Maybe Too Much Of A Challenge

• Posted by talugo February 17, 2011
• Recommended for Gamers

I really like this style of real time strategy and castle defense, and I really like the art style of Dark Lords, but there are a few issues that keep it off my device.
1) Mana. The mana (as the resource) is too slow to build for all the action that happens on the screen. I understand that this adds to the challenge, but that is why there are difficulty levels. Also, add this to the other problems and it becomes a real issue.
2) Too Many Options. While it is great to have plenty of options for upgrades (units, skills, unit upgrades, and magic) there are too many options for the very little skill points you get, making it very difficult to advance if you do not have the right combination. You can easily go in the wrong direction, need to restart, and get discouraged with the whole game.
Almost as if they have the upgrade system in mind, they allow you to milk each level two times (three if upgraded) on different difficulty levels. As well you are able to fight the humans and demons, both, regardless of what side you choose. This at least makes it interesting as you are able to see where you should be at that level.
3) Health. Instead of a health bar, there are hit points that equal the amount of enemies allowed to get through your gate. You have three on average, which means that only three enemies are allowed through your gate. It should be a health bar or one hit, because I never survived a match after having one enemy pass through my gate, this game's difficulty is all or nothing.
4) Difficulty. Even on easy, and eventually to the medium difficulty level, the pacing feels too steep for anyone to match up to. You will die, over and over.

A long review, but because the game is so close to being great. It is frustrating, but still a good overall experience until you hit the wall of difficulty and run into a dead stop.
Give it a try, as I still revisit it once and a while to see if I will ever overcome the challenge.