As a fan of
the original Overlord game and now the recent Overlord II, the thought of
Codemasters releasing a handheld game based on the same universe was exciting
news indeed. Overlord Minions for the Nintendo DS, interestingly enough, doesn’t
put you in the boots of the evil Overlord but rather it puts you in the role of
four very destructive and enthusiastic Minions.
It’s quite
an interesting concept seeing as the game would have suffered if it was a DS
port of the console Overlord games and the fun twist of playing as the Minions
does have its charming appeal seeing as you will be doing the dirty work
yourself. The story begins with the Minion Master named Gnarl calling upon the
Elite Minions named Blaze, Stench, Giblet and Zap to go forth in the name of the
Overlord to complete a list of deeds and hunt down a faction known as the
Kindred.
These Elite
Minions each have their own sets of skills and abilities that come into play
during each of the mission levels that will take you through six lands. Giblet,
for example, is a melee fighter and can stun enemies by head butting them.
Blaze, well, he can use a fireball attack and can ignite gas or barrels. Stench
can burp toxic material or release explosive gas. Then there’s Zap who has the
power of healing and is water resistant. You have the ability to call up
different Elite Minions when you get near a spawn pit that’s used to revive a
fallen Minion as well.
The best
part about Overlord Minions is that the six lands are big and thus the levels
are actually quite lengthy with more than enough to do. You begin by raiding a
local farm the Overlord wants you to trash and move on to other lands where you
will continue your quest to destroy and slaughter. Of course, there are a number
of obstacles that get in your way such as enemies that aren’t afraid of taking
you out or environmental puzzles you must solve to move to the next area within
a level.
The puzzles
in the game are actually challenging and will have you thinking which one of the
Minions is good for clearing a path or entering that area that is closed off by
other environmental items. Seeing as your different Minions have their own
abilities you will have to discover how and when to use them to solve puzzles.
There are moments where you will have to move objects out of a way to reach a
certain spot or set them ablaze. While you begin the game with only two Minions,
the other levels have you controlling all four at the same time so all you
really need to do is tap their portrait to control them.
Now, here’s
the bad news. The touch-screen controls are a complete mess to the point that
you will be yanking out hair out of your head out of the sheer frustration you
will feel in doing something as simple as moving a Minion. You are required to
drag the Stylus on screen to make them move but they often don’t move but
instead unleash their attacks thinking you meant for them to attack. Worst yet,
you will find yourself wondering how to put an object down once you – by some
miracle – pick up the object in question. Yes, if it wasn’t for the atrocious
touch screen controls, this game could have been amazing and fun.
It’s also
visually pleasing, making the environments and characters really look good on
both screens. While the majority of the cut scenes are still images and
portraits. There’s the occasional animation but it’s not impressive. At least
the destructible objects shatter nicely and there are wonderful magic effects.
There’s also
a great soundtrack to be found in the game that plays throughout the game in a
continuous loop. While this would have been annoying, the music is actually
quite good so you won’t mind it at all. It’s just too bad there aren’t any voice
acting in the game but at least the sound effects are nicely detailed and
plentiful.
In the end,
Overlord Minions was a game that was meant to be a truly remarkable and
addictively enjoyable DS title but just suffers thanks to the weak controls. It
certainly has no shortage of lengthy missions and smart puzzles but none of this
makes a bit of difference if the touch-screen controls weren’t so uncooperative
to the point of being frustrating. This is too bad since there’s some fun to be
had in this game if you’re willing to put up with the annoying control issues.
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Gameplay: 6.0
It’s fun playing
as the mean Overlord of the Netherworld but its even more fun being a
mischievous Minion doing all the dirty work. Sadly, the touch screen controls
will make you want to break your Stylus in half. The puzzles are great, though.
Graphics: 7.0
This is one of
the most visually pleasing DS games to come along and the environments look
really good as your Minions destroy and slaughter their way through each locale.
While the cut-scenes animations aren’t great, they’re not awful either.
Sound:
7.0
The music is
actually quite stellar and delightfully epic despite the fact that it repeats
itself throughout the game. There aren’t any voices but you’ll hear grunts,
objects breaking and people dying.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Thinking
strategically and knowing what Minion to use in certain places in the map will
lead to mission completion. The puzzles are actually surprisingly challenging
although there’s nothing here that will stump gamers.
Concept: 6.0
You get to
control four very different Minions with their own set of skills and abilities
and you’ll be using them all to solve the map’s various little puzzles scattered
throughout the game. The mission objectives lead to some destructive fun.
Overall: 6.0
Overlord Minions
for the DS has all the right ingredients that make up an instant puzzle/strategy
game classic but its problems hold it back considerably. Had the touch-screen
controls actually worked better, this would have been a real Must Have DS game
worth the money.
