Dark Legend is a spinoff of the 2007 video game Overlord, and is set as a prequel. The gameplay is similar to Overlord, but presents some differences. While the game does not have several features of the original game or its sequel, Overlord II, it offers some new content and a new gameplay style taking advantage of the Wii controller. Reviews of the game are mixed: praising the humour, story, and controls of the game, but finding problems with the animation, short game length, and lack of complexity or difficulty.
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And so ends the last of the original Overlord games I had not yet beaten. This isn't developed by Triumph like the other console games, but by Climax, and it's actually a really damn good adaptation for not being made by the home studio.
The controls are excellent. Instead of locking onto targets with the shoulder buttons, or using the right stick to guide your sweeping minions, you just aim at the screen with the Wii Remote to target anything and everything, and it works really well! It makes me really want to try to play the New Play Control versions of Pikmin on the Wii to see if they control any similarly, because this game absolutely nails it (and also apparently isn't a copy cat, as this game came out only 4 months later).
Additionally, the AI is fantastic! Usually you need to guide the minions around to absolutely anything you want them to do, whether it's pick up an equipment item, a lifeforce shard, a money pick-up, and it's usually such a pain. However, these Minions are super smart! Even reds, when sent at a target, will stay back and fire their ranged attacks as soon as they enter range, rather than sweep into melee range. I was continually surprised and happy with the executive decisions made on how smart your minions are. This game also has (almost) NO motion controls! No jumping, throwing, or sword fighting is controlled by motion controls, and it made the experience a much better one for me.
The presentation is also fairly nice as well. The game doesn't go for the Alice: Madness Returns-like style that the main games have, but instead has a more story-book quality to it, with brighter colors, and less sharply contrasting lines. It is a Wii game, so the textures and models aren't as detailed, but they still manage to look nice, and is actually one of the nicest looking Wii games (in terms of anti-aliasing) that I've seen on the component-HD settings. It definitely has some of the most forgettable music of the series though, which is a shame, but ultimately not important for me.
The game is definitely a more kid-friendly iteration of Overlord, fitting for the Wii-native experience they were going for. Never do enemies get horribly blown apart, there is no talk of people (or even things) gruesomely dying, boss monsters don't even usually die when you beat them, and if they do, it's usually in a Disney-esque fashion (getting buried in a rock-slide, or falling behind a wall, slowly dropping to the ground so their other character can mourn them, etc.). There are a cooouple somewhat questionable lines ("We'll feed those Dwarves their beards!" for one example), but I was continuously on the lookout for really dark humor like the DS game, but it just never showed up. The humor is much more Monty Python, in flavor, and is still very good :)
Even the story, in the end, boils down to not enslaving the land, or killing people, you can't even hurt the villagers, let alone fight them (although you do fight bandits completely clothed in ninja-garb at one point, but we all know bandits aren't real people anyway :P ). You're just trying to bring peace to the realm so your father, the Duke, can have some peace and quiet (and so people will stop calling him such a terrible ruler) and make your awful older siblings stop fighting. The plot and setting definite have a 90's Disney-esque quality to them in several respects.
The game's difficulty is also VERY easy compared to the other games, both in combat and in puzzles. Your minions are almost indestructable, even the squishier blue and green ones, and the AI is so good on the blues, they usually resurrect any stray green or brown that happens to die anyway. You also never control more than 20 minions at a time (more for mechanical limitations, I would guess, from how the game can chug in enemy-full earlier zones with a 20-minion troop), so there's not so much micro-managing on that front either.
There is a "Throttle" mechanic where you grab a minion by the neck, shake him like a soda can, and then send him forward to explode though. That's also like the ONE command that's controlled with waggling (to shake them up) XD. I'm not sure that's the most kid friendly thing in the world Xp
Verdict: Highly Recommended. The first game is still my favorite, but this holds a strong 2nd place. If you wanted to get a not so experienced gamer (or someone more feint of heart) into a Pikmin-style game, and Pikmin is too intimidating or scary for them, then Overlord Dark Legend is a fantastic choice. Aside from that, it's also just a blast to play! It's a little short at only 8 hours, but I thought it was the perfect size for what it was :D
The controls are excellent. Instead of locking onto targets with the shoulder buttons, or using the right stick to guide your sweeping minions, you just aim at the screen with the Wii Remote to target anything and everything, and it works really well! It makes me really want to try to play the New Play Control versions of Pikmin on the Wii to see if they control any similarly, because this game absolutely nails it (and also apparently isn't a copy cat, as this game came out only 4 months later).
