by Brian - November 8, 2003

To start, I�d like to say that Etherlords II presently surprised me. Had I not worked for Game Plasma, I would have overlooked a true gem of a game, and while it certainly isn�t the greatest game in the world, Etherlords II is highly enjoyable and fun for all ages.

Gameplay

Etherlords II takes place in a fantasy world of lords where all things are made from ether. There are five kinds of ether in the world, and four races. The Chaots, which are aligned to the Ether of Chaos, are the brawny race that relies on brute strength over tactics. The Kinets, which follow the Ether of Motion, rely on speed and are knowledgeable of the world. The Vitals, worshiping the Ether of Vitality, are in tune with nature and use its strength to help in battle. Finally, there are the Synthets. The Synthets follow the Ether of Synthesis and are the most unique race because they are part machine, part human. There are three main modes of play in Etherlords II. There is campaign mode, where you choose to play from one of five campaigns. The Campaigns reminded me of a 3d representation of Heroes of Might and Magic because the mechanics are similar. Each mission has an objective, and along the trip many different enemies block your path. You can collect resources spread throughout the map and use them to buy spells from shops to add to your deck for future battles. With each battle you win, your character gains experience and levels, which in turn give you special abilities to use in combat. I was pretty disappointed with the campaign though. The stories are not very involving, or even good for that matter. There is only so many times I can battle a computer controlled opponent until it feels like work.

The other single player mode is duel. Basically, it�s the same thing as the battles in the campaign but you can build your own deck of spells and test it against other decks against a computer opponent. Unlike the campaign fights, this mode is fun because you have a much wider variety of spells and artifacts from the start, instead of working your way up the levels and missions to get them. Also, this mode is very good practice for multiplayer duels, and the hotseat mode (two people playing on the same computer, alternating turns) is a definite plus.

This brings me to multiplayer. This is where the game really shines in my opinion. There are four modes of multiplayer: Training, Duel mode, Blind mode, and Round Table. Training and Duel mode, essentially, are the same thing as single player duels, except that you are actually playing against another person. In Training mode, no rank is calculated and you can create your own games. In Duel mode, you click the ready button, and the game automatically matches you against an opponent who also has clicked ready. From there, you go to choose your deck of spells, avatar, turn time limit, map, and number of rounds. After both players are ready, the duel begins. In a duel, each player has 16 spells to cast, but only a certain amount are allowed in your hand at a time. Also, depending on what deck you are using, your character will have a special skill such as free casting, invulnerability, or creature specific advantages just to name a few. Also, if your character has resources skill, you will be able to cast each spell more than once, which is practically a must have for any serious dueler. As far as actual combat goes, its much like Magic: The Gathering. Each player starts with one ether channel and one ether. Ether is like mana and allows you to cast spells. Ether channels are how much ether you get at the beginning of each turn. Ether channels normally increase by one each turn but some spells alter this. Also, ether does not stack. In other words, if you don�t use all of your ether each round, don�t expect it to carry over to the next round. Each creature summoned can attack every round, except the round they were summoned. Then, the opponent can block your attacks with their creatures. Those are the basics of combat. There is a lot of strategy involved. It may seem complicated, but it really isn�t.

Blind mode is similar to duel, but you make your deck from scratch in the game setup room from your reserve spells. There are restrictions though, in that you can only pick certain color cards. This is somewhat complicated, but not overly so. You just have to know the mechanics of the game in order to succeed in Blind mode.

Round Table is like a tournament mode. There are 8 players and they face off one on one until there is only one winner. The only problem with this in my opinion is that it�s hard to get a Round Table game going. Most people don�t feel like waiting to get the game started and just go play single duels because you only need one other person to play against there. This mode would be great for LAN parties though.

Somewhat dated.

Etherlords II�s graphics are somewhat dated, but the screenshots don�t do it justice in my opinion. The character models are good, and the textures are also pretty damn good, but I don�t think they were going for realism anyway. It is a fantasy game after all. For those of you like myself who don�t upgrade their PCs every six months for the latest FPS, this is a great game for you because of the low system requirements. There are also hundreds of spell animations, which add to the games diversity. It�s just that I feel some textures are higher quality than others, and it just doesn�t blend in some parts of the game. All in all, it could be better.

Theres not much music to speak of.

Although there is very few scores of music in the game, the ones that are there are bland and are not good at setting the mood. Also, the voice acting in the campaign is downright awful. It is really obvious that they didn�t spend enough time on this important part of the game. The only redeeming quality about the sound is the sound effects of the spells. Almost every spell has a unique sound effect and seeing as how there are literally hundreds of spells in the game, that�s a lot of sounds. Add to that the fact the spells fit how you think the spell should sound and that they are good quality, the good almost makes up for the bad.

Very fun.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Etherlords II is one of the most fun games I have played in the past six months. While the campaigns are not fun at all, the duel mode and multiplayer make up for that ten fold. In fact, they could have left the campaign out of the game entirely and I�d still have bought the game. If you want it for the single player though, prepare to be disappointed.

Do I recommend Etherlords II?

If you are looking for a good single player game, then no. If you want a good multiplayer, then go get this game right now. The game�s multiplayer is superb compared to others in its genre, and even if you don�t play on-line often, you can play hotseat games with your friends. I really did like this game, and despite some obvious flaws, it�s a very enjoyable game.