We need more games where you can kick enemies off cliffs
Think like a skyrim but without the open world and with a direct objective and linear storyline (altho in the end you can make a choice to get a good or bad ending). I absolutely loved to play this game. The combat and the mechanics of this game are much better comparing to skyrim.
you can kick the orc
The kick in this game is unironically superior to 99% of action game mechanics to this day.
I've also been told there is a story somewhere in this game.
I've also been told there is a story somewhere in this game.
The first 1/3rd of the game before you enter the dungeon area is pretty fun. After you enter that place, its all downhill. This one is a maybe pick up later but probably not
Pros:
Fun early combat that completely breaks when against not humanoid enemies and slowly later on in the game
Goofy kicking and barrel throwing that works super well early on
the 2 goofy love interests, complete with evil or good choice, Arkane couldn't write a good story even back then
Cons:
The pit of pain that the dungeon is, the main area of the game, endless spiders and undead and poison status effect
the combat slowly becomes less fun as you get stronger
Constant crashing by default on windows 10 if you don't install a 4gb patch of some kind. The game was not built with 1080p in mind and as such only supports 1.5-2gb of ram max by default depending on your definition of ram. If it hits using more than that, say during a loading area or a lot of enemies, it crashes immediately. Install a generic 4gb max ram for 32 bit applications patch, ntcore, to generally fix this. Might still crash but way less.
4/10 overall, 8/10 just the first 1/3rd to the dungeon area. Really just play that.
Pros:
Fun early combat that completely breaks when against not humanoid enemies and slowly later on in the game
Goofy kicking and barrel throwing that works super well early on
the 2 goofy love interests, complete with evil or good choice, Arkane couldn't write a good story even back then
Cons:
The pit of pain that the dungeon is, the main area of the game, endless spiders and undead and poison status effect
the combat slowly becomes less fun as you get stronger
Constant crashing by default on windows 10 if you don't install a 4gb patch of some kind. The game was not built with 1080p in mind and as such only supports 1.5-2gb of ram max by default depending on your definition of ram. If it hits using more than that, say during a loading area or a lot of enemies, it crashes immediately. Install a generic 4gb max ram for 32 bit applications patch, ntcore, to generally fix this. Might still crash but way less.
4/10 overall, 8/10 just the first 1/3rd to the dungeon area. Really just play that.
It is a generic fantasy setting and story, though the story does have a slightly unique twist, the real joy is the gameplay in this one. The kick memes are all true, it's the best weapon in the game. Add in enjoyable combat and fun magic and you just have a game that's fun to play.
Please note I rate games on a scale where one star means it was enjoyable with issues. Bad games don’t even get stars.
what an innovative and fun game! Sneak, slash, and freeze your way through a world of fantastic OSHA violations as you explore a paint by numbers (but fun!) fantasy story.
This is a wonderful immersive sim, and anyone who played thief, dishonored, etc should play this.
However, it has a few minor but grating issues that will rub you raw by the end. You will die to stupid rope jumps. You will experience failing to climb a low edge because you didn’t look up enough. It’s minor but it’s frequent, and on top of it the game crashes often even with a 64 bit patch.
Finally, my main criticism of dark messiah is that the final stretch of the game has sections where stealth is impossible despite being almost entirely specced into stealth. It was still fun being an assassin but I’d prefer not to be forced into combat for a prolonged period like that.
Seriously, play it though. Best first person combat I’ve ever experienced, and definitely will play through it again.
what an innovative and fun game! Sneak, slash, and freeze your way through a world of fantastic OSHA violations as you explore a paint by numbers (but fun!) fantasy story.
This is a wonderful immersive sim, and anyone who played thief, dishonored, etc should play this.
However, it has a few minor but grating issues that will rub you raw by the end. You will die to stupid rope jumps. You will experience failing to climb a low edge because you didn’t look up enough. It’s minor but it’s frequent, and on top of it the game crashes often even with a 64 bit patch.
Finally, my main criticism of dark messiah is that the final stretch of the game has sections where stealth is impossible despite being almost entirely specced into stealth. It was still fun being an assassin but I’d prefer not to be forced into combat for a prolonged period like that.
Seriously, play it though. Best first person combat I’ve ever experienced, and definitely will play through it again.
simulador de bicuda em orc feito pelo estúdio de dishonored. a história é meio lixo, o horny desse jogo é estúpido até pra mim que sou uma coomer e eu não me importo com a lore de might and magic mas ainda assim. jogue esse jogo
Outstanding and fun gameplay as well as containing very funny moments when launching enemies off the cliffs with a simple kick.
