decide to begin with?

A turn based game with role playing elements. The second half of the title to this blog is spoken by the DM within the game's intro. The game?

Fantasy Empires

FantasyEmpires.jpg

History

So how did I choose this game? Well, it goes back to 1993, when Fantasy Empires was developed by Silicon Knights and published by SSI (Strategic Simulations, Inc.) My friend and fellow Icrontian CB introduced me to this game back then, and we would spend hours playing it.

As it was an article by CB which inspired me to go on this hunt for old games, I decided to start with this game, which I knew was a favorite of his. When I searched on Ebay, I was only able to find a couple copies of the game. Fortunately, I got one for about $10, and so my trip down memory lane began...

In order to run this game, I had to install DOSBox. I also went ahead and got MoSLO, as I figured the game would require it, as well as for future vintage games.

Review

As I stated above, Fantasy Empires is a turn based game with role playing elements. It can be played in a Campaign mode, in which you progress through 20 computer opponents of increasing difficulty, or in Scenario mode, in which you pick a Scenario to compete in, much the same as most modern RTS games offer today. The Campaign mode of Fantasy Empires also allows you to play multiplayer via hotseat (up to 5 players.)

The first thing you have to do, in either mode, is create a character. This is much like the character creation in Baldur's Gate for the PC, in that you roll up your character's stats, choose a race and alignment, etc. Your alignment actually matters, as it affects how treaties are handled and the use of some spells, and the consequences of both.

Once your character is created, you are able to enter the world of Mystara, or at least, a portion of it. The good news is that the portion of Mystara the game takes place in is pretty accurate in comparison to the world of Mystara created for the D&D game. The bad news? It's the only map available for the game, though the resources and types of units that can be created in each territory can be randomized. Also, the only way to win the game is by conquering all territories, even if you have eliminated all opponents. Thus, the game can occasionally be drawn out in single player or NPC only multiplayer mode (this problem doesn't exist in human multiplayer mode, since we can just decide that the game is over when only one person is left :) )

The game consists of two screens. The first is the overview map, where you can see all the territories, build structures, create units and heroes, issue move orders, and direct your magic attacks upon your foes. The majority of the screen is spent on this screen. The interface is a little clunky, but it's not that bad, and you get to it pretty quickly.

At the top of the screen is an animated DM, whose head follows your mouse movements, which is neat. The DM also talks to you, giving you advice based on the current game state. This is neat....for about 5 minutes. After that, it gets old and annoying, so I just turned that feature off.

The other screen you'll be in during the game is the combat screen. In this screen, you'll control your troops and heroes in real time as the do battle and lay siege against your enemies. The combat is straight forward: Direct your units where you want them, use your siege weapons to break into the enemy's castle if needed, and use your heroes as a trump card, so to speak. Nothing fancy, but fun in a simplistic way, and the battles don't take long. Also, if you don't like running the battles, and just want to deal with empire management, you can simulate the battle results.

So I played a single player campaign for a few hours, getting my character to level 6 (your character levels up like a PC would in D&D.) Unfortunately, while the game gets harder, it doesn't really change in single player mode, so this gets old after awhile. I could see hopping on, playing one game, then leaving it for a day or two before playing another game in single player mode, and it's fine this way.

However, the primary appeal for me with this game was always its multiplayer. So in order to play the game this way, I had a couple friends from work stop by and play the with me. The game itself is simple enough that I was able to explain everything to my friends in about 20 minutes, and they were able to play competitively. Out of four games we played, I won two, and they split the other two.

Multiplayer is where this game shines, mostly due to the way the hotseat mode works. This mode lends itself to a more relaxed, casual style of strategy game. It's also more fun to actually see the look on your friend's face when you blow up his/her buildings with an Earthquake spell.

Ratings

Well, here's the part where I rate different aspects of the game, on a 1 to 10 scale. 1 is lame, 10 is Awesome Sauce!

Graphics: (7.5/10) - When I am looking at older games, there's no way to compare the graphics of that time period to what we have available today. So instead, I judge the criteria based on how clean the game looks, whether or not there are graphical glitches, etc. Fantasy Empires is clean and efficient in this aspect. The interface is a little clunky, but this is minor and detracts little from the game. Though there's nothing amazing about the graphics, they get the job done. Also, the animated DM is a nice touch...

Sound: (6.0/10) - This is the weakest part of Fantasy Empires. The background music is appropriate, though it will probably annoy you after awhile. However, the really annoying thing is the DM. As I said above, the whole talking thing is cute for about 5 minutes, and then it’s time to shut him up. Thankfully, there are options to disable his speech and sound, and so this isn’t a deal breaker.

Game Play: (8.5/10) - This is where Fantasy Empires shines. The game play is simple enough to allow new players to pick up the game and become proficient quickly, and yet, have enough variety to keep the game from becoming stale. I knock a little off this score because of the single win condition (conquering all territories.) If you could win by just eliminating all your opponents, I'd give a 9 here.

Replay Value: (8.0/10) - The replay value of Fantasy Empires comes from its mutiplayer aspect. It has an addictive quality in this mode I can't really explain, but both of the friends I had over to play said they want to come back and play it again. I think being able to interact face to face with your opponents while playing is a huge reason for this.

Overall: (8.0/10) - Fantasy Empires is an addictive fantasy turn-based strategy game that will give you a few hours of play in single player mode, and many more via its multiplayer. It's endgame is a bit slow, though in human multiplayer, this isn't really a factor.

All in all, I'm definitely glad I dug up this game. It brought back good memories, and convinced me that continuing that this was a good idea. So I'll be doing another blog like this in a week or two, with a different game. That said, I'm still looking for suggestions for old games I should try to play. So if you have any you'd like to see, please let me know.

And remember....

Old School is Cool.

Comments

  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    An old school TBS game I really enjoyed was Fantasy General. It had a hex based combat map and lots of different units and technology research. It's a game I would recommend to those that liked Kings Bounty (another good one) or Heroes of Might and Magic.

    Good review Colgere, I had never tried this game out, I might now that I know more of what it is about.
  • ColgereColgere Cincinnati, OH Icrontian
    Fantasy General is another game published by SSI, and I've heard good reviews about it as well. I'll definitely add it to the list. Thanks! :)
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