Gameplay impressions
Gameplay impressions
To those who have been comparing Dark Messiah of Might and Magic to Oblivion, I can categorically say that the combat is far better than the rather boring combat system seen in Bethesda’s game. Indeed, the whole gameplay and graphics are more akin to Half Life 2 than the leafy surroundings and deliberately slow gameplay of Tamriel. Although we didn’t play the single player campaign, we saw plenty of gameplay footage that had more than a hint of Thief and Half Life 2 peeping out from its glossy interior (incidently we'll bring you the a single player hands-on as soon as the nice guys from Ubisoft drop it through the post).
The combat is extremely straightforward and more of a physical experience than a tactical one. If you are wielding a sword or a dagger you can tap the left trigger to slash an enemy or hold it down to enter a stance. The stance mode unleashes a more powerful swing or thrust of your weapon and, depending on whether you’re running, walking, or standing still, will react differently due to the context-sensitive system that has been put in place. The same applies to your defence; depending on how the enemy attacks you, will depend on how you defend that attack. A static attack may result in a simple block, whereas a running attack may end with a parry. These variations in blocking and attacking manoeuvres prevent combat from becoming too repetitive.
An example of the stance attack can be seen with the assassin. Entering stance mode sees the character cross his two daggers at head height and, once you've snuck up behind an opponent, you're able to deliver a deadly sneak attack.
Click for larger imageClose up combat can be fast and brutal and the characters accurately translate these battle movements onto your computer screen with such realism that you’ll often let out a war cry yourself (don’t try the orgasm cry otherwise the neighbours may not be happy).
The mages and priestesses spells do work in the same way as Oblivion, although there is far more visual variety. For example, when casting a lightening bolt you’ll hear a fizzing sound as the spell is charging and, just before it leaves your staff you’ll hear a boom and see a flash of light before it reaches the target. As the lightening bolt moves towards the enemy it leaves a trail of light behind it. Casting spells actually feels as though you are casting one for real, ‘Hey look ma! I’m a real wizard!’
Weapon and spell switching is executed by the use of the mouse wheel and couldn’t be simpler. The skills menu is also easy to navigate thanks to the clear presentation. This menu allows you to change between characters and assign new upgrades if you’ve gained the necessary points. The beauty of the game is that you can decide on whether you want to be an expert assassin or an expert archer, or whether you wish to level up the skills consistently across the five classes.
We cannot emphasis the strategic element of the gameplay enough. You’ll need to be aware of the environment, your teams’ current territorial positions and status to understand the best times to switch characters. For example, there’s no point being an archer if you need to secure one more territory when that area is devoid of high points in which to gain a sniping advantage. You could instead send a mage with a shield charging forward with half a dozen warriors running behind and leave a few archers and a couple of assassins protecting the previous base instead. The scenarios are endless and you’ll constantly have to adapt to the way the opposition are playing, the arena you’re fighting in, and your teams current position within the game.
The variety of scenarios, the multitude of character upgrades and the range of skills on offer ensure that the team battles remain fresh time and time again. It’s this open ended gameplay that ensures that no game will ever be the same.
Click for larger imageUnfortunately, there was no option to stop players choosing the same classes, in other words you could have a whole team made up of mages or knights. However, you can switch characters at any point, so players will need to more responsible with their choices.
There wasn’t as much blood and gore as we’d hoped for, but along with the below par graphics that we witnessed online, we’re sure that this will be enhanced to correspond with the single player campaign. The multiplayer version that we played isn’t the final version.
Dark Messiah Might & Magic multiplayer was everything we expected and more. We hope that Arkane Studios decide to create a map editor and that they 'jazz up' the bland environments; if the single player game is anything to go by, we’re sure they will.
The maps are well constructed and allow for all classes to be used effectively without one being over powered. The movement of the characters, whether attacking or defending, feels just right, and Crusade mode looks as though it’s going to be an absolute hoot.
Whether they add to the existing set-up or not (and we’re sure they are), Dark Messiah is a fantastic multiplayer experience.
We hope to go hands-on with the single player campaign shortly.
There was a new trailer for Dark Messiah of Might & Magic released yesterday. Head over to Strategy Informer to view it.
Go back to SECTION ONE - Character Classes & Character Upgrades
Go back to SECTION TWO - Maps & Multiplayer Modes
Or just leave knowing that there's only a couple of months until you can get your hands on this gem.