Additionally, the AI is fantastic! Usually you need to guide the minions around to absolutely anything you want them to do, whether it's pick up an equipment item, a lifeforce shard, a money pick-up, and it's usually such a pain. However, these Minions are super smart! Even reds, when sent at a target, will stay back and fire their ranged attacks as soon as they enter range, rather than sweep into melee range. I was continually surprised and happy with the executive decisions made on how smart your minions are. This game also has (almost) NO motion controls! No jumping, throwing, or sword fighting is controlled by motion controls, and it made the experience a much better one for me.
The presentation is also fairly nice as well. The game doesn't go for the Alice: Madness Returns-like style that the main games have, but instead has a more story-book quality to it, with brighter colors, and less sharply contrasting lines. It is a Wii game, so the textures and models aren't as detailed, but they still manage to look nice, and is actually one of the nicest looking Wii games (in terms of anti-aliasing) that I've seen on the component-HD settings. It definitely has some of the most forgettable music of the series though, which is a shame, but ultimately not important for me.
The game is definitely a more kid-friendly iteration of Overlord, fitting for the Wii-native experience they were going for. Never do enemies get horribly blown apart, there is no talk of people (or even things) gruesomely dying, boss monsters don't even usually die when you beat them, and if they do, it's usually in a Disney-esque fashion (getting buried in a rock-slide, or falling behind a wall, slowly dropping to the ground so their other character can mourn them, etc.). There are a cooouple somewhat questionable lines ("We'll feed those Dwarves their beards!" for one example), but I was continuously on the lookout for really dark humor like the DS game, but it just never showed up. The humor is much more Monty Python, in flavor, and is still very good :)
Even the story, in the end, boils down to not enslaving the land, or killing people, you can't even hurt the villagers, let alone fight them (although you do fight bandits completely clothed in ninja-garb at one point, but we all know bandits aren't real people anyway :P ). You're just trying to bring peace to the realm so your father, the Duke, can have some peace and quiet (and so people will stop calling him such a terrible ruler) and make your awful older siblings stop fighting. The plot and setting definite have a 90's Disney-esque quality to them in several respects.
The game's difficulty is also VERY easy compared to the other games, both in combat and in puzzles. Your minions are almost indestructable, even the squishier blue and green ones, and the AI is so good on the blues, they usually resurrect any stray green or brown that happens to die anyway. You also never control more than 20 minions at a time (more for mechanical limitations, I would guess, from how the game can chug in enemy-full earlier zones with a 20-minion troop), so there's not so much micro-managing on that front either.
There is a "Throttle" mechanic where you grab a minion by the neck, shake him like a soda can, and then send him forward to explode though. That's also like the ONE command that's controlled with waggling (to shake them up) XD. I'm not sure that's the most kid friendly thing in the world Xp
Verdict: Highly Recommended. The first game is still my favorite, but this holds a strong 2nd place. If you wanted to get a not so experienced gamer (or someone more feint of heart) into a Pikmin-style game, and Pikmin is too intimidating or scary for them, then Overlord Dark Legend is a fantastic choice. Aside from that, it's also just a blast to play! It's a little short at only 8 hours, but I thought it was the perfect size for what it was :D
thanks library for the free wii game i dont think we ever gave this one back
xbox port when?
Overlord is back in action. Hand tailored to the Wii, it comes with more precise control of minions and overall easier ‘Overlording’ gameplay. Dark Legend is a whole new adventure and while it isn’t going to knock your socks off, it will make you laugh, cry, scream, and even strangle people. To enjoy this game, bring an open mind, a dash of patience and a hint of speed in your fingers to give your minions a run for their money. Get ready to take control of the young Dark Prince of Gromgard.
The start of the game feels like a narrative from a book, written so well that it really makes you wonder if it is a tale or if it is a true story. You play as a young Dark Prince of Gromgard, running through the castle talking to people, learning about your wonderful evil siblings and rescuing the cook from the clutches of crazed Halflings.
The whole idea behind Dark Legend was to give fans an idea of how the young prince started out before gaining his evil Overlordship. You will be wandering through the castle hallways and get your first introduction to your gauntlet of evil. All gloved in, you will learn how to use your minions in basic and advanced ways. With your loyal servant and mentor Gnarl by your side, you will traverse the dangerous depths of Gromgard in search of minions, destroying your evil siblings and taking the throne of Gromgard.
