Dark Messiah of Might and Magic

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Studio	Arkane Studios Floodgate Entertainment Kuju Entertainment (Multiplayer)
Publisher	Ubisoft
Erstveröffent- lichung	Windows: October 25, 2006 October 27, 2006 Xbox 360: February 12, 2008 February 15, 2008
platform	Microsoft Windows Xbox 360 (Elements)
genre	Action RPG
Subject	Fantasy
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	Mouse and keyboard , gamepad
medium	DVD-ROM , download
language	German, English, Russian
copy protection	serial number
Age rating	USK PEGI

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is a computer game developed by Arkane Studios and Floodgate Entertainment and published in Europe in October 2006 by distribution partner Ubisoft . A version for Xbox 360 , which differs significantly from the PC version, was released in February 2008 with the title Dark Messiah of Might and Magic - Elements .

As a game in the Might and Magic series, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic's backstory builds on the events in Heroes of Might & Magic 5 and its two expansions. The game uses the Source Engine by Valve .

action

The prehistory of the game shows a wizard named Sar-Elam , "the Seventh Dragon". He locked all demons in a magical dungeon. However, this was fragile and the Demon Lord forged a plan to blow up the dungeon. In the course of the plot, one learns of a prophecy of the so-called dark messiah , who is to smash the prison at a predetermined time.

The player takes on the role of the young apprentice Sareth , an orphan who is under the tutelage of the magician Phenrig . For support, Phenrig summons the guardian Xana , whose spirit is fused with that of the protagonist, so that the player rarely sees her, but can hear her as a helping voice. Phenrig sends Sareth in the city Stonehelm to the resident magician Menelag find the Skull of Shadows , an ancient relic of the Seventh Dragon to help. On arrival in the city of Steinhelm, a battle rages between the attacking necromancers and the city guard, who can also repel the attackers with the help of the protagonist.

Soon after, Sareth and her companion Leanna , a niece and student of Menelag, go to an island to get the Skull of the Shadows. As soon as this is done, the antagonist Arantir appears, kills the protagonist and steals his skull. However, his helper Xana resuscitates him and equips him with demonic powers.

Then the player goes to the base of the necromancers to track down Arantir. Leanna, who can optionally be saved, is also being held there. In this case, it will raise a central conflict in the game: the one between the two “companions” of the protagonist. Leanna calls on Sareth to free himself from his "demonic nature" in a temple. In advance, Sareth learned through numerous visions and dreams that he is the son of the demon lord - the dark messiah - and that Phenrig and Xana only wanted to use him.

After Sareth, without being able to track down Arantir, but knowing his plans, returns to the stone helmet, which has been devastated by necromancers and their servants, and there can voluntarily have Xana removed from his head, he goes to a necropolis under the city. There he finds Arantir, kills him and takes the skull of the shadows. This can be used for your own purposes and serve to lock the protagonist's father away forever. Alternatively, the skull can be destroyed and thus the father can be freed.

Game principle and technology

General

The entire game is played in first- person view , but this is much more developed than other games so far. The Arkane Studios had already expanded the first person perspective to include the legs of the player in Arx Fatalis . In Dark Messiah of Might and Magic this has been perfected, which is particularly noticeable when the player uses ladders or climbs out of the water. The cutscenes are also shown in the first person perspective, which helps to better identify the player with the character.

The player can use the possibilities of the game physics much more than in other games until then. The player can damage opponents by moving hanging objects or throwing loose objects. Another new feature is the possibility of gaining distance by kicking opposing figures, plunging them into an abyss or hurling them against sharp objects.

Multiplayer

In multiplayer mode, in contrast to the solo game, classes are used: archer, magician, priest, thief and warrior. The players face each other on two fantasy pages (humans / undead). By killing an opponent and reaching a goal (capture flag point) points are awarded with which one rises during the online session. Also available is the "conquest" mode, in which the levels of the solo game are practically re-enacted in short form and either in the undead capital or in which the people try to take the most important flag point as their final destination. The developers stopped multiplayer support after just three months. As a result, individual classes are not perfectly balanced with one another.

Production notes

Compared to the international version, the game was cut for the German market. At the same time as the censored version, however, the original version was also published in small numbers in Germany. For this, an application for indexing was received by the Federal Testing Office for Media Harmful to Young People , but this was not complied with: The auditors took note of the violence contained in the game, but also appreciated the elaborately designed fantasy world and the carefully told background story. The uncensored version of the game was then given the USK rating No Youth Approval at the second attempt , but has not yet been published in this form.

reception

reviews publication Rating 4players 85% GameStar 90% GBase 9/10 Meta-ratings Metacritic 72%

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic received mostly positive reviews. Metacritic aggregates 44 reviews to a mean of 72.

"[...] the game is now by and large a first-person shooter with swords and a bit of magic and an environment that invites experimentation."

- Paul Kautz : 4Players

"The developers of Dark Messiah of Might and Magic obviously have a magical knack and have given the player a real highlight for the current game year 2006!"

- Michael Loss : Gbase.ch

The star described the Xbox 360 Version Elements as a disappointment in many respects, in contrast to the PC version. Not only is the graphics significantly worse, but the gameplay also differs significantly. So you don't play the main character Sareth, but one of four classes whose skills are automatically assigned as you level up.

Awards

• 2006: GameStar - Best Action Game

Web links

• Official website
• Dark Messiah of Might & Magic at MobyGames (English)
• Dark Messiah of Might & Magic - Elements at MobyGames (English)
• Dark Messiah of Might and Magic at Schnittberichte.com

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Paul Kautz: Test: Dark Messiah of Might & Magic. In: 4Players . October 27, 2006, accessed July 6, 2020 . 
2. ↑ Dark Messiah of Might & Magic in the test - With sword and kick. In: GameStar . November 3, 2006, accessed July 6, 2020 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Michael Loss: Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Review. In: Gbase.ch. November 1, 2006, accessed July 6, 2020 . 
4. ↑ ^{a b} Metacritic.com: Dark Messiah of Might and Magic for PC Reviews. Based on 44 reviews. Retrieved July 6, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Bernd Fetsch: Dark Messiah of Might And Magic: Elements - Everything used to be better. In: Stern . May 15, 2008, accessed July 6, 2020 .