"Nice mix of genres
"Dark Messiah of Might & Magic" is the unlikely b@stard of "Half-Life 2", "Thief" and the "Might & Magic"-universe.
But the offspring isn't the kind that makes even the mother scream and sob. Instead, it's a lovely baby, a baby that makes perfect strangers smile uncontrollably while they with big, shining eyes and pouted mouths say "kootchie-kootchie-koo". In other words: role playing games are here mixing genes with the action genre. The most beautiful game baby of the fall, a fantastic and epic fantasy-action-adventure, is here.
It wasn't always like this. In the past, role players could sit in their dark cellars and calculate statistics and division of skill points, while action players could gorge themselves in uncomplicated fun violence. Two camps which both looked for completely different things when it came to games. Myself, I'm in the latter stall. Role playing has never been my cup of tea, I'm far too impatient to sit and fiddle for ages with inventory menus and skill trees. And when I wield a virtual sword, I want to wield a sword - not ask advanced, percentage calculating algorithms do it for me.
At the same time, role playing games have an element that I love: winning skill points you can use on upgrading your character's skills. Not only is it great getting continuous rewards from the game, you are also investing in a character who evolves according to your own preferences.
Du will find RPG elements in action games (i.e. "Onimusha" and "Ratchet & Clank") and action elements in RPGs (like Arkane's previous game -"Arx Fatalis", "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" and "Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines"). You even have games I'd say are more or less on the same street, like "Deus Ex" - even though the theme here is sci-fi, not fantasy. Still, these are two very different genres, with clear, impenetrable dividing lines. "Dark Messiah of Might & Magic" clearly leans towards action, but still goes a long way towards breaking down these lines.
You can engulf yourself in role play content - from the mediaeval setting to magic, monsters, fair maidens and creaking mead dens. This is basically traditional fantasy from start to finish. You also get skill points to use on upgrades. Here you choose where to use the points, from which way you want to play. Basically you can choose from three ways - warrior, magician or assassin - but you can also choose a combination of the three. In addition, your inventory is brought straight in from RPGs, with tons of mediaeval weapons, magic potions and artefacts making certain potions and objects more effective.
There are even percentage calculations involved. You will again and again experience variations in combat, which look perfectly random, but which in reality are based on the fact that you have X chance of perform Y. In other words, the game rolls a dice for you. But the dice are invisible to the player, the skill tree is clearly set out and manageableand you're not likely to be confused by the inventory either. For the playability is built on a thirst for action. You simply choose a weapon, jog over to an enemy and chop away. Or use magic from a distance, naturally. You can also see everything through your character's eyes, and often have to solve smaller and bigger puzzles to advance.
The mix of genres is so thoroughly done that I can't understand why they don't make more out of it. Extremely good, it has become - all honour to the French Arkane Studios. They also deserve thanks for their work in other areas. Like the combat system, which is one of the most satisfying I've ever run into in an action game. Not only is the variation in gameplay (use of magic, blunt force, sneak attacks) amusing, but you can also exploit the environments you're in. You can toss your enemies off a cliff, into fires or onto nails; you can flip heavy loads onto them from afar and you can throw barrels at them. You also have to block incoming attacks, which makes all the fighting a more tactical affair than in many other action games.
The package is neat. The environments are wonderful, the story is exciting and the music is fantastically lavish. In addition you get an extensive multiplayer section, based on the various ways of play you find in the single player section. Among other things you can get enough experience points for immediate upgrades on the battlefield. Exciting enough to stand out in the crowd of online action games, and promising enough to keep you engaged for quite a while. True enough, it does start a little tedious, the really intense upgrades won't come until a fair bit into the game. I also think that now and again there is a bit much downtime and it can get a bit dull, repetitive slaughter between the high points. The story is also rather obvious. I don't think it's falling apart, but it's just boardering on unrestrained cliché masturbation. I also suspect that fans of traditional action games will like "Dark Messiah" better than fans of RPGs. For a role player needing to immerse himself in skill points and artefact plundering, the role playing elements in "Dark Messiah" can be a bit simple and unsatisfying.
On the whole, "Dark Messiah" is a more than solid enough gaming experience."
Review by Rune Fjeld Olsen.
