Dragonshard brings new ideas together with the best elements of classic strategy games

Strategy games have a long, checkered past with classic role-playing games. Many gamers will remember with a sense of dread some of the sword-and-sorcery to computer game translations they have seen which fail to capture the magic and dynamic of the original games. The team at Liquid Entertainment and Atari have jumped into this sordid genre with their new title, Dragonshard. If you had low hopes for this title, prepare to be impressed. Dragonshard has a wide variety of tactics, units, and combat styles available for players to enjoy. The graphics are crisp, fluid, and run extremely well even with large armies slamming into one another with sharp steel and spell-born fire. The background music is extremely well done and the voice-overs have been recorded with a fabulous cast. Combine all these features with innovative design and a responsive, easy to learn interface and you have an amazing title.

Dragonshard builds upon a number of tried-and-true concepts for the real-time strategy genre. The standard system for building structures and creating units will be familiar to any fan of the genre. Combat is handled through a series of mouse-clicks to move your units, call them into combat, or trigger their special abilities. The interface itself is extremely responsive and easy to use. New players and old masters of the genre will find it equally easy to make their way through this game. The single-player campaign has an involving plot that catches a player’s imagination and helps pull them through the story. In multiplayer the game shines, as all the options are open for players to explore and use. There are also a variety of different tactics and weapons that can be used to defend yourself or decimate your foes. Its this variety that will help bring players back for more.

Dragonshard has several new and unique concepts that it is bringing to the genre. The first is the game world itself. There are several forms of resources that a player must gather, resources like gold, magical “dragon shards,” gems that fall from the sky to form deposits of wealth, and experience to advance your troops. Unlike other games where a player can simply move into an area and begin harvesting resources, in Dragonshard you are required to earn your resources. Dragon shards can be found throughout the world map that players initially discover, and experience can be earned by fighting enemies. To earn gold, one of the most important requirements to training new units, a player must venture with their heroes into the cavernous underworld, Khyber. Only by exploring the dark underside of the world can a player find the gold they need to expand their armies. But explorers should also be cautious- nothing comes for free. Monsters lurk in the shadows, eager to devour the unwary.

Another solid innovation is the ability to find and use magical items. Everything from potions to heal the wounds of your warriors to potent artifacts of ancient power are available through the game. At times the use of a single item can be the turning point in a battle. Wise players will seek out these hidden relics and add these potent effects to their arsenal. Longtime players of the role-playing genre will immediately feel at home with this dynamic. Strategy gamers will enjoy the new tactics and strategies that they bring to the game. as long as its on their side, of course.

Like many games in the strategy genre Dragonshard boasts units that can be upgraded in power, gaining additional abilities and greater durability. To upgrade their units a player must expand their base, which also increases the number of units that a player can deploy. Building a single tavern will allow players to recruit the elusive rogues into their army. By building a second tavern players will gain the ability to increase the level of their rogues. Each level costs experience to buy, with the cost increasing substantially as the level of the unit increases. The rewards are definitely worth the price- once a unit has its level increased it can begin recruiting followers to aid it in battle. These followers are not as powerful as the champions who lead them into battle, but they can be a valuable asset. Followers have similar strengths as their patrons. Another bonus to followers is their cost- heroic units require gold and dragon shards to create, but followers can be easily recruited by a unit as long as it is near your base for a period of time. Units will automatically begin attracting followers if they are resting close enough to your capital.

The graphics and sounds of Dragonshard are both very well done. The three-dimensional world is crisp and renders quickly. At times the graphics are not quite as high as one would expect from a high-end role-playing game, but they also don’t seriously degrade in mass combat. After watching a series of powerful, flashy spells go off without a single hiccup, players will be thrilled with the tradeoff. The voices of the various units, from the powerful and unique commanders, to the standard heroic units that form the backbone of an army are all well done. The voice actors have brought a level of humanity to this game. When a unit calls out for help it gets our attention and helps pull you into the game. The stirring background music will help immerse a player in the world. The sound effects, from the hammer of sword on shield to the thunder of a lightning bolt, are just as well done.

Dragonshard is an amazingly well-crafted game. The designers have obviously put a lot of effort into creating a game that is worth its purchase price. Dragonshard can boast solid, involving gameplay, crystal clear graphics and wonderful sound quality. The innovations that Dragonshard brings to the genre are just as well-designed as the traditional elements. Combat flows smoothly and there is always another trick players can use to turn combat to their advantage. The game world itself contributes to the dynamic and involving combat system as it literally rains resources down onto the map during play. Just as entertaining is the quest to gain resources. The enemy is not just your opponent. If you want to survive, if you want to thrive, and if you want to conquer the enemy you will be forced to face the world of Dragonshard in a way no strategy game has ever challenged a player.
 

Gameplay: 8.8

Dragonshard has a solid interface that is easy to use. The game design is excellent and gives players lots of options. While it might take some time to master a broad range of tactics, Dragonshard is definitely fun to play.

Graphics: 8.6

As a role-playing game the graphics of Dragonshard are not as impressive as other recent titles. As a strategy game its graphics are pretty good. Dragonshard’s graphics run smoothly and have a lot of detail. Little things like grass blowing in the wind and clearly defined shadows help bring the world to life.

Sound: 8.6

The background music and voices for Dragonshard are well done. The voices are better done than the music, especially when a unit is calling for help or shouting information to the player. The music is good, but its not captivating enough to drive fans to try and find the soundtrack for their music collection.

Difficulty: Medium

The game itself is easy to learn, but there are so many different enemies you can come up against that it takes time to learn the best ways to counter them all. Have a little patience and bring a spare healer along just in case.

Concept: 9.0

Dragonshard is built on a solid base of concepts and ideas from previous games. It also introduces several new concepts to the genre that make this game unique. There is a certain wisdom in sticking to the proven ideas of the past but Dragonshard shows how adding new ideas can help bring more fun to a game.

Multiplayer: 9.0

Like many games Dragonshard is easy enough to play once you learn the behaviors of the AI. The real excitement comes in fighting another human over the internet. Dragonshard is a good game when playing solo. When playing against a friend it is even better.

Overall: 8.8

Dragonshard has a great mix of solid gameplay, good features, and a beautiful world. Combining the best elements of the classic strategy genre games with elements from the RPG genre works very well for this title. The other innovative elements in Dragonshard’s design will keep even the most jaded strategy gamer interested.
 

Tips:

When you are playing as the Order of the Flame, the human forces, it’s a good idea to bring along a few clerics. These healing priests will automatically cast spells to repair your units in combat. They also boast a light ranged attack so they can contribute even when their mana is gone.

There’s something to be said for not putting all your levels in one unit type. Plan out which abilities you want your units to earn before you begin building structures. This will give you more flexibility and more followers to aid your army.

Seize any resources you can find as soon as possible. Dragonshard has a limited amount of resources at any given time, so if you can gather them before your opponent you will have the advantage.

Resources are added to the game as time progresses. New monsters will spawn in Khyber so you can gain valuable experience and gold and new dragon shards will fall from the sky. Keep an eye out for these events to restock your supplies.

Khyber isn’t just a place to find resources and experience. It also has several entrances that might not be clearly visible on the map. It’s a good idea to explore around. Sometimes you can come up behind enemy lines by taking a different exit. Take advantage of this when possible, and remember to post scouts at the entrances near your base.