Sep
15
Review: Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
Published by Alan Ellis in PC, Reviews.
Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim
Price: $39.95 or £34.95
Release Date: September 18
Developer: 1C:Ino-Co
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Majesty 2 is the sequel to Cyberlore’s Real Time Strategy game Majesty: A Fantasy Kingdom Sim that was released in 2000. Majesty 2 has improved on the original title in every single way, but has it earned its Real Time Strategy (RTS) stripes? Find out after the jump.
Majesty 2 isn’t just your regular “click on your units and tell them where to go” RTS, but you still do the usual things like build your units, control buildings via upgrades, research new technologies, and get new spells among other things.
Majesty 2What you do to control you forces is rather different. You start by building guilds which then you can build men. Now instead of clicking a spot for your men to travel to, you simply click a place on the map and you post a reward for the heroes if they accomplish the task. Essentially, making the heroes mercenaries who do your bidding if the price is right. This gameplay mechanic brings a nice change of pace to the title and the RTS genre because instead of getting a load of militia and a trebuchet together and commanding them to destroy a castle, you can end up having two heroes attempt it by themselves for 2000 gold. The heroes all have a will of there own which assures that prices in the Hero-For-Hire market varies.
Majesty 2
The gameplay is incredibly good and has some very memorable missions. Not only does the story mode contain a 4-chapter, 16-mission campaign, but it also has quick missions and a variety of multiplayer maps. The game sucks you in right from the start and there are some very interesting story missions despite the fact that none really form a cohesive story. The overarching story of the game involves reclaiming your kingdom from a demon summoned by your ancestors that sits on your throne. Of course, there are a lot of missions and fun things to do along the way. You can play the missions in what order you like, provided that they are unlocked, which makes Majesty 2 even more fun to replay.
The graphics are very detailed when set to the highest settings. They are rather Warcraft like in style mixed with a bit of Age of Empires flair for the user interface. The game is comparable with the aforementioned greats as it’s incredibly good which is a feat when taking into account the sheer number of RTS games that are released each year. Not many grab my attention as much as those classics and now Majesty 2 has claimed it’s throne alongside them. Majesty 2 is definitely addictive due to the great gameplay. It makes a nice change getting into an RTS this much again.
The game’s music is incredible. The soundtrack of the game is so good and that I would consider buying it if it gets released. It has a catchy orchestral fantasy style that really draws the player in. It’s actually comparable with the music in Lord Of The Rings. The voice actor in the game sounds a lot like Sean Connery, which is a plus with a voice as legendary as his. Another thing which increases your immersion into the world of Majesty 2 beside the fantastic voice acting is that it refers to you, the player, as the heir to the throne.
Majesty 2Majesty 2’s level of difficulty is just right. Although the missions vary in difficulty, it all comes down to strategy, as it should in an RTS. You really have to know what you are doing to complete the game.
Also, Majesty 2 boasts awesome online multiplayer and LAN (Local Area Network) play that increases replayability a fair bit. Prepare yourselves, because playing in clans and competitions should be a lot of fun.
My only disappointment with Majesty 2 is that the death sound is always the same. This gets a little annoying, but not much. It’s just a pet peeve. Why have the same generic statement (”Oh no, I’m going to die!”) when you practically have Sean Connery narrating the game? Another downside to the game is that there is no free play, such as playing the game against an opponent without being in an actual mission. That is kind of a shame and loses a bit of replayability.
Majesty 2 might just be the sleeper hit of the year for PCs because of the sad fact that PC RTS’s are not as big a deal as they used to be back when Age of Empires 2 was king. Majesty 2 shines above the rest.
I really hope Majesty 2 takes off and gets a good fan base for community events and a good modding community to add more to the game like some new story missions. The game does not come with a map editor though like some of the great games of old, so I can only hope it will get some expansions instead at a later point in time.
Essentially, Majesty 2 is great. I hope all RTS fans give Majesty 2 a try. I wholeheartedly recommend that RTS fans invest their hard earned coin in this title
