In the past, the Myth series of games have featured deep, interesting
storylines and compelling atmospheres mixed together with exciting (and quite
bloody) real-time combat. Myth III: The Wolf Age is the latest game in the
series and it succeeds in continuing this tradition, while making several
improvements over the games that came before it.
Although The Wolf Age is the third game in the series, it is technically not
a sequel. Myth III is actually a prequel to the previous two games, taking
place 1,000 years prior. Those familiar with the storylines of the
previous games will recognize a few of the characters in Myth III, since they go
on to become the Fallen Lords and Soulblighter in Myth and Myth II. They
were not always evil, and will fight the good fight with you in Myth III.
Myth III's storyline stands up very well on its own, though, so players new to
the series will not feel like they walked into the middle of a movie with no
idea of what's going on.
Gameplay in Myth III is centered on real-time battles fought between fantasy
creatures such as dwarves and the orc-like myrkridia, as well as men in such
roles as archers, knights, barbarians, and mages. Fans of the prior Myth
games will recognize the races in Myth III and some of the units as well.
However, Myth III has added a host of new units to both sides of the good versus
evil conflict and boasts over 40 different units in all. For example, no
longer will dwarves be limited to bomb-tossing units; they now have fighters and
other troops. You will also have heroic figures at your disposal in many
of the missions. This provides your forces with some extra punch, but
you'll need to be careful as the death of a hero will often end a mission in
failure.
The campaign game features 25 missions which have varying goals (protect
somebody or something, destroy something evil, etc.) and take place in a variety
of locations such as forests, dungeons, and deserts. In true Myth
tradition, they all feature plenty of real-time combat. Your troops are
controlled via the mouse, and can be grouped and given formation orders in
addition to the standard move and attack commands.
Once a player is finished with the campaign game, he/she can continue to play
by taking advantage of the game's excellent multiplayer support. Play is
free over the internet through GameSpy's servers, and separate areas are set-up
for players of varying skill level. This is good for players just starting
out, as the game does not provide a skirmish option to practice battles against
the computer. There are fourteen different type of multiplayer games
available, ranging from capture the flag to death matches.
Myth III features a fully 3D graphics engine and it looks quite good.
The terrain is modeled in 3D and features hills, roads, ditches, waterways, and
more, all convincingly portrayed. The engine does not just portray
elevation, but models it as well. Archers on hilltops have greater range
and water (and blood) flows downhill and pools in crevices. Carrying on
the Myth tradition, Myth III's graphics are, well, pretty graphic. Battles
feature plenty of bloodshed and the longer missions can leave the map strewn
with corpses. The squeamish will be happy to note that the game does allow
the player to tone down the bloodshed if need be.
One complaint regarding the graphics, though, is the camera. Camera
control can be tricky to learn and will take a little time for most players to
master. Also, it does not zoom out very far, limiting the field of
view. In larger clashes this forces the player to do more scrolling than
should be necessary to keep tabs on all parts of the battle.
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