AOW2 featured two level maps, one above ground and one below, that units could
move between through cave entrances. Shadow Magic adds a third level to
maps in the Shadow World. This realm is home to two of the game's new
races, the Shadow Demons and the Syrons, and it is the Shadow Demons that are at
the heart of the conflict that drives the story behind the game's campaign.
The Shadow Demons manipulate a corrupt empire into launching a war on magic and
the magical races such as elves, and it is up to you to defend the good peoples
of the world against this threat. The Shadow World has an effect on all of
the races in the game except the Syrons and Shadow Demons which is known as the
Shadow Sickness. The Shadow Sickness slows movement and weakens attack and
defense, and even drains hit points from units that stay in the Shadow World
without taking magical countermeasures against its power.
 |
| The new barbarian race expanding across the desert. |
In addition to the Syron and Shadow Demons the game introduces the barbarian
race, bringing the total number of races in the game up to 15. The
barbarians are a nomadic race with the special ability to pack up their cities
and move them to a new location. The remaining races in the game were
upgraded in the form of the addition of a new unit and a new city structure for
each race. Any race can also build a new structure known as an Item Forge
which allows you to create your own magical items, setting each one's type,
attribute, and name.
It is evident that the developers put a lot of work into the game since the
release of AOW2. Shadow Magic does more than add a new campaign and new
races, although some of the changes are more visible than others. A random
map generator has been added that will create new scenarios for you on the fly.
The magic system includes a mix of old and new spells, but now the game allows
your wizard to study multiple schools of magic making it possible to really
customize your spell book. New units and races were added, but the all of
the races have undergone some tweaking to produce a very well-balanced game.
There is no dominating or stand out race, and any faction has an equal chance to
win.
With a 16 scenario campaign, 19 stand-alone scenarios, a scenario generator,
a map editor, and multiplayer play, there is plenty of gameplay in Shadow Magic
even if you've played AOW and AOW2. If you missed the previous Age of
Wonders games you should take advantage of your chance to experience some great
turn-based strategy gameplay - and a helpful in-game tutorial will get you up to
speed in no time.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
88%. Shadow Magic carries on the Age of Wonders series' tradition of
fine turn-based strategy gameplay, and the changes introduced by the game should
please both Age of Wonders veterans and gamers new to the series.
System Requirements: Pentium III 450; 128 MB RAM; 16 MB
Video RAM; 8x CD-ROM; 900 MB Hard Drive
Space; Mouse.
« Page 1 of 2
