Warlocked

"War has never been better on a handheld"

Introduction

Warlocked is unique in the fact that it is a real-time strategy game on handheld system, something rarely seen, and even then usually done poorly. Warlocked triumphs in spite of the technical limitations of the Gameboy Color, the lack of a mouse, or even a large screen. Warlocked is a great game years after its release, and rightfully earns its place as the best RTS game on a portable system.

Gameplay: 10/10

Warlocked's gameplay is classic, simple, and timeless. In normal RTS fashion your role is to create various warriors and workers, gather resources, and try to defeat the enemy. Each level in Warlocked is designed superbly, with resources strategically placed, and natural obstructions cleverly located. There are two contrasting campaigns, that of the humans, and that of the beats. Both are very different, and together they effectively double the size of the game. As you travel through the campaign, slaughtering legions of enemies along the way, you encounter one of the unique traits of Warlocked, the wizards. With abilities ranging from turning enemies into chickens to teleporting across the map deep intro enemy territory, the wizards bring a strategic and exceptionally well designed element into play, and can help change the tide of battle. All the units are balanced to perfection, with each one providing distinct benefits and drawbacks. Also, the levels are varied, and their level of difficulty rises progressively as you get farther into the game. Many times a new wizard is utilized on each level, providing the perfect training for your skills. The gameplay would be fantastic on any system, but it is phenomenal on a portable one like the Gameboy Color. The gameplay of Warlocked is that of a gaming masterpiece, plain and simple.

Story: 7/10

The story of Warlocked is relatively standard fare. A story of humans versus beasts, fighting each other in various climates and locales, mundane really. However, because you can play both sides, you can see the two perspectives on the story, and some of the mission objectives and briefings are good. This game's story isn't groundbreaking, but it doesn't hurt the game's success.

Controls: 6/10

If it weren't for the controls, Warlocked would easily be a 10/10 game in my book. Unfortunately, although what is accomplished with the meager control options of the Gameboy Color is impressive, it just isn't always up to par for a RTS game. It is difficult to select large numbers of units, traverse the map quickly, and the pathfinding A.I. is mediocre at best. Sadly, the Gameboy just isn't made for real-time strategy games, so a 6 or 7 is the highest a Gameboy RTS could possibly get barring some unique system that works flawlessly.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are on par for a Gameboy game of this period. Each side's units have a distinct look, building and level design is creative, and wizards each have their own unique sprites and portraits. The animations are simple, but that is to be expected. Artistically Warlocked is above average in the background level design and the wizard special attacks. Overall, the graphics exceeded expectations for this kind of game, but the animation quality brings this score down a little.

Sound: 7/10

The simple background tunes and battle sound effects are basic, but get the job done well enough. The only problem for me was the incredibly irritating cries from your own troops when ordered to attack, move, or basically do anything. The voices were barely intelligible, and were repeated often enough for me to loathe their existence. Besides this complaint, the sound was above average, but not great.

Replay Value: 9/10

With two different campaigns, the ability to play every level over, and extra minigames, the replay value is great. The only problem with replaying levels is that often they lose their difficulty on the second or third time through, especially with the wizards you have earned from later levels. Despite this, it is still fun, and I myself have played many of the missions upwards of ten or fifteen times after beating the game. The game itself isn't that long, but because of the aforementioned reasons, is still a great value.

Overall: 9/10

A perfectly tuned game brought down only by the average controls, it still deserves a fantastic recommendation, and a rating to match.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/28/06