Battle Mages: Sign of Darkness Preview

Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games have a strong and loyal following in the gaming community. Role-Playing Games (RPG) are another genre that have a very loyal following. Combining both genres together isn't a new idea but it's still an idea that won't go away. Why give someone just a straight up RTS game when you combine elements of an RPG? Well Battle Mages: Sign of Darkness is another RTS/RPG game that tries to offer players the best of both worlds. GameZone is fortunate enough to have played an early version of the game.

Most RTS games have usually left the player as the controller/commander of the units. But in Battle Mages you can see your character at all times because you are in control of the commander. Your commander is actually one of four characters that will be in the final version of the game. The preview copy allowed for control of a wizard/magician and an orc shaman. The game includes brief cutscenes that explain the premise behind the two playable characters. For example the wizard (Pheren) that I controlled had just graduated from the University of Magic and was sent to protect the Northern Lands. I could see Pheren at all times in the game because he assumed the form of an astral body (or ghost) that always appeared on the screen.

Instead of just clicking on units to move them, you will need to move your character first. For example I had to move Pheren with the "W, S, D and A" keys to a town on the map to obtain a quest and to purchase warriors from the town's barracks. Once I purchased a unit of soldiers I was then able to set out and accomplish the quest given to me earlier. The first guest given was to take care of a bear and some wolves that have been bothering the villagers. Then the RTS portion of the game was available by ordering my units into battle against the bear and wolves. During the battle I was able to change which direction the units were attacking or move them to another area. Just as in other RTS games, all of the controls were done with a point-and-click of the mouse. The quests usually involve destroying something and the story behind each quest is told by a cutscene.

The RPG part of the game would come from the experience points your troops earn during battle. If everyone in the unit can survive then they will earn experience points and grow stronger in the game. But it's not just your units that can use the experience. Once you've earned enough experience points you will be able to use the points to learn more powerful magic spells for your character. This was sort of difficult to do in the preview copy though because the units I had control of just didn't want to follow directions very well. At one point in the preview copy I had to restart the level because none of my units were close enough to attack. The AI of the enemy wouldn't allow it to move any further so the soldiers in my unit just sat there and stared at the enemy. No matter where I clicked my forces couldn't advance any further. This was probably a minor issue that hopefully will be addressed in the final version.

By controlling your own character the developers have created a unique concept. Instead of feeling removed from the action you now can control another character that could have different abilities than the units under you control. For example during the first level when I controlled Pheren, I was able to cast magic spells independently from what I ordered my unit to do. While the soldiers did a melee attack up close and personal, my character was casting magic spells. This might not sound very unique reading about it but the way it's presented is interesting. Your character is hovering above your forces and you can move your character anywhere on the map at any time. The game even gives you a hint to not leave your forces behind but you can if you want.

The graphics for the preview version were promising, but the frame rate was choppy when moving around the maps. All of the graphics are presented in an over-the-top view that allows you to zoom in up close on the action during a battle. The characters during the game looked good with some nice textures and details. However, the animation of the characters were a little rough but hopefully this will be corrected with the final version. For someone wanting a comparison to a bigger-released title, I would say the game looks similar to Neverwinter Nights. It doesn't have the flash and polish of NWN but the graphics in Battle Mages are not the worst you will see in a RTS/RPG game.

So far Battle Mages: Sign of Darkness is shaping up to be a solid RTS/RPG game. The decent graphics and unique gameplay will be enough to keep RTS fans happy. The level building in the game will also have RPG fans attracted. Hopefully the minor issues that I mentioned earlier will be corrected with the final version. If you're looking for a RTS game with a twist then Battle Mages: Sign of Darkness just might be the game for you.