After the warmth of the first part and the trowel maps to the one in 2009 we received Overlorda II. According to the artists, we were supposed to receive much more and better and they succeeded in this art.
ra ra starts at the moment when the title antihero is still a little boy. As a magical being it is not accepted by the society, but it attracts the attention of imps - creatures, which immediately became the distinguishing symbol of the series. These creatures are looking for a new master and see the little boy as the perfect candidate for this position. They decide to take him out of his hometown and raise him in their own way. It is worth mentioning that all these events were presented in the form of the first stage of the game, and not a video introducing to the actual game. We learn about the next events that make up the plot by going through the main linear tasks. However, nothing stands in the way of abandoning their completion and visiting the previously visited lands, where all quests have already been completed. You can also take care of side tasks, such as killing a thousand gnomes, killing hundreds of inhabitants of a given city, etc. You can also take care of side tasks, such as killing a thousand gnomes, killing a hundred inhabitants of a given city, etc. However, as you can see, they are quite monotonous. Like the main tasks, they are placed in specific parts of the game. So there is no question of randomly generating missions.
The game is very similar to the first part of the cycle in terms of mechanics. We control the Dark Lord of the title, constantly sending a hordes of imps to fight. The truth is that they are the ones who are given most of the tasks - fighting, opening chests, plundering villages, bringing power-ups, opening doors and so on. You get the impression that the hero's only task is to give orders and build a dark image. It so happens, however, that he sometimes has to personally grab an axe and pierce the skin of a few enemies, especially those with whom the imps cannot cope. We must also not forget to solve simple puzzles, such as getting to the reel, the use of which opens the door to the next stage.
As in the first part, we have at our disposal four types of imps. Brown ones fight close combat, red ones let go of fireballs, green ones can treacherously jump on opponents' backs, while blue ones are the only ones who can swim. However, these are only some of their abilities - the sequel introduces variety in the form of animals. For example: brown helpers can ride on wolves. They gain additional skills (e.g. jumping over the abyss, getting into locations inaccessible to the Lord himself) and are better at fighting. The same applies to green minions who can ride overgrown spiders. Their ability to walk on walls diversifies the fun, and in some places even makes it a little easier. Red imps tame big salamanders, useful e.g. when attacking gnomes' flats, but blue imps do not have mounts. The player's task is therefore mainly to select minions in such a way that they cope as well as possible in clashes with specific opponents.
When our antihero does not perform any task, he can stay in his headquarters, just like in the first part of the game. At the beginning of the game, the game is not yet fully equipped and you need to get additional elements, such as the nests of individual ladybugs, artifacts increasing the power of spells or magical stones enriching the forge with new possibilities. There are also some pretty lovers trying to turn the main character's tower into a cozy apartment. The choice of the path the player can follow also returns. Just like in "one", the hero can be bad or very bad. His character changes depending on the style of his quest. If we murder all our opponents, it is obvious that we will end up as a terrible monster. However, you can not kill the most important characters, but take control of their minds with magic. It sounds quite perverse, but it makes the Dark Lord "good".
One of the undoubted innovations is the possibility of playing the goblin. Although it is available only in specially directed fragments, it is hard to deny the originality of this procedure. For minions are small creatures, which are able to go wherever the great master cannot squeeze in. When we are in the body of such a goblin, the game takes on a different shape, mainly due to the limitation of abilities - creatures cannot take over minds, do not know magic as well as their master, and moreover, each of them is a rather poor warrior. Nevertheless, they are able to perform some unconventional tasks on their own. As a way of making the game more interesting, playing the goblin works perfectly.
Magic has also been modified, although probably not everyone will recognize this change as positive. First of all, instead of four spells, we now have three. They can be improved, but each level of spells does not mean a change in the way they work, as was the case with the shield in "1". Now, spell enhancement is mostly about simply increasing their effectiveness. So you can kill enemies faster, extend the range of spells, speed up the process of taking over the mind, amplify the shockwave, and so on. The game was designed to make spells a nice addition to melee combat (which was done by spells that consume a lot of mana), rather than the other way around. Personally, such a concept suits me.
As you can see, the rules of play have not changed much. The same applies to the climate in which Overlord II is maintained. Just like in the first part we are dealing with a fairy-tale world, reminiscent of the Fable series. Everything is vivid, bright and colorful, associated with a fairy tale. The main character, although he does not speak at all and tries to be a personification of evil, evokes more sympathy than fear. The same applies to his minions - the goblins constantly entertain the player with their behaviour and responses. We will not experience blood, quartering of bodies and other brutal sights typical of action games. At first glance Overlord II looks like a children's title, but I dare say that only the older ones will be able to catch all references and allusions in the game.
Overlord II is also full of humor. He is often associated with the fantasy genre, but I think that even people who are not familiar with this subject are smiling pretty good. We have here arguments between the hero's lovers, elves reminiscent of contemporary maniacs, the above-mentioned imps, as well as a scene with a witch loosely referring to a similar fragment from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Anyway, the very idea of mixing different eras (on the one hand we have a country created on the basis of the ancient Roman Empire, on the other hand the architecture and costumes look like medieval) is interesting. Fans of the first part will surely notice the return of the famous imps, Gnarl and Jester, as well as references to the events of the "one".