Dark Legend has a bit of a Lord of the Rings feel to it, with the whole Knights in Shining Armor/Medieval setting to boost this idea. To complete the picture, you can throw some fairy tale stuff into the Lord of The Rings mix. Little Red Riding Hood makes an appearance and there is no shortage of wolves either.
Now you are probably thinking: “That sounds evil enough for me, but can I play the game to fit my evil Overlord ways?” The answer is, of course, you can, but it will require a little bit of patience so sit back and take some notes.
You play the game with the remote and Nunchuk. The Prince is controlled with the analog stick, the camera can be reset, and you can move the camera manually by holding down C and moving the cursor around the screen. When you actually get your first set of minions, you sweep them by holding down the B button and moving them around on the screen with the cursor. I know this sounds just fine, but wait, don’t get too excited yet! There’s a problem with this setup; the AI is pretty dumb. You can’t just move the cursor anywhere and hope that the little guys will follow. No, you have to put the cursor right in front of them like a carrot held in front of a donkey to get them to move. This becomes very frustrating when you have several enemies hitting you and you need your minions to go across a log to cross a stream (only blue minions can go into water). Just holding down the B button on the other side is no good; you have to “drag” them over there which is a serious… drag.
Unlike the minion sweeping, switching magic spells is really simple. You just hold down the – button, move the cursor over your spell and let go. Wow, genius! Ok maybe not, but the fighting mechanics of the game are definitely not so genius. All you do is swing your weapon with the Z button or wave your Wii-mote around. Yep, that is all folks just wave the ‘ol remote around or tap that lonely little Z button. There are no combo upgrades or anything like. You can switch between different colored minions with the left, right, and down D-pad. The D-pad is also used to do magic. Setting markers is done with the + button, and this allows you tell a certain color minion to stay and attack for ambushing or get enemies you can’t reach.
When it comes to actual gameplay Dark Legend is decent at best. Minions come in red, blue, green, and brown and they are all unique in their own annoying, evil, and destructive little way. You will first gain brown minions, who are your basic fighting grunts and are no good at anything but looting, pillaging, and beating on things. Later on, you will gain green (which absorb poison), blue (which can go into water), and red (which can absorb fire) which are all needed at all times.
To solve simple environmental puzzles, certain amounts of minions are required. Say you have a turn wheel, but it has green gas pods around it. Then you use greens to absorb the gas before sending blues to turn the wheel. Everything works like a chain and it is never too hard to figure out what is expected of you. You even have a mini-map with a compass that shows you your current objective. Using warp gates, you can quickly move from one area to another.
Summoning your minions is done via hives located throughout the levels. You can use them to pick up relics for spells, max health, and mana increase as well. Such spells vary from petrifying to electrocution, to time slow, to making your minions crazy and powerful for a short amount of time. The best technique, however, is the new ability to strangle your minions and charge them up. Red and brown ones explode, green ones can be used as a gas grenade, and blue ones give you life. I found all of these to be extremely helpful in a tight pinch. To top things off you can kill enemies for souls to acquire more minions. Gold found in chests can be spent in your castle’s smelting room where you can upgrade your weapons, armor, and minions. This is a must for harder enemies and bosses later on in the game.
The environments are very pretty at times and some of the areas will definitely pique your interest. My favorite moment in the game was when I was in the woods chasing down Little Red. The area in which this takes place felt both charming and unique, its ambiance amplified by a menacing looking moonlight that gave the leaves on trees a creepy look. The dialog the developers chose is clever, yet evil and the voice actors give it all their evil might to help set the mood.
So, there is lots of fun to be had in Dark Legend thanks to the clever use of minions and the good amount of spells and plenty of relics to find. You will be sucked in for a good 6 to 8 hours. I just wish the minions were a bit smarter and the collision detection didn’t suck. The backtracking can really get you down too. I highly recommend Dark Legend only to Overlord fans or Wii gamers who want to wipe the dust off that Wii. The Wii shovelware stops here my Lord and so begins the tale.
The start of the game feels like a narrative from a book, written so well that it really makes you wonder if it is a tale or if it is a true story. You play as a young Dark Prince of Gromgard, running through the castle talking to people, learning about your wonderful evil siblings and rescuing the cook from the clutches of crazed Halflings.
