Dragonshard – PC – Review


Dragonshard brings new ideas together with the best elements of classic strategy
games


 

Strategy games have a long,
checkered past with classic role-playing games. Many gamers will remember with a
sense of dread some of the sword-and-sorcery to computer game translations they
have seen which fail to capture the magic and dynamic of the original games. The
team at Liquid Entertainment and Atari have jumped into this sordid genre with
their new title, Dragonshard. If you had low hopes for this title, prepare to be
impressed. Dragonshard has a wide variety of tactics, units, and combat styles
available for players to enjoy. The graphics are crisp, fluid, and run extremely
well even with large armies slamming into one another with sharp steel and
spell-born fire. The background music is extremely well done and the voice-overs
have been recorded with a fabulous cast. Combine all these features with
innovative design and a responsive, easy to learn interface and you have an
amazing title.

 

Dragonshard builds upon a
number of tried-and-true concepts for the real-time strategy genre. The standard
system for building structures and creating units will be familiar to any fan of
the genre. Combat is handled through a series of mouse-clicks to move your
units, call them into combat, or trigger their special abilities. The interface
itself is extremely responsive and easy to use. New players and old masters of
the genre will find it equally easy to make their way through this game. The
single-player campaign has an involving plot that catches a player’s imagination
and helps pull them through the story. In multiplayer the game shines, as all
the options are open for players to explore and use. There are also a variety of
different tactics and weapons that can be used to defend yourself or decimate
your foes. Its this variety that will help bring players back for more.

 

 

Dragonshard has several new
and unique concepts that it is bringing to the genre. The first is the game
world itself. There are several forms of resources that a player must gather,
resources like gold, magical “dragon shards,” gems that fall from the sky to
form deposits of wealth, and experience to advance your troops. Unlike other
games where a player can simply move into an area and begin harvesting
resources, in Dragonshard you are required to earn your resources. Dragon shards
can be found throughout the world map that players initially discover, and
experience can be earned by fighting enemies. To earn gold, one of the most
important requirements to training new units, a player must venture with their
heroes into the cavernous underworld, Khyber. Only by exploring the dark
underside of the world can a player find the gold they need to expand their
armies. But explorers should also be cautious- nothing comes for free. Monsters
lurk in the shadows, eager to devour the unwary.

 

 

Another solid innovation is
the ability to find and use magical items. Everything from potions to heal the
wounds of your warriors to potent artifacts of ancient power are available
through the game. At times the use of a single item can be the turning point in
a battle. Wise players will seek out these hidden relics and add these potent
effects to their arsenal. Longtime players of the role-playing genre will
immediately feel at home with this dynamic. Strategy gamers will enjoy the new
tactics and strategies that they bring to the game. as long as its on their
side, of course.

 

Like many games in the
strategy genre Dragonshard boasts units that can be upgraded in power, gaining
additional abilities and greater durability. To upgrade their units a player
must expand their base, which also increases the number of units that a player
can deploy. Building a single tavern will allow players to recruit the elusive
rogues into their army. By building a second tavern players will gain the
ability to increase the level of their rogues. Each level costs experience to
buy, with the cost increasing substantially as the level of the unit increases.
The rewards are definitely worth the price- once a unit has its level increased
it can begin recruiting followers to aid it in battle. These followers are not
as powerful as the champions who lead them into battle, but they can be a
valuable asset. Followers have similar strengths as their patrons. Another bonus
to followers is their cost- heroic units require gold and dragon shards to
create, but followers can be easily recruited by a unit as long as it is near
your base for a period of time. Units will automatically begin attracting
followers if they are resting close enough to your capital.

