Defend your castle and your land....with just a 'little' help from your obedient slaves.
Written By Predat0r & Wrecker
The successful satirical fantasy game Overlord enjoyed positive reviews when released in 2007 on the PC, PS3 and XBOX360 and 2009 has seen spawned a number of sequels and spin-off’s including Overlord II, Overlord: Minions and now the series debut on the Wii with Overlord: Dark Legend.
Overlord: Dark Legend was not developed by Triumph (the original studio responsible for Overlord and it’s direct sequel Overlord II) rather it has been tackled by Climax Studios, who incidentally have also created the Nintendo DS puzzle game spin-off Overlord: Minions. Climax have redeveloped this 'Overlord' instalment from the ground up specifically for the Wii and therefore have added some features that centre around the motion controls.
One of the unique elements of the 'Overlord' series is its tongue-in-cheek approach to the fantasy genre, and Overlord: Dark Legend is no exception. Rhianna Pratchett (daughter of the comical fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett of 'Discworld' fame) has written the story for the game which is laced with black comedy and a good dose of toilet humour. Although drawing inspiration from the previous games, the story is quite separate and centres around young ‘Lord Gromgard’, an up-and-coming overlord who is coming to grips with his new found evil powers. Gromgard takes advice from his mentor ‘Gnarl’ (who is a cross between a Gremlin and Yoda) and slowly amasses a horde of goblin like ‘minions’ who can carry out various tasks for their new master.
After getting his bearings and a new suit of armour (including a power yielding glove), Gromgard can begin to summon a couple of minions by holding the ‘A’ button on the Wii Remote and order them to attack enemies, pick up items of interest or simply smash anything that isn’t tied down. Minions can perform their tasks or be sent to locations on the screen by simply pointing with the Wii Remote. Attacking enemies releases ‘lifeforce’ (as well as gold) which can be collected and used by the overlord to amass more minions. The overlord himself can attack enemies at close range, but for the most part it is easier to send the minions to do the dirty work - in fact the overlord character doesn’t have to do much at all. He’s even too lazy to jump (otherwise the developers would have added a jump button), which is a frustrating feature of the game, especially when minions must be called to push a log over when a jump would have sufficed.
The control of the minions to attack and perform tasks is the core gameplay in the 'Overlord' series, and as the game progresses different minions can be acquired which have varying abilities. Brown minions are your stock standard fighters, red minions are weaker but have ranged attack and can extinguish fire, blue minions can revive other minions and walk through water, while green minions can withstand poisonous gasses. The minion selection is implemented well via the Wii Remote with the D-pad used to select the various coloured minions. The Wii specific motion controls in the game are in general very well incorporated. It seems however the developers felt they had to include the traditional 'shaking' of the remote control method, and in this game it comes in the form of picking up a minion and throttling it (cue shaking) which 'charges' it up. Players can then aim and release the 'charged' minion to run off ahead and explode, destroying unpassable obstacles and enemies alike. This does not seem to fit in with the other controls with there being little use for this attack throughout play and although this game was developed specifically for the Wii, not much thought appears to have gone into this feature.
The lands controlled by the overlord are interesting and in some places have an almost ‘Zelda’ like quality, but are somewhat restricted and quite linear without the ability to stray from the paths (or enter many buildings), giving the game an almost ‘on-rails’ type feel. This leads to the major criticism of the game in that it is really quite easy. Not only do the paths point you in the right direction, but Gnarl interrupts your every move telling you how to attempt the next puzzle and use every new item. This is great in the beginning, especially with the overlord’s handy ‘Mincyclopedia’ that keeps a track of objectives, characters encountered and game statistics, but tends to be a bit overused throughout the game. An accomplished gamer will be able to breeze few the first few levels without breaking a sweat.
There are also some great ideas in the game which are underutilized, such as the different spells uncovered throughout play by collecting relics, that are largely ignored and are never really needed to finish any quests. The ‘castle forge’, which allows the upgrading of minions and weapons, is obtained part way through the game when you have already collected enough gold to purchase almost everything on offer and doesn’t leave much of a challenge. Other features, such as setting waypoints for your minions to ‘guard’ and sacrificing minions to obtain their health, are also not at all really necessary to progress.
