Customer Reviews

Demon World Dark Armies

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This is the worst game i have ever played, the controls are crappy, it's mostly german, the grafix are 256 colors, if you don't believe me go to http://pc.ign.com then reviews and search for demon world. If you want a good RTS wait for warcraft 3 or get starcraft.

Demon World: Dark Armies offers individual battles, a campaign mode, and multiplayer action against other combat-minded players over the LAN or Internet. You can choose to enter the fray as a dwarf, orc, or human. In campaign mode, you play as Jason Klingor, Commander-in-Chief and Imperial Advisor to the Empire, where the alliance with the Dwarves is breaking down, and the orcs are organizing and posing a threat. During the campaign, surviving troops gain experience and levels to make them more effective and additional units and items can be purchased with gold gained during the missions.

Satisfying aspects of Dark Armies include the sights and sounds of enemies being crushed, the thrill of breaking down a castle wall or door, or casting spells. Unfortunately, gameplay can be sticky at times and is mainly unremarkable, as often you become bogged down with tactical maneuvers so that most of the battle is spent jumping around the map from one skirmish to another. Thankfully, the game's pause function lets you give orders to each unit individually, making real-time management of so many units possible. Another use of the function is to survey maps, which are often several times larger than the screen.

The organization of troops within the game is a difficult aspect to comprehend. During battles, several types of units like the cavalry, battering ram, commanders, or spell casters will be available. Selecting and ordering each set of troops can, at times, be frustrating and difficult due to the cumbersome interface and layout. Even battle-hardened troops can become cannon fodder as you try and keep track of orders given to troops strewn all over the map as you bounce back and forth.

The lack of options for controlling unit behavior is not helpful in managing a successful skirmish. Troops can't carry out assignments without specific commands from you; thus, default commands to attack all nearby enemies, defend certain structures, or make a tactical retreat can't be given. With this feature missing, strategy becomes a matter of micro-management to insure every unit is following specific orders.

Even though armies are outlined in white when behind buildings or walls, locating them can be difficult. The simple movement of a squad of men up stairs to the top of a castle wall can take several attempts. Spells and special units have distinctive graphics and sound, with spell casters often identified by their isolation instead of being associated with a unit. Maps are fairly detailed and can be affected by combat actions, such as trees catching fire when hit by flaming arrows.

As an added bonus, the game contains an editor that lets you create campaigns and missions. Combined with the many scenarios, Demon World: Dark Armies offers a serious replay element. No battle is ever the same twice, and can be replayed against the computer with completely different results each time. Varying tactics and troops in a particular battle can be an effective way to gain experience for the troops to carryover to their next battle. Unfortunately, the flaws, especially in the more difficult battle scenarios, make the idea of replaying somewhat moot.