Unfortunately, the incredibly generic and boring story elements make it a hard case for it being great.
Since it brings out interesting gameplay but boring story and environments I can't really enjoy it as much as I wish I did.
Unfortunately, the incredibly generic and boring story elements make it a hard case for it being great.
Since it brings out interesting gameplay but boring story and environments I can't really enjoy it as much as I wish I did.
the best arkane game, too bad modern pcs hate it
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is a very unique B-tier style game I wish we got more of. It is a linear, level-based action RPG in contrast to most other fantasy games that are massive and sprawling. Although really, it is a fantasy Jackie Chan simulator: run around an environment kicking guys into things, throw physics objects at them, or use magic.
The combat is mostly great, although the hit-boxes feel a bit weird. I would often do a horizontal slash with the sword that would miss the enemy because they weren't in the crosshair, even though the sword swung through them.
Story-wise it's pretty good for a small linear game like this, with some good and evil choices you can make to determine the ending (as was the style in the mid 2000s). It justifies going from level to level without becoming annoying. Sareth and Xana have some fun dialogue back-and-forth occasionally, which helps to give the game some life since most NPCs will just be outright hostile.
Other than constant crashing, the biggest problem I have is in environment. Most of the game takes place in caves, sewers, dungeons, underground lairs, etc. The latter half of the game especially blurs together because all these areas are so dark, so you spend most of the time in the blue night-vision mode. I wish there was a torch or lantern or spell for light instead to not take away from the art and lighting of the levels.
Arkane, why isn't the kick in every game?
The combat is mostly great, although the hit-boxes feel a bit weird. I would often do a horizontal slash with the sword that would miss the enemy because they weren't in the crosshair, even though the sword swung through them.
Story-wise it's pretty good for a small linear game like this, with some good and evil choices you can make to determine the ending (as was the style in the mid 2000s). It justifies going from level to level without becoming annoying. Sareth and Xana have some fun dialogue back-and-forth occasionally, which helps to give the game some life since most NPCs will just be outright hostile.
Other than constant crashing, the biggest problem I have is in environment. Most of the game takes place in caves, sewers, dungeons, underground lairs, etc. The latter half of the game especially blurs together because all these areas are so dark, so you spend most of the time in the blue night-vision mode. I wish there was a torch or lantern or spell for light instead to not take away from the art and lighting of the levels.
Arkane, why isn't the kick in every game?
The Might and Magic fantasy universe is a well-established series dating back to 1986. We've all seen many of their games on different platforms, even if we haven't all played them, but most of them have been straightforward turn-based strategy or role-playing games. However, Ubisoft and Arkane Studios' 2006 Dark Messiah of Might and Magic does not fall into any of these categories.
Like Arkane Studios' previous game from that year, Arx Fatalis, it is a first-person game. However, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic turned out to be very linear in terms of role-playing, and is instead an action-based game that focuses more on sword swinging and magic fireball throwing.
The main character is Sareth, a young half-demon raised by Phenrig, a stern mentor and devoted to his teachings. Our protagonist knows very little about his past, yet he has absorbed the lessons of martial arts mastery and has become proficient in both weapons and magic.
About 40 different weapons can be found in the game and you can learn several dozen different combat spells. This diversity allows you to destroy enemies as you please, whether in melee with a sword or dagger, or at range with a bow or spell. The game world consists of 12 large maps.
In Ashan, the forces of evil are stronger than anywhere else in the realm, and evil is rampant in the land, surrounded by fearless orcs, cruel goblins, treacherous trolls, undead, gigantic dragon-like beasts and many other monsters of great malice. Often, the only way to survive is to hide in the shadows and sneak past enemies.
In Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, by gaining experience, the player can unlock new items, specializations and abilities that can then be used effectively in battle. These are combos, spells or different deadly critical hits. The multiplayer part allows you to play together with up to 32 people.
The online part of the game has a variety of game modes, starting with simple deathmatches and allowing you to develop your character during extensive scenarios. The graphics are created by an improved version of the Source Engine, previously used by Valve Studios in Half-Life 2. Additional improvements to the engine include character control, environmental physics and character models. The game's storyline, including side content, is approximately 10-13 hours long.
Like Arkane Studios' previous game from that year, Arx Fatalis, it is a first-person game. However, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic turned out to be very linear in terms of role-playing, and is instead an action-based game that focuses more on sword swinging and magic fireball throwing.
