Eador. Creation: Review

It would seem that the times when magnificent projects were created literally one or two people, irrevocably left. Now giants such as industry are tossing EA, devouring independent developers one after another. But there are exceptions from each rule – for example, not so long ago published Penumbra, or our guest today is a step -by -step strategy with RPG elements “Eador. Creation”, who saw the light thanks to the desire of a single person to create a game of his dreams.

From the past, the rebel ..

IN “Eador” It is easy to find the features of many the best projects of the “old school” – Master of Magic, Disciples, Dominions, “Allods” … The list can be continued. Unfortunately, from their ideological ancestors “Eador” Inherited one feature that can scare away many modern players – low -tech graphics. Accustomed to the beauty of the “Legends of the Knight” and Heroes of Might & Magic 5 yells angrily and spit, looking at the two -dimensional map and static, deprived of animations of the picture. At the same time, they somehow do not notice that the low technological schedule of graphics more than pays off the elaboration of the smallest details and the atmosphere of the resulting image. Clear and charming portraits of the demigods, bright colors of forests and gloomy swamps dotted with fly agarics, the shining armor of the paladin and the gray hair of the blueberry fluttering in the wind … Graphics “Eadora” It does not take skeletal animation and the number of landfills on a separate model, but an impeccable atmosphere and beauty inherent, rather, fantasy paintings. Sound accompaniment serves as an excellent addition, allowing the imagination to finish what we cannot see on the monitor, and music helps us to plunge even more deeply into the fairy -tale world “Eadora”.

But graphics and music in this project are far from the main thing. The gameplay is in the first place. It surprisingly successfully united the ideas from the old hits already mentioned above with absolutely original and interesting innovations, and the resulting result is drawn instantly and for a long time. If you launched “Eador” For half an hour and, having finished, they found that five hours have passed – do not be surprised, it is absolutely natural. By fascination, he leaves far behind the majority of modern strategies, competing on equal terms with those old masterpieces, which to this day remain unsurpassed – for example, with the same Master of Magic or UFO: Enemy Unknown. However “Eador” – In no case is not a “revival of ideas”, but their rethinking and combination with the author’s own ideas. Consider the resulting more details.

It is difficult to be a god

Place of action “Eadora” recalls the universe of “allods” – events take place on the fragments of the deceased world floating in the vast ocean of the Astral. Each such fragment is a miniature continent with a special territory and prizes that can be obtained by capturing it. Our alter ego in “Eador” It becomes not anyone, but a real demigod, trying to achieve divinity, collecting a new one from fragments of the old world, in which it will be the master and ruler.

Total in “Eador” Three cards: global astral, on which we plan to capture new fragments, global strategic and tactical combat. On a strategic map reminiscent of Dominions, we have a fragment divided on the provinces. At first, we have only one territory that our tribal castle occupies – it is in it that we are building the most important buildings that affect the course of the game as a whole.

Each province generates a certain amount of resources – gold and crystals. The territories are inhabited not by abstract creatures, but by familiar orcs, people, elves and other fantasy races. They can love you or hate you, depending on your actions and character – https://thecounselingsource.com/art/slots-shine-casino-how-to-register-claim-bonuses-and-start-playing-the-best-slot-games.html the evil rulers love goblins and orcs, and the good – elves and gnomes love. The nature changes depending on random events in which you can choose different options.

For example, we are informed that the hunters caught the unicorn who had fallen in a trap. We can let him go, sell it to magicians for experiments, sell it to the menagerie … or make it cutlets out of it. Another situation – the plague began in the province. We may not pay attention to this, send the doctors there, expel the disease with a spell … or sell the corpses of the Necromancers who died from the plague. Of course, the population will be indignant and a rebellion may begin, but whom this mob worries?

Moreover, often the same choice in the same situations can lead to different consequences, which depends on many factors, including the omnipotent generator of random numbers. For example, sometimes through one of our provinces it wants to go through a caravan. We can take the proposed fee for the passage, we can let the caravan into the province and attack or demand a doubled fee. Sometimes caravans pay it regularly, sometimes they offer a part of the goods instead of money, a magic item. If we agree, we will soon find that we were put a fake. We can simply scold the deceivers, or not regret crystals and put a curse on them.

