SpellForce 3
| SpellForce 3 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio |
 Grimlore Games |
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| Publisher |
 THQ Nordic
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
7th December 2017 | ||
| platform | Microsoft Windows | ||
| genre | Real time strategy , role play | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
Windows 7 or newer (64-bit), Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-6350, 6 GB RAM, 2 GB graphics card (Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon 7850), DirectX 11, Internet connection | ||
| medium | DVD-ROM , download | ||
| language | German | ||
| Current version | 1.40 (March 16, 2019) | ||
| copy protection | Without ( GOG.com ) / Steamworks |
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| Age rating |
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SpellForce 3 is a computer game that combines elements of real-time strategy and computer role-playing . It is the successor to SpellForce: The Order of Dawn and SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars and was released in December 2017. Unlike its predecessors, it was not developed by the now defunct Phenomic studio , but by Grimlore Games. THQ Nordic acted as publisher .
action
background
As a prequel, the game does not tie in with the storyline of its predecessor, but begins around 500 years before part 1 of the series. A few years before the plot began, the magician Isamo Tahar started a civil war to fight for the rights of magicians. His child eventually rebelled against him and was therefore due to be executed, but was saved at the last moment by General Sentenza Noria, whose job it was to end the magical rebellion that ended with Isamo Tahar's death. He then helped Isamo's child to join the royal army.
Course of action
Isamo Tahar's son or daughter - the gender is determined by the player when creating the character - is the main character, over whom you take control at the beginning of the actual plot. As a member of the Wolf Guard, Tahar is supposed to help fight a mysterious plague, the so-called bloodburn. For alleged treason, however, one is thrown into prison shortly afterwards, from which one is then freed by Rondar Lacaine, the leader of the sect "Purity of Light", which wants to ban the use of magic. Lacaine sends the player to find the source of the bloodburn. The elf Yria and the dwarf Isgrimm help, and together they find the ancient city of Mulandir, where they find new clues and set up their headquarters. Finally, in the old laboratory of Tahar's dead father, they find a moulder who turns out to be Tahar's mother and the involuntary origin of the bloodburn. At this moment Lacaine appears and he locks her soul in an amulet in order to use her power for himself.
Then Tahar tries to thwart the plans of Lacaine, who wants to bring the creator god Aonir back into the world with the help of his amulet and the all-fire. Meanwhile, "Purity" murders magicians and finally seizes power by taking the capital. In the capital, there is the final battle between Lacaine and Tahar and his companions, where it turns out that Lacaine’s ritual would not call Aonir, but a dark entity that has deceived Lacaine all along. After Tahar's victory, the queen decides to set up the circle, a representation of magicians to prevent further wars.
Gameplay
campaign
The gameplay is similar to that of its predecessors: You take control of a small group of heroes with special abilities with which you can explore a map. The group of heroes collects experience points by killing monsters and completing tasks that lead to level up. For level up you receive skill and attribute points, through which the heroes can be strengthened, objects can also be collected and the heroes can be equipped with them. You can take a maximum of three additional heroes with you on each card, but the choice is much greater thanks to additional companions who join Tahar in the course of the story.
There is also a real-time strategy section on many maps . There you can set up a base, collect raw materials and train troops to support the heroes in fulfilling their task. Sometimes it is specified which of the three available races - humans, elves and orcs - you lead into the battle, sometimes you can choose it if you have secured the support of the appropriate people beforehand.
The player has his headquarters in Mulandir, where he can talk to his companions, conduct trade and reinforce his troops. From here you also have access to the world map, from which you can select the next mission.
It is also possible to play the campaign together with other players in co-op mode . Control over heroes, unit production, army and economy can be divided up.
Skirmish
Regardless of the campaign, you can play against other players or computer-controlled opponents on different maps. The multiplayer mode supports games over the Internet and over LAN . The battle works like the real-time strategy part of the campaign: Each player starts with a base in which he can collect resources, erect buildings and train units. The basic building is limited to the sector around the main building, which also only supports a certain number of workers. With heroes, additional sectors can be captured, in which additional building space and additional workers are available. The raw materials are wood, stone and iron as well as - for particularly strong units - Arya (humans), Lenya (elves) and black ash (orcs).
reception
The test version published to the media before the release contained so many bugs that it was sometimes not possible to play through and several magazines did not give a rating. Therefore, over 20 patches were published within a few weeks, which significantly improved the game. GameStar reduced the bug-related rating penalty, without which the game would have received a rating of 82%, later from 15 to 5 points. Metacritic gave it a rating of 73 points based on 37 reviews.
Expansion: Soul Harvest
On May 28, 2019 the stand-alone addon Soul Harvest was released . This includes a new campaign with around 20 hours of playing time as well as the two new factions of the dark elves and dwarves (already known from the predecessors).
reception
Unlike the main game, Soul Harvest hardly contained any bugs when it was released. In addition, it was convincing both in terms of content and scope, so that GameStar awarded a rating of 84 points.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Spellforce 3: So no test for now. gamersglobal.de, December 6, 2017, accessed December 25, 2017 .
- ↑ SpellForce 3 - That's why we couldn't test it at release. gamestar.de, December 6, 2017, accessed December 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Bugs in Spellforce 3: Publisher comments on bugs, promises a version without errors. pcgames.de, December 7, 2017, accessed December 25, 2017 .
- ↑ Spellforce 3 Test: Matured by the customer - Review now with rating! pcgames.de, December 21, 2017, accessed December 25, 2017 .
- ↑ SpellForce 3 in review - on the right track, but not there yet. gamestar.de, May 2, 2018, accessed April 4, 2019 .
- ↑ metacritic.com: Spellforce 3 PC. Retrieved February 17, 2018 .
- ↑ SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest - Standalone expansion brings dark elves and dwarves. gamestar.de, December 17, 2018, accessed April 4, 2019 .
- ↑ Spellforce 3: Soul Harvest in the test - Realtime strategists have been waiting for such an addon for years! gamestar.de, May 29, 2019, accessed May 30, 2019 .