Spellforce 2: Dragon Storm

Spellforce 2: Dragon Storm attempts to lift an average game a little higher by throwing a handful of wyverns at it. James Matson ducks.

We’re starting to think that hidden deep within the heart of some backwater village in a province unreachable by Google Earth, there sits a machine. It’s the fantasy game name generator. Selecting from a predetermined pool of generic RPG words, it constructs game titles with the push of a button and spits them out ready to serve.

It’s a safe bet that words like ‘Dragon’, ‘War’, ‘Storm’ and ‘Shadow’ feature in the top ten RPG vernaculars of said machine.

Phenomic Development must be thumping this device hard of late, having released Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars and now its first expansion Spellforce 2: Dragon Storm. Cheesy titles aside there was optimism that any expansion to Shadow Wars - a game so unbearably close to being good - would do us all proud and fix everything was lacking before.

Dragon Storm succeeds partly, bringing the storyline and engagement factor of the campaign above a level that plagued Shadow Wars, but the elusive rank of fantastic still dangles out of reach.

If you played Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars you’ll remember the Shaikan (folk with Dragons blood running through their veins) who featured a minor part in the storyline and were the chosen race of your player character. Dragon Storm builds its foundations on the Shaikan, weaving them into the continuing campaign arc as well as introducing them as a playable faction in the RTS skirmish mode alongside the familiar Pact, Clan and Realm.

Starting out at the Dwarven stronghold of Winterlight, the Dragon Storm campaign hurls at least four quests at you in the first 30 seconds or so, ensuring plenty to do off the mark. The fun factor of the quest lines has undergone tweaking, with more engaging errands asked of you early in the game. One of your first jobs is to safely escort a group of Dwarves from Winterlight to a safer location. Easy enough, except unlike standard tough-as-nails fantasy Dwarves the Spellforce 2 variety are made out of paper-maché and prone to dropping dead in cold weather. A freakishly good time is had as you attempt to guide them to safety while fending off wolves, skeletons and other nasties with your Hero units. Definite improvement from Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars, where the reasoning, continuity and fun factor of quests danced senselessly between vague and non-existent.

Even against the backdrop of a burning stronghold, our heroes find time to chill out and shoot the breeze.

The new campaign switches between RPG and RTS elements more naturally than Shadow Wars, with the first chance to raise an army coming shortly after you rescue the flimsy Dwarves from frostbite. A scripted battle between Orcs and your allies rages at the doorstep to a castle – independent of your actions – as you construct an army in the background. Thanks to the incredible view distance and detail of the engine, even as you’re busy harvesting resources you’ll glimpse Griffon mounted allied mages in the distance sweeping down upon swarms of enemy archers that line castle walls. Touches like these running through the campaign give the sense of a living breathing world, something Shadow Wars lacked at times.

Adding to the depth is the fact that NPC heroes who join your ranks throughout the game can now do their own unique and independent side quests, perfect for developing their abilities and place in the overall story. Unfortunately these pick-up additions to your adventuring ensemble still hazy recollections as to why they’re inserting themselves into the storyline initially, eroding some of the work that’s gone into character development.

If you feel like taking the pure RTS skirmish mode out for a spin, you can now do so as the Shaikan. From the obvious ties with Dragons, the Shaikan have a heavy emphasis on winged units and fire breathing beasts with their own nasty ‘can only have one on the map at a time’ Titan unit. We won’t tell you what it is, because that would spoil the sneaky surprise.

Oh, ok – It’s a Dragon.

One of the early bosses you’ll face in Campaign mode, with a damage-over-time effect that chews Hero health quick-smart.

While visually fresh in comparison with the original three races, the Shaikan still suffer from the feeling that they could be any other faction dressed up differently. With new races standard fare in RTS expansions, we deserve something more.

Spellforce 2: Dragon Storm is an expansion that improves on the original no doubt. The problem is you’ll be hit up for the cost of both games in order to enjoy it and Phenomic have still seeded offensive voice acting throughout the game. It becomes a tossup deciding what’s worse, listening to a Dwarf accent as it grinds haphazardly between Irish and Russian, or walking into the ocean to drown yourself.

The Shaikan - with wings a flapping - do what they do best, decimating a village for shits and giggles.

Had the storyline elements and campaign depth been included in Shadow Wars, there’s every chance we would have had a corker of a game on our hands.

As it stands it’s probably too little too late for anyone with a hunger for Phenomics brand of high fantasy. Wait till they’re bundled for the one low price, then it might be time to crack some flimsy Dwarf heads.


EXTRA: Read James' review of Spellforce 2: Shadow Wars HERE