Overlord (2007)
The cowardly Allied tastemakers decided long ago that no video game could feature Nazi protagonists, which would have been the
ultimate in playing as the bad guy. In general, nobody wants to sell games
(or, in theory, buy games) where you take the role of something truly
evil. There have been plenty of games that have approached this idea tepidly,
with you playing the role of an "evil" god, or a dungeon master, or something
along those lines, and Overlord is no different.
You begin the game as a newly-resurrected evil overlord,
who has lost his horde of minions, and whose decrepit tower lies in ruins
after an incursion by several do-gooding heroes. Your minion lieutenant is
your only remaining follower, so you have to go out and scour the countryside
looking for the missing vestiges of your empire, rebuilding your army and your
dark tower.
Your power base lies in your minions, little imp-like
creatures who unquestionably do your bidding. They come in four colors: brown,
red, blue, and green. Each type has a specialty; browns are warriors, reds
hurl fireballs and are immune to fire, blues can go through water and
resurrect fallen minions, and greens can withstand poison, in addition to
being able to turn invisible for sneak attacks. You get control of all four
fairly early in the game, but the maximum controllable size of your army
starts low, and increases steadily as you make progress. This creates a
strategy element, as you need to know which minions are best suited for each
environment, and using the right types in concert will make certain situations
much easier.
You can control them by either sweeping them en masse to
ravage a pumpkin field, for instance, or sending them one by one for tasks
that require more precision, such as carrying explosives. The concept is
essentially identical to Pikmin, so if you've played that, you'll feel very
much at home in Overlord.
In addition to being literally colorful, the minions have
personalities to match. They are almost mentally retarded in their manner,
getting overexcited over a bit of treasure or gear, or happily jumping into a
pool of molten lava simply because you want them to. They also change
appearance as you make your way through and find better equipment, and will
wear anything you find, including pumpkins and insect heads. It's amusing to
no end and gives you a little taste of how fun it is to be evil.
Being evil, though, is not something that you get to
truly experience in this game. Your main foes in the game are the
aforementioned heroes, but the problem is that each one has been corrupted by
the seven deadly sins, begging the question of whether you or they are more
evil. I am not sure if this was a conceit by the designers to ameliorate what
would have been a much sharper edge to the game, but it does lessen the
enjoyment. It would have been much better if your enemies were truly good.
Additionally, you have two paths to choose: one of pure evil, and one of a
more noble evil, where you feign benevolence rather than killing your
worshippers. You can do both if you want, but that would only demonstrate a
lack of commitment.
Another aspect of the game is the improvement of your
home, the dark tower. As you explore the lands surrounding your citadel, you
find components that you can use as upgrades, creating all sorts of nifty
additions, such as a gladiatorial dungeon, a forge for new weapons, living
quarters, and even a room to contain your riches. Assisting you in the
decoration process is your mistress, who is all too happy to spend your money
on improvements.
Much of the game's content was lifted directly out of
The Lord of the Rings. The overlord looks nearly identical to the movies' Sauron, and you mainly square off against humans, Halflings, elves, and
dwarves. The tower you inhabit also looks like the one in Mordor. It's a
highly familiar jumping-off point for people who may not have otherwise been
aware of fantasy standards, but fairly unoriginal for those who have seen that
all before.
A more pressing problem with the game arose shortly after
release, as a bug in a dungeon later in the game can potentially prevent you
from completing the game. It can be avoided if you're paying attention, but it
can also ruin your experience if you are victimized by it. It's amusing that a
company called Codemasters would put out a game with such an obvious flaw in
the programming.
Despite that, the game is largely satisfying, as watching
your minions wreak havoc on all that lies before you is a lot of fun. A good
sequel could be made out of this, as the concept could lead down a number of
interesting avenues, especially if the developers are not ashamed of outright
ripping off existing material.
Until then, I'll be waiting for a game where you can
commit genocide and other atrocities, which would symbolize the ultimate
desensitization of our society. It would be a good game.
Review by Appomattox Courthouse |
