Wrath Unleashed

Strategy games have had a loyal following among the more patient gamer who prefer to outmatch opponents in a most cerebral and well-calculated manner and then bash some heads in when the moment is just right.  The Xbox has seen its share of strategy games but the most recent offerings come from LucasArts who is better known for their action-packed adventure games.  Along with Gladius, a strategy RPG set in the age of Roman gladiators, Wrath Unleashed offers more of what strategy fans look for in their strategy games.  

The game’s premise revolves around a feud between four elemental overlords that draw their power from the elements of creation (Earth, Wind, Water and Fire).  These Gods find under the banner of chaos and order and light versus darkness and in the game’s story mode, Campaign, we find out that the two dark Gods Durlock and Helamis plot against the good Gods of the Light, Aenna and Epothos.  The result is an epic battle between these great forces and the armies they command.

The game features four different game modes: Campaign, Battle, Versus and Team Fighter.  Campaign is the game’s story mode that has you assuming the role of one of the Gods as you win battles and complete a list of objectives while you’re at it.  Battle pits you against other players (be it another player or the computer controlled AI) in a single match while Versus leaves the strategy aside from just plain tail kicking arcade-styled battles.  And Team Fighter allows gamers to create their own teams to duel in the arenas.  There’s also an Army Builder option players can use to design their dream army.  My biggest complaint is that they did not include a map editor so gamers can design their own playing map.

For the most part, Wrath Unleashed plays like a more interesting game of chess.  Your “chess” pieces, though, are made up of beasts and unique monsters of both good and evil.  The game places you on a world map that is composed of hexagonal grids and each map comes complete with various terrain types (swamps, deserts, plains or mountains) and special structures (like citadels or temples).  You move your army across the grid while taking enemy structures in a turn-based game of wits.  And much like a game of chess, you must carefully rethink every move or risk loosing important positions on the playing grid.

Depending on the God you choose to play, your monsters will have matching elemental powers.  For example, if you choose Epothos (the God of Fire) your more powerful monsters will be endowed with the elemental power of fire.  Also, depending on whether you align yourself with those who embrace chaos or order, the assortment of monsters will also vary.  If you choose a God that is aligned to Light Order you would have a powerful Ogre Mage in your army.  Those aligned to Dark Chaos would have a powerful Chaos Demon among their ranks.   

Strategy gamers will enjoy the extra twists that allow your God to cast spells such as Wrath (that inflict heavy damages to your enemy) or Teleport (to teleport to parts of the grid you can’t reach quickly enough). Yet the game quickly changes when two monsters collide in the same spot on the grid and thus turning the game into a fighter.  Each one-on-one battle takes place in an arena filled with elemental dangers as well as terrain hindrances and you’ll be able to fight on your terms.  Depending on whose side of the grid you are on a special advantage point is awarded to the fighter who is challenged in his or her own turf.  The fights are far from being as smoothly executed as a Tekken game, though.  In fact, they can be rough in certain spots but hardly bad enough that gamers will be turned off by the battles.

Another rough spot found in the game is the difficulty.  Playing Wrath as a single player game is really hard and this is due to the opponent AI that makes quickly calculated moves that will leave you astonished.  In the blink of an eye, the opponent already has the drop on you.  While this makes for a better challenge, it’s an unfair advantage.  The game also possesses some really long load screens.

Wrath Unleashed is also a very good-looking game . . . that is, if we’re only talking about the arena battles.  When battles erupt, you’ll be treated to beautifully detailed arenas and fighters.  Really, this is one heavily detailed game filled with bright colors and impressive special effects as your monsters clash.  It’s quite stunning to see elemental attacks in action and they won’t fail to astonish at all.  However, when you‘re moving your army across the world map, the wonderful level of detail and bright color drops significantly for a somewhat plain visual experience.  The only thing visually impressive about the world map is when magic spells are cast--they look amazing even from afar.

Sound-wise, Wrath scores big points with its epic score that’s both dramatic and cinematic.  From the opening theme music (that reminds me a lot of the original Conan the Barbarian film score) to the music that plays during battles, it sets the mood just right.  The voice acting is also really good but it’s the sound effects that are the sound’s noticeable strongpoint.  You’ll hear axes strike iron and flame elemental attacks sizzle the flesh as a monster howls in pain.  This is good stuff that could have been handled a lot better while playing on the world map. 

As far as strategy games go, Wrath Unleashed manages to deliver the goods and thus makes this title a worthwhile purchase for any fan of this particular genre.  With game modes aplenty and enough maps to play along solo or with a group of friends, you’ll be playing this for a real long while.  The game does, however, make battles and encounters very long so if you’re not a patient gamer then this game is not for you.  Otherwise, this is a more than decent strategy game for those Xbox gamers looking for more strategy titles. 

Gameplay: 7.0
Turn-based strategy games require boatloads of patience and Wrath Unleash is the kind of game that demands a lot of it.  That being said, gamers who enjoy a good chess match will find lots to love about a game that will have you consider each move.  Unfortunately, the fighting controls make for some seriously cumbersome clashes.

Graphics: 8.7
Visually speaking, there are a lot of things to admire or completely dislike about the graphics found in this game.  The map is one giant grid and is composed of small figures, a few structures and nothing else.  This is actually very disappointing since the graphics really come to life only when battles occur.  During battles we get a closer look at the combatants as well as the wonderfully detailed and colorful characters and environments.  The visual effects, such as spells and element attacks, look amazing.  

Sound: 8.0
While the sound found in this game is far from being ear candy, there is a lot more to like here than with the visuals.  The score, for instance, is dramatic, loud and wonderfully diverse.  When fighters clash, you’ll hear everything from the heavy trampling of the giantess to the hoofed kicks of the centaur.  You can also find some pretty decent voice acting that works well in setting up the Campaign mode’s story.

Difficulty: Hard
It’s wise to go through the Tutorial mode the first time around because, while it’s not an extremely complicated game to master, there are loads of things that could slow gamers down.  Learning every possible trick found in the tutorial or the instruction manual will leave gamers more time to concentrate on strategic moves and plan attacks.  Still, the computer -controlled opponent seems to be stuck in one setting--hard.

Concept: 7.5
As far as strategy games go, Wrath Unleashed offers a healthy dose of traditional turned-based strategy goodness along with fighting game elements tossed in for good measure.  Although there are plenty of maps available, it would have been great to design your own map using an editor.  I would have even settled for some Xbox Live support, which is something fans of strategy games would have loved.  The Army Builder option is a nice touch, though. 

Multiplayer: 7.0
Strategy games have also been meant to be shared with other fans of the genre and thankfully the game allows up to four gamers to play against each another.  The game is a one-on-one experience but its just more satisfying going up against a friend than an AI opponent.  Battle and Versus mode are the main modes for playing a multiplayer match and, with enough characters (both on the Light and the Dark side) and maps, the choices are nicely adequate.  I still think the game could have definitely benefited from Xbox Live support.

Overall: 7.5
It’s great to see LucasArts stray from its usual action/adventure fare to offer fans of the strategy genre something worthy to put into their Xbox consoles.  Wrath Unleashed is both demanding and highly enjoyable at the same time, thus making this a love-it-or-hate-it type of game.  For the most part, fans of the genre will enjoy devising their own strategies like a chess game with monsters while others will find the long load times and stiff battles a nuisance.