Graphics and conclusion
Graphics
From the fire breathing dragon that launches a vicious unprovoked attack to the immensely powerful Orcs, from the Goblin infestations to the menacing Cyclops, the characters are stunningly portrayed. The superb lighting effects and shadowing techniques create a dark foreboding atmosphere, characters move and attack with ferocious realism and the effect of bringing a platform crashing onto an enemy head, or kicking an Orc onto a spiked piece of wood is both satisfying and well animated. The fight scenes are the graphical highlight of Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, you’ll laugh with a bloodthirsty glee as you slice an enemy’s throat and hoot with joy as you disarm an Orc by chopping off his hand. The animations are vivid without ever being shocking, myself and the gaming editor were constantly shouting over to each other so we could show off the latest blood fuelled animation that we’d uncovered.
Click for larger imageConclusion
The single player aspect of Dark Messiah of Might & Magic is extremely impressive. The three levels that we played were a mix of tactical fighting, sheer brute force and puzzle solving. Each level needed a degree of environmental awareness and there were fresh and exciting gameplay ideas around every corner. Dark Messiah of Might & Magic isn’t another run of the mill first person action game; it looks superb, plays smoothly, and has the gameplay elements that should keep us hooked right up until the final battle.
Click for larger imageDark Messiah of Might & Magic is available on October 27th.