The whole idea behind Dark Legend was to give fans an idea of how the young prince started out before gaining his evil Overlordship. You will be wandering through the castle hallways and get your first introduction to your gauntlet of evil. All gloved in, you will learn how to use your minions in basic and advanced ways. With your loyal servant and mentor Gnarl by your side, you will traverse the dangerous depths of Gromgard in search of minions, destroying your evil siblings and taking the throne of Gromgard.
Dark Legend has a bit of a Lord of the Rings feel to it, with the whole Knights in Shining Armor/Medieval setting to boost this idea. To complete the picture, you can throw some fairy tale stuff into the Lord of The Rings mix. Little Red Riding Hood makes an appearance and there is no shortage of wolves either.
Now you are probably thinking: “That sounds evil enough for me, but can I play the game to fit my evil Overlord ways?” The answer is, of course, you can, but it will require a little bit of patience so sit back and take some notes.
You play the game with the remote and Nunchuk. The Prince is controlled with the analog stick, the camera can be reset, and you can move the camera manually by holding down C and moving the cursor around the screen. When you actually get your first set of minions, you sweep them by holding down the B button and moving them around on the screen with the cursor. I know this sounds just fine, but wait, don’t get too excited yet! There’s a problem with this setup; the AI is pretty dumb. You can’t just move the cursor anywhere and hope that the little guys will follow. No, you have to put the cursor right in front of them like a carrot held in front of a donkey to get them to move. This becomes very frustrating when you have several enemies hitting you and you need your minions to go across a log to cross a stream (only blue minions can go into water). Just holding down the B button on the other side is no good; you have to “drag” them over there which is a serious… drag.
Unlike the minion sweeping, switching magic spells is really simple. You just hold down the – button, move the cursor over your spell and let go. Wow, genius! Ok maybe not, but the fighting mechanics of the game are definitely not so genius. All you do is swing your weapon with the Z button or wave your Wii-mote around. Yep, that is all folks just wave the ‘ol remote around or tap that lonely little Z button. There are no combo upgrades or anything like. You can switch between different colored minions with the left, right, and down D-pad. The D-pad is also used to do magic. Setting markers is done with the + button, and this allows you tell a certain color minion to stay and attack for ambushing or get enemies you can’t reach.
When it comes to actual gameplay Dark Legend is decent at best. Minions come in red, blue, green, and brown and they are all unique in their own annoying, evil, and destructive little way. You will first gain brown minions, who are your basic fighting grunts and are no good at anything but looting, pillaging, and beating on things. Later on, you will gain green (which absorb poison), blue (which can go into water), and red (which can absorb fire) which are all needed at all times.
To solve simple environmental puzzles, certain amounts of minions are required. Say you have a turn wheel, but it has green gas pods around it. Then you use greens to absorb the gas before sending blues to turn the wheel. Everything works like a chain and it is never too hard to figure out what is expected of you. You even have a mini-map with a compass that shows you your current objective. Using warp gates, you can quickly move from one area to another.
Summoning your minions is done via hives located throughout the levels. You can use them to pick up relics for spells, max health, and mana increase as well. Such spells vary from petrifying to electrocution, to time slow, to making your minions crazy and powerful for a short amount of time. The best technique, however, is the new ability to strangle your minions and charge them up. Red and brown ones explode, green ones can be used as a gas grenade, and blue ones give you life. I found all of these to be extremely helpful in a tight pinch. To top things off you can kill enemies for souls to acquire more minions. Gold found in chests can be spent in your castle’s smelting room where you can upgrade your weapons, armor, and minions. This is a must for harder enemies and bosses later on in the game.
The environments are very pretty at times and some of the areas will definitely pique your interest. My favorite moment in the game was when I was in the woods chasing down Little Red. The area in which this takes place felt both charming and unique, its ambiance amplified by a menacing looking moonlight that gave the leaves on trees a creepy look. The dialog the developers chose is clever, yet evil and the voice actors give it all their evil might to help set the mood.
So, there is lots of fun to be had in Dark Legend thanks to the clever use of minions and the good amount of spells and plenty of relics to find. You will be sucked in for a good 6 to 8 hours. I just wish the minions were a bit smarter and the collision detection didn’t suck. The backtracking can really get you down too. I highly recommend Dark Legend only to Overlord fans or Wii gamers who want to wipe the dust off that Wii. The Wii shovelware stops here my Lord and so begins the tale.