IMPIRE

While Peter Molyneux rather resented the turn of the century, its first games still are popular and continue to be emulated. Evidenced by regular attempts, and unfortunately often unsuccessful, to bring the front of the stage management dungeons how evil genius extolled with Dungeon Keeper.

And early this year, Paradox seems determined to pull it off leaving two heirs headlines like the parody Dungeonland rather focused multiplayer, and now Impire. Developed by Cyanide, known among other things for its versions of Blood Bowl (and the random finish of its securities at the time of their release), it plunges us into the shoes of an evil genius determined to sow terror in the terra firma as well as the surface. And woe to the unconscious adventurers who have the audacity to try to dislodge his dungeon.

O BAAL MASKED! HEAR YE, HEAR YE

The conquer the world does not begin auspiciously for Baal-Abaddon. Once major demon ruling over an army of evil creatures and cast into the abyss to spend eternity without attacking widows and orphans, the evil is recalled to Earth by Oscar van Fairweather, a black magician second- capricious and eager to fuck the brothel in the world of the living. Stroke of luck for empaffé, his fate has materialized we as a pitiful devil devoid of real power, and we are compelled to do his will until they gain enough power to make him swallow his birth . Time to recover our strength, it behooves us to manage various dungeons merlin shoddy service and help to make a name in the elite gangsters mediaeval. Fortunately, the puny little body that serves as a receptacle contains enough juice to invoke some servants who build the parts necessary for the expansion of our caves and give birth to more aggressive entities, able to go stick to two or three mandalas enemies and unwelcome visitors.

Main selling point Impire, scripted campaign promises long hours of play, whether you are alone or a cantankerous old one to seek the company of others as it can go with three other demons guests online. Where the rub is that life is as much due to the amount of work shot by developers that weaknesses title. To understand the problem, it must first be anchored in the skull that the construction phase of our cave is only a small portion of the game before being underground concrete worker, the great Baal is especially a commanding general his demonic forces, and this status is transcribed by a good thick layer of real-time strategy. The rooms were built elsewhere rarely designed to attract warriors and put them out of harm's way. For the most part, they are used to collect or store resources, but rather to create units, and improve the patch after a clash too virulent. Send to cooking a good meal will fill their health bars and aggression, without which the devils tap as strong as anemic girl.


WITHOUT NAVIGATION GPS

T manage our own little army more effectively, it is essential to use the squad system and window dedicated to him. Pressing the F6 key displays all of our units and can organize into small teams of four, provided they have released the dedicated slots in each chapter. With one click it is possible to equip a soldier in armor, to teleport, send or cause to fill their stomachs. All of these options, and the ability to attach or patrolling troops to Baal as personal guard, is available with a simple right through a radial menu first disconcerting then quickly extinguished, but ultimately unsuited to click emergencies. The interface is rather well thought out and practice every shortcut in mind, but unfortunately too small to be truly effective and to avoid a nervous breakdown.

Among minor defects, we can mention among others the impossibility of getting from one place to another without having to scroll the map by instinct. No minimap is there to support us, made all the more annoying that the levels are labyrinthine and dotted with teleporters. And strength to dig tunnels and plant rooms everywhere, it quickly becomes complicated to navigate this maze, despite displaying icons function built parts. But the biggest concern is to be sought in the management of creatures without a squad. For them, the shortcuts do not work as individual. Select ten units then ask them to go to the training room via the wheel orders will not move one: it will guide each individual to the location. Of course, it is impossible to assign them to an unused key. The problem is to feel badly when our elite troops are parties castagner the Lord and interlopers come to visit the premises. Things are improving a little later through various runes to collect, but never to the point of making completely seamless experience.


HELL IS OURS

Both skinned miscreants must micromanager all these people and treat the injured one by one. The lack of automation is a real nuisance and the majority of our energy is devoted to managing thirty minions scattered around our house after an attack. Just time for other adventurers come again sow brothel. Whether it is for just the third or fourth wave, the knights have increasingly learned the lesson inflicted fire their comrades roaming knights will not hesitate to install scales along the corridors to avoid trouble to go through the door. This leaves only a handful of seconds to destroy scaffolding and forcing tourists to eat traps cleverly arranged along the main axis. The patrol system is confused and AI companions of our most basic, of course, is up to us to organize the defense of the place, even an invasion occur during a boss that removes rust. If a squad is posted near a ladder, it will attack in patrol mode. But even fashion can send an empty corridor and monitor humans will then have time to seep before the elves have noticed the gap in our security system.

Everything then becomes a matter of choice. Do you prefer to rely on luck and enjoy the good things of the title, at the risk of eating a game over, or is it better to cover our backs by multiplying tiring trips? In these moments, Impire is at best tedious, often terrible, then it would have been enough to give more autonomy to the minions back home so that everything becomes more sympathetic. Because in this case the game offers a rather enjoyable exploration aspect, always keep a large area adjacent to pace, fighting sometimes tense, and even a slight but interesting RPG dimension. We are not destined to remain forever helpless and our little devil will find its might in exchange for some hard-earned skill points. The tower follows the same logic: all parts are not available from the start and it will unlock during missions. The icing on the cake, it is even possible, if not downright encouraged to send squads in the outside world to terrorize the population and steal her gold, equipment and food. Between the main quests, side and objectives of completion we can impose ourselves, the story mode will easily fit a big twenty hours during which the mood rubs constantly frustrated because of ergonomics thrown nettle.


Melodrama BASEMENT

Needless to rely on the achievement to catch the mistakes of gameplay. The voice acting is unbearable, and we can not say that the graphics take advantage of the power of modern machine. Recognize, however, remember the good times Oscar fans the first Max Payne, the character receiving the same texture flattened constipated as the alcoholic cop as a face. However, we always try to understand the reason that led him to imitate Lafesse by using regularly his little finger as a microphone, especially for swing replicas of a distressing platitude. The humor is not really bright and comic references are often balanced in rhyme, reaching only rarely the goal. Finally, a game that would be doubly stamped Cyanide and Paradox without his shovel bugs now almost proverbial? In the best case, two songs are played at the same time, the wheel is regularly unable to perform the requested zoom and units randomly refuse to go where they are asked.

If luck has finally abandoned us, we just crashes stick poles in the wheels. The potential difficulty of the latter is reinforced by the absence of automatic backup: forget to save regularly, sometimes having to retype a good half hour of micro-management laborious and uninteresting. And at that rate, not sure we ever really want to go back. The multiplayer probably could give a little boost to this effete if all had been more original. Currently, in addition to the co-op campaign, it is possible to compete on four parts of King of the Hill, Capture the Flag or the classic mode skirmish. Already seen, and especially better elsewhere. As noted in the menus, the multiplayer in its entirety is still in beta, which means more frequent than in the countryside crashes. A less rapid and substantial patches to complete drastically interface and get rid of bugs, Baal may well return wallow in his pain well without that we do neither hot nor cold. Sad fact given its potential.