Myth 2: Soulblighter (Linux)

In command of a ragtag army of berserkers, dwarves, soldiers, and sorcerers, you are the last hope (yet again) of saving the folk of Madrigal and the West from the evil might of Soulblighter and his minions. Test your fortitude by challenging others on your network or online to a battle to the death, or cross swords and sages with Soulblighter himself. For fantasy gamers, this is far better than a slab of roast beast washed down with a tall ale.

For those unfamiliar with Myth, Myth expands the concept of multiple unit battles in real time, where arm-chair generals control individual units in battles against sinsister foes. Unlike Age of Empires or Cossacks, both of which are favorites of mine, Myth involves gradually larger scale battles in a sword and sorcery setting. The graphics are superb, and the storyline gripping enough on its own to warrant novelisation (these guys invest heavily in story development). Battles begin simply, but grow rapidly more complex as the numbers of units one controls (as well as the number and variety of units one opposes) increase. Ultimately, there is a battle royale with the forces of evil, and at no point during the game does one get a respite or break. There are no easy levels here. There will be moments when you will be tempted to smash your screen to bits when, after a particularly adrenaline pumped session, you lose your entire army. Like the original, Soulblighter is destined to become a classic and benchmark in the PC gaming community.


Great little strategy game   December 19, 2001
AS said it is great! The graphics are nice for when it was written and the game prgression is a challenge. On-line play is also fun.


Nice arcade game.   November 30, 2001
Viator Veritatis (Italy)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a nice arcade and puzzle-solving game, but definitely not what's often advertised to be, namely a medioeval tactical wargame, even in the broadest sense of the word. It's basically a collation of arcade scenarios requiring multiple attempts to guess what approach (use of certain weapons, a path of flight, a certain tactical deployment, or a combination of those) will do the work and allow you to advance to the next scenario. After you complete the campaign, you can start all over again at higher settings of difficulty, or go for more clearly-cut victories.

If you like solving puzzles, this is your game game; if you don't, stay away from it. Most important, this is NOT a wargame, in any sense of the word. If you enjoy nice (in comparison with the date of release) graphics, lots of gore and clickfests, go for it; if you care for the flow of medioeval battles, tactical planning, battle integrity, or are simply interested in thinking out the outcome of battles, do not buy it -- here pitched battles are over in a matter of seconds, and what's important is not how you develop your left wing or deploy your wizards, but the exact nanosecond you'll order that dwarf to set the explosive trap. It's basically an arcade game in a medioeval setting, provided with a campaign plot that links the various situations you will be confronted with.


Fun and challenging, with a sense of humor   December 13, 2000
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Quite an addictive game, with much energy spent both on details and ensuring overall continuity of structure. Good character design (specie design, really), imaginative and well-balanced character types, where success depends on proper use of different characters together in effective ways. Cartoonish and with some funny bits, it manages to remain be both lighthearted and immersive at once. Unlike most every game I've encountered, the narration is used properly and does not come off as the least bit stupid -- good voiceover talent went into it, and the script was written decently.

My only complaint at all is in the difficulty of controlling a battle force effectively, especially one of significant size; the unit behavior algorithms aren't quite good enough to be left alone in the face of the enemy, so a lot of hands-on adjustment is needed to avoid stupid casualties (one melee fighter running straight into the hands of doom alone when a target came within its attack radius, rather than falling back a bit to let the range units have more time to shoot, then attacking simultaneously). However, the degree to which individual units can be controlled is excellent, and they do follow instructions when given.

Technically, an excellent port by Loki. No apparent bugs of any significance, and Loki's excellent about releasing patches with changelogs. Good installation, and it does everything right with respect to behaving itself in a multiuser environment.


Fear and Loathing   November 14, 2000
Blaine (USA)
The game itself features a beautiful 3d landscape. You'll see a blood covered battlefield mixed with medieval combat. It uses old fashioned 2D sprites, but it still looks quite good. The only real problem is that the single player is too long. There are forty or so missions, and it eventually gets boring.