The main character is Sareth, a young half-demon raised by Phenrig, a stern mentor and devoted to his teachings. Our protagonist knows very little about his past, yet he has absorbed the lessons of martial arts mastery and has become proficient in both weapons and magic.
About 40 different weapons can be found in the game and you can learn several dozen different combat spells. This diversity allows you to destroy enemies as you please, whether in melee with a sword or dagger, or at range with a bow or spell. The game world consists of 12 large maps.
In Ashan, the forces of evil are stronger than anywhere else in the realm, and evil is rampant in the land, surrounded by fearless orcs, cruel goblins, treacherous trolls, undead, gigantic dragon-like beasts and many other monsters of great malice. Often, the only way to survive is to hide in the shadows and sneak past enemies.
In Dark Messiah of Might & Magic, by gaining experience, the player can unlock new items, specializations and abilities that can then be used effectively in battle. These are combos, spells or different deadly critical hits. The multiplayer part allows you to play together with up to 32 people.
The online part of the game has a variety of game modes, starting with simple deathmatches and allowing you to develop your character during extensive scenarios. The graphics are created by an improved version of the Source Engine, previously used by Valve Studios in Half-Life 2. Additional improvements to the engine include character control, environmental physics and character models. The game's storyline, including side content, is approximately 10-13 hours long.
Call me an empty flesh vessel, but I didn't really find much to like in this game. Yes, you can kick people off ledges. Yes, there's funny physics. But it all feels cheap and not at all in service to a story that feels cobbled together from medieval fantasy tropes.
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is vulgar auteurism in game form. The hallmarks of Arkane's oeuvre are all here, but with none of the polish or restraint you're used to. Violence and sex and the plots of the pulpiest fantasy books you've ever read swirl like ether in its sorcerous hands. It's what Thief would be if the developers were influenced by Half-Life 2 instead of Ultima Underworld. Dark Messiah is clearly an immersive sim, but tune your expectations of what that means: instead of intricate stealth sandboxes, it throws you into a linear, setpiece-heavy physics playpen where your greatest joy will be finding increasingly grotesque ways of murdering orcs. It's hard to believe that the dedicated kick button didn't permanently alter the course of FPS design the way Halo's regenerating health did.
It's also insanely horny, like it was written by the guy from your first high school D&D game who was always trying to seduce the NPCs. It's janky, it's too dark to see half the time, and it would crash at least once every hour, even after I found a fix to stop the most game-breaking crashes. When it works, though, it's also a brisk, bloody, brilliant time.
It's also insanely horny, like it was written by the guy from your first high school D&D game who was always trying to seduce the NPCs. It's janky, it's too dark to see half the time, and it would crash at least once every hour, even after I found a fix to stop the most game-breaking crashes. When it works, though, it's also a brisk, bloody, brilliant time.
A fantasy game with a focus on environmental combat and fun. It might feel or seem janky at times but it's guaranteed fun, just don't try the stealth/ranged approach.
flawed but I love it
the story of this game is absolutely stupid, it's kinda buggy and just fairly ugly at points but the combat is fuckin nuts its great
This is like a prototype Dishonored with movement that feels like Thief. Combat was dope, not my favorite but dope. The rope bow is actual genius shit.
Man this game starts so strong with a really fun physics based combat system but by the end the dominant strategy was always to just spam left click for the holy sword.
Before I start here Dark Messiah suffered bad reviews because of all the terrible bugs that launched with the game. now that 2 1/2 years have passed Dark Messiah’s bugs have been pretty much been ironed out and you now have a pretty fun action RPG. Before I start explaining the game DM uses the Half-Life 2 engine so you can expect some wonderful graphics and effects. DM uses the HL2 engine very well, but the engine is a bit supped up so you’ll need a fairly beefy rig to run this game. If your computer was being pushed with HL2 then your computer will have a hard time running this game. I also have to mention that DM felt a lot like Oblivion Lite in the sense that it is set in Medieval times, melee combat is the first person, and the art style is a little like Oblivion (not as unique of course).
You play as a young protagonist named Sareth and you must stop the evil Arantir from using the Skull Crystal and bringing the Dark Messiah back to life. You have a choice to either stop him yourself or let the Dark Messiah live on. The story is actually fairly interesting and will keep you on the edge throughout this 15-20 hour adventure. Now DM is a linear RPG (it’s not free roaming like Oblivion) but makes up for it with an intricate combat system. You have about 30-40 different item slots and you can carry things from health, mana, weapons, magic etc. As you progress through the game you will earn skill points for completing objectives and you can upgrade a variety of things from endurance, health, stealth, archery skill, learn new skills such as heal, fire arrow, freeze, sanctuary etc. There’s a lot to learn and you won’t upgrade 100% in a play through. You can either concentrate on being a Knight, Mage, or Archer or just go down the middle.
