Overlord II Review

Oh, Lordy

Our initial impressions of Overlord II wasn't, it's fair to say, great. One of the frustrations you run into early on is that you run into invisible walls all the time. The ever-present mini-map in the bottom left hand side of the screen shows you the floor areas that you can walk on and you can’t walk on anywhere that isn’t mapped there.

Mini-maps like this work well in games with dungeons with either a large drop of death around your path or walls on all sides as it's abundantly clear that you can’t diverge from the path.

In Overlord II however, many levels are made to appear open plan, creating the illusion of a large open space when in fact there isn’t one. Often, your character can’t walk down paths that are clearly shown on screen and look easily big enough for you to fit down. Bumping into invisible walls gets old faster than a grandmother in a time-machine that's been stuck on fast-forward.


The second issue is that the initial few hours of play are about as much fun as writing a review using a tube of Pritt Stick and letters that have been individually cut out of an old copy of The Sunday Times. Early on in the game, Overlord II seems to lack of any kind of strategic play to advance. All that is actually required is for you to face the right direction and left click so that your minions go and kill the enemy, be they disgusting little balls of fluff or Romanesque solders.

Thankfully though, this doesn’t last forever. The turning point is when you acquire the second of the four types of minion. The first type of minions are called Browns and the second type are called Reds. Browns are hardy little bleeders with a natural inclination for brawling, melee style. The Reds are a flower-powered, homage paying, fireball throwing bunch of arsonists who aren't so tough, but are great for burning things down.


You can select different types of minions using the number keys, allowing you to easily send in the Browns off to kick some hide at close quarters and keep the Reds at the back to start some fires and stay clear of swinging swords. Yes, the tactics are simpler than in a game such as Company of Heroes, but as with most RTS games, it’s satisfying when your attacking tactics pay off and your troops finish a level both victorious and alive.

There are objects scattered throughout the game which you can assign minions to using the targeting system. Objects can be mural-like stones which must be hauled to the Netherworld gate for health and mana upgrades, for example. You can also place a flag down and then assign minions to guard it, and they’ll set about anything or anyone that comes near them - apart from of course, their beloved master. Later in the game these tactics will be required to overcome the bigger challenges before you and steer the game away from the point and click it was in the beginning.