And such events that require a significant choice, the game has many. The variety is just amazing. And the more territories we have, the higher the chance that something will happen on the new move. But in order for settlements in the provinces to develop, they need living space – and for this the territory must be explored by heroes.

Heroes are one of the cornerstones of the gameplay “Eadora”. It is they who seize new provinces and explore them, it is they who lead the troops and fight with the enemy. Total heroes of the 4th type – scouts, warriors, commanders and magicians.

During the research of the province, heroes can find a lot of interesting things – from shops selling magic objects and scrolls with spells, to the berel of terrible monsters, which should be cleaned in the name of obtaining precious experience, money and, sometimes, rare artifacts.

So, if at the beginning of the game we found a destroyed tower with several goblins and orcs or an old crypt with skeletons and zombies, that is, an occasion to rejoice and send a novice hero there, it will be easy to gain experience to obtain the first levels, but something valuable there is unlikelyYou will find. But if the scouts found the dragon’s lair, then it will go there for a long time with suicide, but at high levels, when it will be possible to kill a winged lizard without irreparable losses, we will definitely get a couple of super -powerful artifacts in this lap. Due to the fact that we do not know what exactly will find the hero exploring the new territory, the game constantly holds us in anticipation: what will we find on the next move? And who settled in this destroyed tower? And what is sold in this shop? This “Eador” strongly resembles Master of Magic. A very successful move, which does not allow the explorer to get bored and constantly supporting the excitement.

But not by heroes one. Each of them leads simple warriors, to which it is worth paying special attention. There are many types of fighters, they are all strikingly different from each other due to the abundance of unique abilities, and the development system allows you to train absolutely unique soldiers over time. Two pikiners of the tenth “Lavel” will be similar only very remotely – after all, when each new level is received, we are given two improvements to the choice, selected from the list by chance. Thanks to such a system, by the way, it is very difficult to highlight some particularly steep fighters-there is an application for everyone.

From warriors and heroes, we smoothly go to the battles. They are step -by -step, like the whole game, and pass on special tactical cards, broken into hexagons. The influence of the landscape (than “Eador” It differs for the better from the same “heroes”) – the fighters standing on the hills shoot further and are better protected, those who have settled in the forest receive much less damage from shooting, and climbing into the swamp for such stupidity are punished with fines for all types of protection. Magic is of considerable importance – a high -level wizard in a couple of moves is able to leave some memories from the enemy. Stone rains, rising from the bodies of the fighters of the fighters, the good old fire balls, the call of demons, various amplifiers and curses … The list can be continued.

Magic in “Eador” It is diverse, perfectly spelled out and very effective, even far from the high art of witchcraft scouts, soldiers and commanders should learn several spells. The correct combination of the spell can turn the course of even a hopeless battle.

In the meantime, swords are sleeping in a sheath, diplomacy rules the ball. It has been worked out very well in the game – in addition to our protagonist, other rulers participate in the struggle for fragments, each of whom is a person with their own history, character and goals. The way relations with them develops depends on your actions and the one to evil or good we gravitate our demigod. With other rulers, you can conduct philosophical conversations, conclude unions, trade … and fight, of course. Only one will remain at the end – and our hero should become one alone!

You can still say a lot about “Eador”: to mention excellent humor, interesting texts, then a feeling of pride that you are filled with your first dragon and despair at the sight of the elite fighters cherished from the beginning of the batch, depressed by meteorite rain, evil joy caused by panic in enemy rows, which are forced to fight with their own associates,Turned into undead, and a fragment of what a pebble thrown into a quiet pond led to … But I will say only one thing: “Eador. Creation” – This is not just an entertainment for a couple of evenings. This is a masterpiece that turned out thanks to the attempt of one person to realize his dream. Thanks to him, because we got a magnificent game comparable to the greatest hits of the past.

Pros: excellent gameplay;many options for actions;deep tactical and strategic parts;variety of events;The atmosphere of a fairy tale;Great humor.
Cons: low technological graphics;Some flaws.


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *