Having never played more than the demo of the first game, I knew from the onset that I was coming into this game with a slight handicap. There would be jokes I probably wouldn’t get, and story references that wouldn’t make sense, but I still wanted to play it. The first game seemed like a fun concept, I just never got around to giving it the play time it deserved.
Firstly this review is late. Not really something that should be said to the reader, however there is a reason why this review is late. This game is deep! It isn’t like a Fallout 3 or Mass Effect kinda game, but it is actually surprisingly deep for what I THOUGHT was just your average Hack and Slash game, with a twist.
When I fired up Overlord II, I expected to be hitting the “X” button A LOT. I also expected to be moving my gremlin-like “minions” around the map, causing as much chaos and mayhem as possible. What I did NOT expect on the other hand, was to find that there were elements of this game that would keep a player engaged as well as entertained for hours and hours.
From the very beginning of the game starting with the mandatory tutorial, you play as “The Overlord.” You are the supreme commander of the almost mindless rabble of pint sized soldiers of evil. The game centers around you rebuilding your “Tower” and putting the world back in your control, thus taking it away from “The Empire.” To do this, you will use your skills as a commander to get your minions to accomplish tasks for you.
As the game progresses you will find four different types of minions, all with their own certain abilities and weaknesses. First off are the Brown minions, which deal a lot of melee damage and can ride wolves. Then there are the Reds that (naturally) have the ability to throw fire from a distance at their enemies. Next you have the Greens, which are very plant oriented and have the ability to go stealth in foliage as well as attack enemies from behind. Finally there is the Blues, that have the ability to swim as well as the stealth ability. However their power activates when they are being “swept” around the screen by the Overlord. Each variety of minion works well against certain typed of enemies, as well as certain types of puzzles.
My first gripe with this game involves the minions, and the necessity to constantly be babysitting of them. Granted, you can assign targets for them to attack as well as just moving them around the screen destroying items in their way, but it’s just not enough. In order to give the minions orders they have to be by your side. Meaning that if they are currently attacking a target, you have to call them back then re-assign them a new target to attack. This can get very bothersome in big battles or extremely frustrating in boss fights. Secondly, once targets are destroyed, items appear on the ground. Minions have to be swept over said items in order for them to pick them up. So if I just destroyed a group of enemies and then just simply walked (with my minions following me) over the items they would not pick them up. They have to be told basically that I want them to pick up the items. An omission like this wouldn’t be that much of a big deal if it didn’t happen all the time during the game.
Graphically this game looks really nice. From the frigid snow covered mountains in Norberg, to the lush jungle of Everlight, and the bustling civilization of The Empire, every city that you venture to has its own distinct feel to the architecture as well as the inhabitants. Overlord II also runs smoothly on the PS3. Even with 30+ minions on the screen and a slew of enemies all attacking at once, there was very little chug or slowdown.
Probably one of the more fun aspect of the game is the sound. While the musical score isn’t really anything to write home about, seeing as how most of the songs are just reused through out the game, the sound effects are great. This may sound strange, but even the sound of the magic that the Overlord uses just sounds evil and menacing. The sounds that the minions make as they tear through a city made me laugh more than once. They do get a little repetitive, but usually only when the Browns or the Greens are on their respective mounts. The ambient sound effects do a great job of creating the mood of the game and its environments.
The reason why this game is deep is not so much on the re-playability side, as it is the fact of customization and upgrading. You have the ability to upgrade most everything that you encounter in the game, starting of course with the Overlord himself. You can upgrade weapons, armor, magic, and his ability to command the minions. Speaking of which, you can also upgrade your minions so that they are stronger faster and more responsive to your command. Also, you can upgrade your Tower, further changing the look and feel of your surroundings. Hell, you can even change “Mistresses” from one lady in waiting to another, which actually leads to some funny interactions between the women you are choosing from.
All in all, this game is just a lot of fun to play. Aside from the slight drawbacks of the minions, there isn’t much to complain about. The ability to sit back, while watch your minions tear through a regiment of troops without having to lift a finger, is great. You sometimes need to remind the ones under your control of what they should and should NOT do, but I guess that’s a small price to pay. It’s good to be the Overlord.
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