The Majesty of Malevolence- Overlord II Reviewed

Whereas the first Overlord leisurely lured player’s in with its sly wit, and delightfully devious disposition, the recently released sequel aims for an immediate ensnarement.  In a snowy village, a diminutive young boy is pelted by snowballs thrown from a handful of taunting peers. The fur clad youngster seeks swift vengeance, lighting a number of oversized fireworks into the fleeing bullies. It is this gratifying sense of retribution that drives Overlord II, contributing to the game’s wicked sense of satisfaction, and allows player to see past the title’s handful of blemishes.

The game wisely steers clear of serious malevolence, instead focusing on being comically naughty. Early levels have you pummeling elven activists from some sort of medieval Greenpeace group, and even clubbing baby seals- yet the violence is always ridiculously oblique. Although the player has the power to enslave or exterminate humans, most of the action is carried out indirectly by the game’s minions, exonerating players of most of the title’s malicious actions. While I rarely enjoy being the scoundrel in games, Overlord II plots its trajectory carefully, and deftly vilifies its targets.

Players move the game’s protaganist with the left joystick, while the right stick directs your band of minions around the screen. Gamers begin the game with a handful of the mischievous followers, and soon expand their rosters with four types of creatures. Brown beasts specialize in melee combat, and are able to pick up a wide array of weaponry found in environments.  Reds specialize in ranged combat, throwing bolts of fire to reach distant foes. The green minions employ stealth attacks, and have an immunity to poison, while the blue assistants are the healers, and have the ability to swim. Each of the creature factions are comically animated; it’s always captivating to watch them tear through the environment, leaving a trail of wanton destruction in their wake.

Gamers who lost their bearings in the pathways of the previous installment, will now find that Overlord II includes a on screen mini-map to assist in navigation. I found the cartography device of negligible use, as the game is a fairly linear affair.  Players merely need to look for the next pristine zone, awaiting minion defilement. Players also have the ability to transform the Overlord into a minion, in a number of set pieces designed for variety. The game’s minions can now mount wolves, salamanders, and spiders to reach impenetrable areas. The most satisfying addition is the inclusion of weapons such as the catapult, which when overtaken can launch a huge boulder toward a group of cowering adversaries.

Although the amount of graphical detail displayed in Overlord II significantly surpasses its predecessor, the game’s refresh rate still hovers below a 30 frame per second threshold. Although the mechanics of the game don’t require fluidity, the game’s choppiness detracts from the imaginative world depicted in the title. While the voice-over work is typically splendid, there are moments when the game’s cinematics end abruptly, sullying the title’s presentation.

A healthy amount of multiplayer options await the gamer that has completed the Overlord’s thirteen hour main campaign. Players can select from both local and online matches, working either cooperatively or competitively to overtake maps. My favorite mode was dominate, a variation on the popular conquest theme, where players seek to control parts of the map with a limited amount of minions.