E3 06: Mythic Wars Impressions

LOS ANGELES--1C is showing off their newly announced title Mythic Wars behind closed doors. The game looks pretty impressive, with some sharp graphics and an old-school sensibility in the gameplay.

We weren't able to pry many details of gameplay out of the hands of 1C, but you're not going to be surprised at the fantasy setting, which features humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves. OK, so it's not the most creative lineup that we've ever seen, but we were told that the plot revolves around a cruel orcish general that organizes a huge army to invade the lands of the humans, and that only General Pfiel is capable of stopping him. What none of the war's participants know, however, is that a shadowy eminence is involved in the war from well behind the scenes. Three playable campaigns will work players through the storyline, and there'll be at least 70 different units and nine different types of armies in the game.

All we really know about the gameplay at this point is that it features turn-based combat that revolves around constructing and upgrading armies and moving them across a hexagonally divided plane. Castle sieges, village defense, raids, assault, and reconnaissance operations are all present; 1C is promising a large number of different possible missions for the game.

For our part, we think the title is showing some definite promise, but then we're always excited by the prospect of new turn-based properties. It seems that Russia may be the new epicenter for TBS game development, so we're hoping that Mythic Wars will respark some of our former love for the fantasy turn-based genre. Only time will tell, as the game is still well away from release.