Despite the inherent ease with which the game can be completed, the amusing characters and in-game humour is often enough to maintain a constant interest in the game. The minion control is also a compelling element and there is a certain degree of power and satisfaction roaming the countryside with an ever-growing crowd of evil little slaves - much like other older titles such as
Lemmings,
Dungeon Keeper or
Black & White. Whilst it is amusing sitting back watching your minions run amok destroying enemies and it’s handy that they take on the labourious task of collecting gold and other treasures, this less interactive gameplay style takes away some of the enjoyment of a 'true' role playing action-adventure game.
There is a surprising amount of detail in the medieval world of Overlord: Dark Legend which highlights one of the strong points of the game – the graphics. The visuals are styled in a somewhat cartoon fashion and starting in the overlord’s castle, the game has reasonably complex textures and excellent character models which retain a good level of detail even in cutscene close-ups. Enemies feature the usual fantasy creatures such as elves and halflings, but also have characters such as Gingerbread Men which are amusing to battle. The outdoor environments are saturated with ‘comic book’ primary colours (even at night) which, combined with some great lighting effects and attention to detail such as falling leaves and fireflys, breathe a lot of life into the game.
Despite the great job on the scenery and artwork, step outdoors into the countryside and the smooth indoor framerate drops off considerably leaving a noticeable stuttering effect. Combined with this is a limited draw distance which is immediately evident in the path leading down from the castle – where the grass gets rendered on the hill a split second before the overlord reaches it. Although these gripes do not distract too much from the gameplay, it is disappointing because it eclipses some of the other impressive graphical elements.
A lot of work has also gone into the game’s sound which complements the graphics to add to the atmosphere. Right from the start it is obvious that Overlord: Dark Legend is packed full of speech and excellent voice acting and will not leave you with ‘speech bubble’ fatigue. In fact, if there is any criticism of the voice acting, it is that there is too much of it. The accents can get a little annoying and sometimes don’t suit the character's appearance, an example being the ninja-type foes rather pathetic non-threatening “pommie” accent. Whenever the minion guide Gnarl provides advice for the overlord, all other sound effects and music are muted and as he never shuts up, the rapid change in volume can sometimes be a little disrupting and ruins the flow of the game, especially when rudely interrupted during tense boss battles.
The sound effects are great and the myriad of noises for smashing plates, barrels, statues, plants and of course enemies is very realistic and at times amusing, including the cries from your loyal minions who punctuate the praise of their overlord with screams of ‘mine’ while stealing new clothes and equipment. The ambient sounds in the game are also excellent (especially outdoors which feature distant waterfalls and random chirping of birds) and topped off with some evil orchestral background music to set the mood,
Overlord: Dark Legend features one of the better sound packages of current Wii titles.
The Final Verdict
Rating this game was quite difficult as it has an eclectic mix of excellent and mediocre features. The graphics would rival many of the better Wii games, and some of the eye catching outdoor scenes could even set an example for the next ‘Zelda’ title which of late has sported a rather ‘watered-down’ colour palette. But the graphics don’t perform nearly as well as they look and are marred by an average draw distance and a framerate which struggles in the outdoor environments. The sound effects and music are noteworthy, the voice acting abundant and amusing. The issue here is that the game is really easy and the constant hints tend to insult your intelligence and puzzle-solving ability.
On the plus side, the story is entertaining enough (albeit a tad disjointed, mainly due to the constant interruptions in play) to keep players interested for a time and you will get a few (evil) laughs out of
Overlord: Dark Legend, especially when Gnarl suggests that the more placid creatures in the game are in need of a good belting. A great game for fans of the 'Overlord' series, fantasy nuts or gamers who like some senseless
Golden Axe style button bashing, but not nearly enough of a challenge, especially for those looking for puzzles on par with the 'Zelda' series.
Gameplay
7.0/10
A solid attempt of the hack ‘n’ slash action-adventure genre on the Wii, with players controlling a horde of minions to help them in thier quest. Humourous storyline and intuitive controls, however it’s rather linear and unchallenging. Some game elements don’t reach their potential.
Graphics
8.0/10
Appealing graphics with a surprising amount of colour and nice detail, let down by at times an average framerate and draw distance.
Sound
8.0/10
Very good but overbearing voice acting, complimented by lush sound effects and ambient background music.
Value
6.5/10
An entertaining experience that should keep your interest. Fairly easy and not too lengthy with somewhat repetitious gameplay, and no multiplayer, all of which diminishes the long term appeal. Recommended for fans of the series, fantasy nuts or newcomers to RPG games.
Overall
7.4/10