Our story is not one of providence … not one
of divinity or evolution from the primordial slime. Those stories we leave for
the humans.
Created by the human Fraziel,
originally there were five goblins who served as laborers for what would be the
Great Machine, a contraption designed to bring them great power. But in the
passage of time, more goblins were created and the clans grew. They scattered
throughout the land of Ogriss, collecting resources. They viewed it as a good
life.
But that which started as a
good life was soon changed.
Goblin Commander: Unleash
the Horde is an Xbox title from Jaleco, which chronicles the way the world
changed for the race. The game is a little slower paced than most real-time
strategy titles, but does offer a different look and feel to the genre.
There are basically two ways
to play the game. The two modes of play are campaign and skirmish. The campaign
mode is for the single player, while the skirmish mode is more of a free-form
game pitting two players against each other.
The game begins simply
enough with some basic tutorials for moving your clan. Each clan is headed by a
commander and each has a specific set of missions. The levels are referred to as
rooms. The commander appears as a blue glowing spot, but the clan will gather
about him quickly. Each level is based on a series of missions or conditions
which must be met along the way. Some of the missions are not adequately
explained as you begin to move through the game, but there is a way to check to
see what tasks await you. And upon completion of the tasks, you will get a check
mark in the upper left hand corner to indicate you have completed a mission.
The basic gameplay involves
setting waypoints for your horde to move to. When you come across an object that
can be destroyed, or attacked, you place a waypoint on it. Your horde will move
into position and attack, using the weapons at their disposal. Some are melee,
some are missile (rock throwers).
As the game progresses, you
will be given more tactical command of the units. Initially, taking control of a
clan is also a matter of placing your commander near them and creating a
waypoint. Want to attack enemies? Plant a waypoint near them.
But just when you think you
have that done, and the game is about to be overly simplistic, it changes. You
can take direct control over your units and move them without creating a mess of
waypoints throughout the mapboard.
In addition to the goblins,
there are other units that can be controlled, like stone giants – powerful titan
creatures that unleash devastating attacks.
Goblin Commander: Unleash
the Horde boasts rich environments and terrific animation. The camera can get
hung up on environmental elements and hinder panning the area. The game also
features pop-up prompts from the commander, which are not as well done as the
game itself. The game’s sound is solid and the goblins have their own language,
which does a nice job of setting the mood of the game.
The game play itself can be
rather simplistic. Each room you enter on a mapboard has a task, or several
tasks, which must be accomplished in order to move to the next room. These tasks
are often of the destroy variety, either in terms of the environment or enemies.
In this regard, the game is very linear in design.
Goblin Commander does
attempt to step off the standard RTS path and does bring a different slant to
the genre. It has a few stumbles along the way, but does provide a solid
strategy experience for the platform.
Gameplay: 8
The game is a little linear,
but the game moves seamlessly from one area to the next.
Graphics: 8.4
The camera can get hung up
on the environment and not afford a 360-degree panoramic view of the mapboard.
It does have a zoom feature though and by zooming in, you will be treated to solid
animation and creatures.
Sound: 8.1
The goblins have their own
language, with subtitles of course, and while the dialogue itself can be a
little weak, the language gives it life. The musical score is quite good and the
effects are consistent with the genre.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
While the rooms may offer a
challenge, the overall structure of the game is rather easy on players. You are
given tasks in a room and have to accomplish that to move on. The game gets
progressively tougher as you go.
Concept: 8
This is a game that is a
little slower paced than most titles in the RTS genre, but the developers did a
good job of building a game that was somewhat player friendly. It could use a
better mission system though.
Multiplayer: 7.8
The game offers two-player
head-to-head competition on the same machine.
Overall: 8.1
Goblin Commander: Unleash
the Horde has some elements that are very typical of the real-time strategy
genre, but does manage to break out occasionally for new slants on the theme.
The game has been kept rather simple in terms of controls to allow players to
jump right in and go with a minimal time spent in learning the game. The mission
interface could have been better. But if you are looking for an RTS with
imagination, this is definitely worth a gander.
