A world of magic. A world of mighty fortresses and even mightier warriors. A world where armies clash, where battles are decided by fire and steel, by tooth and claw. A world where the forces of good, once proud people now wracked by hubris and jealousy of one another, must unite together to vanquish the ultimate Evil.
Sounds familiar, right? Long forgotten big bad foozle awakens after centuries of dormancy to strike fear into the hearts of mortals and fey alike and only the combined forces of a group of unlikely heroes can save the day. You control the armies of light in an epic turn-based struggle against said big bad foozle. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Just another fantasy wargame, right?
Not quite.
What was the last fantasy wargame you played that gave you a chance to face off against murderous garden gnomes? That's right, garden gnomes, those little obnoxious pointy cap SOBs who think they're oh so mighty. Never trust a garden gnome.
Still not convinced? What if we told you that you can lead your armies to victory in a lunch hour? An epic lunch hour, but a lunch hour nevertheless.
Welcome to Land of Legends.
Land of Legends, developed by Tiny Hero Game Studios and soon to be published by Shrapnel Games, is an exciting new fantasy strategy game for the Windows OS based on a simple premise: make a strategy title chock full of tactical nuances and deep gameplay, yet easy enough to allow gamers to simply pick it up and play, and pace it so that games can fit into everyone's busy lifestyle.
Land of Legends succeeds at all three. With a variety of units, special abilities, and scenarios mastering the game is akin to peeling an onion; just when you think you've become a force to be reckoned with your opponent will peel another strategic layer back and show you something new.
Heavily influenced by anime, the big eyes, small mouth visuals help gamers be drawn into the whimsical world of Land of Legends. The vibrant graphics showcase the fact that Land of Legends never takes itself too seriously, reminding gamers that games are supposed to be fun, not exercises in doom and gloom. Somewhat console-like, anyone who has played Advance Wars will feel right at home.
Another item that sets Land of Legends apart from the numerous other fantasy titles on the market is the emphasis on fast play. While you can easily end up playing until three in the morning you wouldn't have been playing just one game of Land of Legends, but many. In a world where sneaking away to enjoy a turn based strategy title is become increasingly rarer a scenario of Land of Legends can be completed in under an hour. With hotseat ability and built in matchmaking software for playing over the 'Net, Land of Legends is the perfect game to while away your lunch hour.
"We're really excited to publish Land of Legends," Tim Brooks, CEO and founder of Shrapnel Games commented on the game. "This is one of those games that at first you think you have it mastered after a couple of scenarios but then you start thinking of different ways to go about it, and next thing you know you're discovering strategies on top of the strategies! It's also amazingly friendly to people who don't normally involve themselves in conflict sims. Hey, when you wife is constantly challenging you to games you know there's something special going on!"
Land of Legends is scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2005 and will be available for Windows 98 (or later) systems. The price is TBA. Keep watching www.shrapnelgames.com for more information on this title and other upcoming releases.