First Impressions: SpellForce 3
I’m usually the type of gamer that stays away from RTS games. I always found them very difficult and it just didn’t fit my play style. Even though these types of game are not my favorite, I still wanted to check out SpellForce 3 at E3. I’m really glad I did because it looks really impressive.
I was not familiar with the world of SpellForce when I went to my appointment, so I was surprised to learn that there is a rather large story that played out in the first two games. SpellForce 3 takes you back to the roots of the SpellForce lore. It’s a prequel to the first two games (about 500 years before the first game). The world of SpellForce 3 is war torn that leads up to a pretty cataclysmic event.
SpellForce 3 is very unique, in that it is a mix of RTS and RPG. The developers knew that they had to be careful with this mix so one element doesn’t completely overshadow the other. The RTS part includes macromanaging large groups of unit and conquering zones. You can use different troop formations and your environment to conquer different areas. The RPG part includes choosing specific skills for a small party of heroes and micromanaging what your heroes do in battle. The RPG element is very cool because of the different combinations of skill trees for each character and different ways you can build their skills.
The gameplay I saw looked great. Again, I don’t play a lot of RTS games, but it looked to have the standard commands like you would see in normal RTS games. Again, what makes it special is the RPG elements thats are added in. The graphics look really nice and detailed. It has a typical top down view, but again, the details in the environments are top notch. Plus, they took the time to make sure your party member’s armor shows correctly on the main game. You don’t have to worry about changing armor and having the character model stay the same. It will change as you upgrade your character.
Of course, you need an epic story. The story will take roughly 30 hours to complete (this number may change as they continue work on the game). It could take more time if you investigate and search for numerous secrets in the game. As a prequel, SpellForce 3 can focus on all kinds of details and secrets that lead up to the events that happened in the first two games. Fans of the SpellForce serious will enjoy how the prequel plays out. The game is also non linear in some aspects, so you can investigate different areas as you go along.
Overall, I was impressed with what I saw. Grimlore Games and THQ Nordic are crafting a huge world that will please the fans of the series. As someone who doesn’t play RTS games, I found myself very happy with what I saw and felt confident that even I could enter the world of SpellForce and be successful. There is no release date yet, but we will bring you that and any other information as it becomes available. For now, check out some multiplayer footage from SpellForce 3!