 

 

The graphics and sounds of
Dragonshard are both very well done. The three-dimensional world is crisp and
renders quickly. At times the graphics are not quite as high as one would expect
from a high-end role-playing game, but they also don’t seriously degrade in mass
combat. After watching a series of powerful, flashy spells go off without a
single hiccup, players will be thrilled with the tradeoff. The voices of the
various units, from the powerful and unique commanders, to the standard heroic
units that form the backbone of an army are all well done. The voice actors have
brought a level of humanity to this game. When a unit calls out for help it gets
our attention and helps pull you into the game. The stirring background music
will help immerse a player in the world. The sound effects, from the hammer of
sword on shield to the thunder of a lightning bolt, are just as well done.

 

Dragonshard is an amazingly
well-crafted game. The designers have obviously put a lot of effort into
creating a game that is worth its purchase price. Dragonshard can boast solid,
involving gameplay, crystal clear graphics and wonderful sound quality. The
innovations that Dragonshard brings to the genre are just as well-designed as
the traditional elements. Combat flows smoothly and there is always another
trick players can use to turn combat to their advantage. The game world itself
contributes to the dynamic and involving combat system as it literally rains
resources down onto the map during play. Just as entertaining is the quest to
gain resources. The enemy is not just your opponent. If you want to survive, if
you want to thrive, and if you want to conquer the enemy you will be forced to
face the world of Dragonshard in a way no strategy game has ever challenged a
player.
 

Scoring
Details
for Dragonshard Review

 

Gameplay:
8.8

Dragonshard has a solid
interface that is easy to use. The game design is excellent and gives players
lots of options. While it might take some time to master a broad range of
tactics, Dragonshard is definitely fun to play.


Graphics: 8.6

As a role-playing game the
graphics of Dragonshard are not as impressive as other recent titles. As a
strategy game its graphics are pretty good. Dragonshard’s graphics run smoothly
and have a lot of detail. Little things like grass blowing in the wind and
clearly defined shadows help bring the world to life.

 

Sound: 8.6

The background music and
voices for Dragonshard are well done. The voices are better done than the music,
especially when a unit is calling for help or shouting information to the
player. The music is good, but its not captivating enough to drive fans to try
and find the soundtrack for their music collection.

 


Difficulty: Medium

The game itself is easy to
learn, but there are so many different enemies you can come up against that it
takes time to learn the best ways to counter them all. Have a little patience
and bring a spare healer along just in case.

 

Concept:
9.0

Dragonshard is built on a
solid base of concepts and ideas from previous games. It also introduces several
new concepts to the genre that make this game unique. There is a certain wisdom
in sticking to the proven ideas of the past but Dragonshard shows how adding new
ideas can help bring more fun to a game.

 


Multiplayer: 9.0

Like many games Dragonshard
is easy enough to play once you learn the behaviors of the AI. The real
excitement comes in fighting another human over the internet. Dragonshard is a
good game when playing solo. When playing against a friend it is even better.

 

Overall:
8.8


Dragonshard has a great mix of solid gameplay, good features, and a beautiful
world. Combining the best elements of the classic strategy genre games with
elements from the RPG genre works very well for this title. The other innovative
elements in Dragonshard’s design will keep even the most jaded strategy gamer
interested.
 

 

Tips:

When
you are playing as the Order of the Flame, the human forces, it’s a good idea to
bring along a few clerics. These healing priests will automatically cast spells
to repair your units in combat. They also boast a light ranged attack so they
can contribute even when their mana is gone.

 

There’s
something to be said for not putting all your levels in one unit type. Plan out
which abilities you want your units to earn before you begin building
structures. This will give you more flexibility and more followers to aid your
army.

 

Seize
any resources you can find as soon as possible. Dragonshard has a limited amount
of resources at any given time, so if you can gather them before your opponent
you will have the advantage.

 


Resources are added to the game as time progresses. New monsters will spawn in
Khyber so you can gain valuable experience and gold and new dragon shards will
fall from the sky. Keep an eye out for these events to restock your supplies.

 

Khyber
isn’t just a place to find resources and experience. It also has several
entrances that might not be clearly visible on the map. It’s a good idea to
explore around. Sometimes you can come up behind enemy lines by taking a
different exit. Take advantage of this when possible, and remember to post
scouts at the entrances near your base.