Starting off as a newly awakened Overlord of a broken down palace that has been run down by heroes, players are engaged in a medieval world guided solely by Gnarl, an older minion wise in the ways of evil. He gives quick lessons in how to use minions and control the character while adding to the comic mischief rampant in the game.
Following the brief tutorial is a walk in the woods, both literally and figuratively. Sending minions out to kill sheep and gain their energy was very amusing to say the least. Walking around sending minions to destroy and pillage whatever wasn’t evil-looking enough is entertaining, as was looking at the surrounding environment.
Graphics aren’t wonderful, but they do live up to the current standard quite well. And since most of the environment is destructible, much time can be spent destroying and searching for hidden objects, which litter the world. Things that either minions use to fight with or that they will bring back in the form of gold.
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One odd part was the control scheme, though the issue is actually the lack of camera movement. Developer Triumphant Studios, a worthy name for such a title, set the right analog stick to control the minions instead of camera control. Camera movement is partially automatic, where using the left bumper resets the camera. It can be annoying at times, but only for that short ‘getting-used-to-it’ period.
The point of the game is simple: rebuild the evil castle, defeat heroes and become ruler of the world. Admittedly, this sounds more like a ‘good guy’ game. In fact, the first level requires saving a farmer and some captive humans. It seemed as if being evil was just a ploy to get people playing the game.
But very early on, Gnarl makes it very clear. To be successfully evil, the people must be alive to fully realize a great evil plan. Sure, killing them increases the Overlord’s power, but it also means less people worshipping and fearing. A difficult decision to make for the weak of heart.
The game will feature at least four different minion types, as well as the ability to control up to 50 at any given time. It will be interesting to see how gameplay goes with so many running amok, doing different actions simultaneously. Currently the four minion types are designated by color; brown are normal fighters, blue are support, red have ranged fire attacks and green are assassins. Having an assortment of different types can lead to very different types of play.
Set for release on both the Xbox 360 and PC on June 26th, Overlord looks to be a very promising summer title. Even if it isn’t as great as it looks, be content with its originality and humor. Both serve to make this title highly ranked.
