How do you rate a game based up a movie or book you’ve never seen or read? Actually, what happens if you’ve never even heard of the movie or book?  Well this is the task I’m challenged with when it comes to Night Watch for PC. Apparently Night Watch was the highest grossing movie in Russian cinema history.  It was based upon a trilogy of novels written by Sergy Lookyanenko (Night Watch; Day Watch and Gloom Watch). Now the movie has been given a limited release in the United States and with the movie’s release we’re treated to a game crossover. But no matter how good (or bad) a movie is the game can succeed or fail based on its own merits. A good game is a good game no matter the source material, subject matter, story line or movie tie-in.

The premise of Night Watch revolves around the Others: human beings with extraordinary powers. The Others are gifted with a wide assortment of special abilities and powers that enable them change shapes, use magic and enter the “Gloom.” The Gloom is a special parallel world that exists in tandem with the human world but is invisible to humans. With the special powers of the Others soon two groups were formed, the Dark Others and Light Others. The Dark Others are (of course) the evil darker adversaries of the Light Others. The two sides were engulfed in a battle that lasted for countless years that would have resulted in the destruction of humankind. With the destruction of mankind the powers of the Others would not exist. A treaty was signed by both sides ending the conflict, called the Great Armistice Treaty. Both sides created a police force to monitor each other. Night Watch monitors the Dark Others while Day Watch monitors the Light Others.

In the game you play the role of Stas who starts off the game in an attempt to assassinate a girl to earn some money. Soon the plot unfolds with members of both Day Watch and Night Watch getting involved to stop the attempt on the girl’s life. Now I’m going to mention a spoiler in the game but I think it’s key to how the game plays out. Stas discovers that he is an Other and joins the Light Others. Now I know you might be saying “Gee Thanks for ruining it for me” but let me explain why you need to know this plot development. Stas discovers he’s an Other almost at the beginning of the game but soon starts bragging about his powers and even offering to train a new Other. Now I’m not a professional writer nor have I written science-fiction stories turned into movies but isn’t there a little thing called character development?

Here we are just finding about the main character in the game, how he’s gifted with the powers of the Others but yet there isn’t any internal conflict within Stas? This is just my opinion but wouldn’t it have been more interesting to watch Stas develop during the game by questioning himself and his ability as an Other? The sudden twist in Stas’ development left me disappointed because it made the whole beginning of the game pointless. The game shouldn’t even have mentioned that Stas was an Other in the beginning and the story would have made more sense.  Enough about the plot development, let’s talk about the game.

The game is a turn-based strategy game set with a modern-day Russian backdrop. The game is usually broken up into three different parts. The first is the story of the game that is told through in-game cutscenes. Most of the story revolves around the missions that Stas and the rest of the Night Watch must complete. The second part of the game is a free-roaming section (called Real-Time Mode) where you can move around and search the area you’re assigned to explore. The next part of the game is the combat portion where you spend the majority of the game. Oh, be prepared to have this cycle repeated over and over again. All of the combat is turned based which makes it easy to pick and play. You simply click on a button in the game to attack, cast a spell or perform an action. No muss no fuss, right? But the interface makes the ease of the controls a little difficult.

What I noticed happening was the game getting stuck on one character even though I was trying to select another character in my party. I would cast a spell with one character and then try to issue a command with another character only to find that the game was still locked on to the first character. The game limits you to certain number of Action Points, which determines how many attacks you can perform, how many steps you can take or other actions you can initiate. Well, if the computer is locked on to the wrong character that still has some action points left then you might end up moving the wrong character or issuing a command that you never wanted to issue. It’s the same with your magic points, which are called Energy Points. Having to point on a character several times before they were actually selected brings down the functionality (and fun) of the interface and game.

Even with the lackluster plot and interface the game does offer some good qualities. The Gloom feature of the game offers a nice alternative to just a typical turn-based strategy game. By entering the Gloom you actually enter another playing field within the same stage. When you’re in the Gloom you can attack characters within or outside the Gloom. But you can only see other characters that are in the Gloom if you are in the Gloom. While in the Gloom your powers are intensified but with a cost to pay. It costs Energy Points at the end of each round to remain in the Gloom. If you run out of Energy Points while in the Gloom then the game starts taking life points away from you. Another drawback is if you happen to leave the Gloom and then run out of Energy Points. You won’t be able to return to the Gloom.

The graphics, in my opinion, are another solid point of Night Watch. While the game won’t win any awards for the graphics, the overall look of the game helps in establishing the atmosphere of the game. The background for each stage includes a ton of detail such as footsteps in the snow, run-down buildings, broken-down cars, etc. During regular combat the characters and the special effects (such as the magic spells and particularly the Gloom) were nicely done. But when you get to the in-game cutscenes the characters look like something from years ago. Don’t expect Doom 3 or Half-Life 2 character models in this game.

At the end of the day it’s all about sitting down at your computer and having fun with the game you’ve purchased. Night Watch does offer some entertainment value, just don’t expect a huge bang for your buck. The plot does not start off on a good note and doesn’t get much better as you move through the game. The combat in the game is hampered by problems with the interface. When you get past your initial missions you soon start to realize that all of the missions are exactly the same. Another point is to save and save often. You don’t want to have to restart a really long mission from the very beginning, trust me. But the Gloom feature and graphics were nicely done but it just wasn’t enough to make this stand out. I would say for anyone that has read the books or seen the movie that you’ve probably already made up your mind about this game. For those that check out the movie or books, and like what they see and read then, maybe Night Watch will redeem itself to a broader audience.

Gameplay: 6.0
It’s a turn-based strategy game that anyone should be able to understand. Unfortunately the interface problem slows down the ease and flow of the gameplay.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics did a good job of setting the tone and atmosphere of the game. The close up of the characters models do not match the overall look of the game. The Gloom effect looked great.

Sound: 6.0
The voice acting in the game was good half of the time and nerve wrenching the other half. The music in the game was a mixture of orchestra music and instrumental rock tracks.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Fans of turn-based strategy games shouldn’t have any problems moving through the game. The game does present you with some challenges that at first seem daunting. But usually after playing a mission for a second time an easier route opens up, which helps with the difficulty.

Concept: 6.0
Actually when I think of turn-based strategy games I usually think of a military game. Night Watch is definitely not a military game. But in the end it’s still a turn-based strategy game with what feels like endless missions you have to complete.

Overall: 6.25
If you’re a big fan of the books or the movie then I’m sure you haven’t even made it this far into the review. As I mentioned earlier fans have probably already made up their mind about this game. For the rest of you I would say that Night Watch isn’t really a bad game, it just includes some parts that need improvement. Or one might say parts that can be overlooked. If you overlook a few key areas you might find a game that offers something a little different than the standard turn-based strategy game.