For the uninitiated, the Overlord exists for the sole purpose of wreaking havoc (using Havoc). Travelling from village to dell and beyond, raping and pillaging in the name of evil, then using the plunder to gild his Dark Tower with swanky trappings, bolster his unholy arsenal, and pick up a bobble or two for his mistresshes a Lord all right, but its the elder minion Gnarl who really runs the show. Minions are too small to terrorize humanity on their own, but with 300 pounds of metal, muscle, and bad attitude on their side, theyre like land piranhas.
Like the last Overlord (who apparently met a tragic end) the new Overlord commands four specific types of minion: Browns for basic sic-em-until-theyre-dead style combat; Reds for ranged fire-ball attacks and breaching flammable barriers; Greens for stealth combat, backstabbing, and distilling poisonous barriers; and Blues for crossing deep water. Elemental powers aside, all minions take great joy in devouring all things cute and/or fluffy, along with people, and playing fetch, a.k.a. going ape-shit on anything the Overlord points at. Once youve retrieved a respective minions hive and delivered it back to the Netherworld lair, theyre yours for the commanding. Once summoned from their spawning pit, minions will do anything for their master, including happily (gleefully even) sacrificing their wretched little lives in your stead. But be warned, they dont reproduce as fast as reckless gameplay will kill them off, and the more minions you keep alive, the better equipped youll be. Minions are also used as currency. Every time you forge a new weapon, the requisite number and color will leap into the molten stew like its a pool partynow thats dedication. Minions are also your only allies, and when deployed correctly, the source of much high-definition gaming joy. The Overlord is no slouch mind you. Hes a HUGE powerful warrior, but hes also about as graceful as a dancing yak, so dont get too cocky out there. One-on-one he can bring down just about anything, but facing down a legion of shielded soldiers and pissy Elves, hes better served to hang back and play maestro.
As Overlord 2 gets underway, we find the recently orphaned minions combing the quaint mountain town of Nordberg in search of a new master, when they happen upon a peculiar young lad who couldnt be happier (or better suited; they dont call him Witch Boy for nothing) to make their evil acquaintance and light up the winter festival like a pint-sized pyromaniac. As tutorials go, trotting around the Overlad ranks right up there with the best of them. More goes on in the first ten minutes of Overlord 2 than in the entire first half of the original. Juniors on-the-job training includes burning a bevy of backsides with king-size bottle rockets, manning massive catapults and hurling boulders at the adversary (along with any houses in range if youre feeling particularly evil), saddling up Browns on packs of rabid wolves, and unleashing a giant Yeti, which seems like a good idea at the time, but ends badly. You get the job anyway. Thirteen years of bad behavior training later, during which the once-middling Empire outside of Nordberg has grown into a superpower fit for a full-blown sequel, Overlord 2 is born, and a-killing you shall go.
Everything about O2 is bigger and better than its predecessors. As fun as it was, the initial formula was a slow burn, and a bit repetitious in the tactics department, which it made up for in level design and RPG elements. O2 fleshes out the lot and piles on more than I could possibly describe. Dark Towers are so five minutes ago; the new Overlord is bequeathed an entire domain, complete with its own transport and tunnel system, tied into a massive chamber hub complete with a spacious throne room (to house the many humongous thrones on offer) and sprawling bedroom level where you can order new construction, manage your spells and alignment, and buy enough bobbles to keep the mistress happy, depending on who you select to be Mrs. Overlord. Stepping outside, the Forgery, Armory, and Minion barracks are but a floating platform ride away. Not only do your minions have their own cavern, but their own respective hives within, privy to a remodel each time you level up a color. Minions can also be viewed individually by type using the Hive Interfaceand should you lose a favorite, resurrected, if the sacrifice is right. Remember how fun it was returning home from a hard day of evil, knocking around the Tower, kicking the jester and enjoying the view? Well, the jester (Quaver) now has his own chamber band that plays (horribly of course) when you draw near, providing a backdrop for his snarky limericks, and theres always something new to see provided youve stoked the fire. The richer you get, the more hours melt away.
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