Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne Preview
We take a look at an early build of the sequel to Age of Wonders.
Though well received, the original Age of Wonders had a few problems, including relatively subdued sound and visuals and a lack of a random map generator that would've gone a long way toward extending the game's replay value. Not surprisingly, almost all those issues have been addressed in Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne, which not only features a revamped graphics engine that blends two-dimensional sprites with full three-dimensional backgrounds, but also boasts a random map generator, a streamlined interface, and a series of other improvements that you'd typically find in a sequel. The development team at Triumph Studios has also made an effort to place more focus on the role-playing and empire-building elements in Age of Wonders II--though, fans will find that most of the gameplay from the original game remains intact.
Age of Wonders II's single-player campaign begins where the original game left off. The game opens with a cinematic that details the escape of a wizard named Merlin on an airship. Moments into the flight, the wizard's airship is bombarded with fireballs from a group of dragons that have seemingly appeared from out of nowhere. The airship sustains massive amounts of damage before it eventually crashes, leaving the wizard stranded in a new land. It's here that you meet up with Gabriel--your guide throughout most of the game--who tells you about the six different wizard spheres and reveals that the wizards who control these spheres are constantly at war with each other. Your main task is to unite the spheres under your own power and take the wizards' throne.
As you might expect, these spheres are the basis for the game's single-player campaign, but you won't have to acquire them in any order. Each sphere mission is divided into three submissions that you will have to complete in order to gain the sphere. In addition, each sphere represents an element of magic and the type of wizard that you'll encounter during the mission, so you'll engage the fire wizard while playing through the fire sphere mission. Once you've selected a sphere and started its mission, Gabriel and other characters will give you pieces of information that are helpful for navigating through the land that you're in. Moreover, they'll give you background on the land and its inhabitants as a way of drawing you into the game's storyline.
While Age of Wonders II is quite different from its predecessor on a visual level, it still retains many of the elements that made the original game so entertaining. Though, some changes have been made to give the game a little more depth. For example, towns will have a number of options to select from in terms of constructing new units and structures that can assist you in taking on enemy forces. Towns also play a key role in the use of spells.
Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne Quick Links
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- Gathering
- Triumph Studios
- Fantasy Turn-Based...
- Release: Jun 12, 2002
- ESRB: Teen
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