pellForce 3 does not come after many years of silence in the series as many believe. It is true that the second chapter, Shadow Wars, was originally published in the last decade, but in the meantime three expansions were released, one linked to
the basic game, Dragon Storm, and two autonomous ones: Faith in Destiny of 2012 and Demons of the Past of 2014. In addition, both were enriched by DLC and various extras that kept the flame alive. Let’s say that if SpellForce 3 exists it is also due to the fact that the late expansions of the second chapter have sold well.
The first feature that stands out of the new episode is its positioning in the chronology of the series: all the other SpellForce had told events following the ritual of the Convocation, with which twelve powerful magicians had shattered the world of EO in many autonomous areas floating in the void, connected from portals; SpellForce 3’s long single-player campaign, which lasts more than thirty hours, tells the events immediately preceding, in which of course the
world of EO is still intact. We specify that you do not need to have played the other chapters to enjoy it, but it is clear that some references will be clearer and more enjoyable for those who did it. Even some dialogues take on a different meaning if you are aware of how the situation will evolve.We also say that if it is true that the plot of
SpellForce 3 is not original (society against magicians), the story is well embedded in the universe of the game and little could be done to change it (partly because it was partly already told in other episodes ). Clarify the issues of continuity, we come to us.
ROLE PLAYING GAME
The title starts with two large tutorial maps (depending on the difficulty level selected and how much you explore, it may take up to two hours to finish them) that basically explain all the basic mechanics, both the role-playing games and the strategic ones in real time. In the role of Sentenza Noria, commander of the Wolf Guard,
we must penetrate a fortress in which a traitorous magician, Isamo Tahar, is hiding. Along the way, our party, initially composed of three characters, is expanded by including a fourth (an archer), so we get hold of the first outpost, which allows us to study the system of gathering resources and produce a small army with which break through the gates of the fortress of Tahar.
Exploring the map we find enemies to fight with and loot to collect. The combat system is very simple, whether you chose to use the new control system, whether you opted for the classic one: identify the enemies must click on them to attack them, selecting the abilities of the individual characters or by pressing shortcuts on the keyboard, or using the skill wheel, which can be called up on a single target.
If desired, it is possible to let artificial intelligence, especially in the most agitated situations(army versus army) in which it is difficult to control the individual units. For the rest the system does not present big surprises: the equipment is assigned to the appropriate slots and varies according to the class of the character; by accumulating experience points you level up and you can spend extra points to improve the attributes or to unlock the advanced abilities from the available
skill trees (three for each character, chosen from six). In total the fixed classes are six, but can be customized during the creation of the character, accessible at the end of the tutorial(We will not reveal anything, except that it will be the hero or heroine of the rest of the campaign). For the rest, like the SpellForce of the past, also in the third there are maps designed for the RTS part and maps focusing on the use of heroes.
The latter are usually less open and contain more loot, with the latter varying from standard objects to magical equipment whose value is determined by the degree of rarity. At a superficial glance, the system can remember Diablo’s,
but in reality it is very different, because it is completely managed by designers. In this way the progression does not suffer from the fluctuations of the case and, above all, there are never missing items to enhance the characters that you carry with you.
