Empire of Magic is the perfect example of a game that failed to properly execute what it intended to do. The developer, Mayhem Studios, wanted to create a game that merged the genres of turn-based strategy, role-playing and adventure all in one game. They were not successful in doing this and it seems that as a result the game appears unfinished and very poor in quality. Before we discuss what else went wrong, let me give you an understanding of the game itself.

You are Artemian, a young mage with vast magical powers who is the only hope of salvation for a once mighty empire. The dead roam the once peaceful lands that are now being torn apart by untold evil. You must venture forth through twelve huge levels, utilizing unique abilities, over a hundred different units and spells to vanquish evil and save the empire. You will be given many quests in the game from conquering towns, defeating specific enemies, to quests that involve saving villagers from impending danger. Conquering towns is vital because it is in towns that you will be able to hire new units to aid you in combat and gain new quests. While adventuring on your quests you will be treated to some impressive music that exudes the medieval themes that are inherent within the game. The game seems promising from what you have just read and all the options available to you. Yet, this is where the fun ends and the problems begin.

Everything about Empire of Magic speaks of a game that could have been much better than what it turned out to be. There was potential that was sadly never fulfilled. There are so many elements against it: poorly written manual, dated graphics, horrible voice acting, confusing and irritating gameplay and many other things to numerous to mention. From the very beginning the flaws will lash out at you, starting with the horrible implementation of the turn-based movement in the game. You will literally be clicking the next turn button more than you are playing because your character does not move very much in each turn. Combat is also confusing. There are so many things that you have to worry about while in combat that it ends up frustrating the player more than entertaining them.

You will have to worry about stats such as action points (AP) that determine your movement in the game and how you and your units will react in combat. For instance, if one of your units runs out of AP while out of combat they will be unable to act if you then engage in combat until they have regained the lost AP. I have no problem with a system such as this in any turn-based strategy role-playing game as long as the system is balanced, is fun and exciting and works as it should. The only thing that the type of system in this game does is make the player want to exit the game and play something better. After playing this game I have a much better appreciation for the developers that have been successful in merging different genres together. If you are going to attempt something like this, you must first make sure that you can handle the challenges in doing so.

I try to see the good in every game that I review but it was very difficult trying to see any of this in Empire of Magic. This game could have been much better if Mayhem Studios had looked at how other developers had been successful with their turn-based strategy role-playing games and tried to use them as a model of where to begin. Turn-based strategy role-playing games such as Heroes of Might and Magic and Age of Wonders are classic examples of the right way to make these types of games. Empire of Magic suffers from trying to be so many different things that it never manages to be successful in any of them.

Pros:

• Excellent medieval style music

Cons:

• Everything else, from the horrible movement system to the confusing and irritating gameplay!

Final Grade: 50%
Not Recommended!

Empire of Magic Official Website

Minimum System Requirements:

• Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP
• 600 MHz processor or higher
• 3D Graphics card
• 128Mb RAM
• 1.2GB Hard Drive Space

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