There are a variety of unique weapons you can pick up throughout the adventure such as the awesome rope bow (shoot an arrow at any wood overhanging and a rope will come down), ice staffs, flame swords, poison daggers, and even a cool electricity shield that stuns enemies when they attack you. Now there are no shops where you can buy things so everything has to be picked up throughout the world. This keeps the action constantly going, but will disappoint people who are used to having stores in their RPGs.
Combat consists of left clicking for your basic attack, but if you hold it down you do a Power Strike and whether or not you strafe, move forward, or backward will determine whether it’s a sideswipe, impale, or overhead strike. This can let you easily dodge an attack and quickly strike back. You can use the right mouse button to block (and when you get the ability) left clicking to knock enemies back. Hit enough bad guys and you’ll get your adrenaline bar up and this results in a gory slow-mo instant kill. This applies to all weapons and each of them has their own unique advantages to them. You have a kick button and this is great when you are on a ledge so you can just kick them off. Every so often you’ll find spike beds on walls you can impale enemies on, also you’ll find traps that can be kicked down to crush enemies.
While the combat is really fun and you can do a lot with it; it will get repetitive after about halfway through unless you use different weapons and toss things up. Every so often you’ll find a blacksmith room where you can add bars of metal and forge your own weapons. Now when it comes to enemies there aren’t too many of them (knights, undead, spiders, necromancers, evil demons) and that’s about it. They are mixed up a lot, but you still can get bored of them after awhile.
Every so often, though, you will get a great boss fight and these are huge creatures that require key items in the environment to kill them. These are pretty awesome and are very satisfying to take down. My biggest complaint must be the level design. A lot of times you won’t find most of the hidden secret areas since they aren’t even in places you’d remotely think they’d be in. There will be times you’ll wander around for over 30 minutes in the same place wondering where to go and this has to do with poor level design. The levels are very linear, most of the time dark, and really hard to navigate. Other than this Dark Messiah is a pretty good game, and you can even get it off Steam for $10! I highly recommend Dark Messiah to any action RPG fan.
You play as a young protagonist named Sareth and you must stop the evil Arantir from using the Skull Crystal and bringing the Dark Messiah back to life. You have a choice to either stop him yourself or let the Dark Messiah live on. The story is actually fairly interesting and will keep you on the edge throughout this 15-20 hour adventure. Now DM is a linear RPG (it’s not free roaming like Oblivion) but makes up for it with an intricate combat system. You have about 30-40 different item slots and you can carry things from health, mana, weapons, magic etc. As you progress through the game you will earn skill points for completing objectives and you can upgrade a variety of things from endurance, health, stealth, archery skill, learn new skills such as heal, fire arrow, freeze, sanctuary etc. There’s a lot to learn and you won’t upgrade 100% in a play through. You can either concentrate on being a Knight, Mage, or Archer or just go down the middle.
There are a variety of unique weapons you can pick up throughout the adventure such as the awesome rope bow (shoot an arrow at any wood overhanging and a rope will come down), ice staffs, flame swords, poison daggers, and even a cool electricity shield that stuns enemies when they attack you. Now there are no shops where you can buy things so everything has to be picked up throughout the world. This keeps the action constantly going, but will disappoint people who are used to having stores in their RPGs.
Combat consists of left clicking for your basic attack, but if you hold it down you do a Power Strike and whether or not you strafe, move forward, or backward will determine whether it’s a sideswipe, impale, or overhead strike. This can let you easily dodge an attack and quickly strike back. You can use the right mouse button to block (and when you get the ability) left clicking to knock enemies back. Hit enough bad guys and you’ll get your adrenaline bar up and this results in a gory slow-mo instant kill. This applies to all weapons and each of them has their own unique advantages to them. You have a kick button and this is great when you are on a ledge so you can just kick them off. Every so often you’ll find spike beds on walls you can impale enemies on, also you’ll find traps that can be kicked down to crush enemies.
While the combat is really fun and you can do a lot with it; it will get repetitive after about halfway through unless you use different weapons and toss things up. Every so often you’ll find a blacksmith room where you can add bars of metal and forge your own weapons. Now when it comes to enemies there aren’t too many of them (knights, undead, spiders, necromancers, evil demons) and that’s about it. They are mixed up a lot, but you still can get bored of them after awhile.
Every so often, though, you will get a great boss fight and these are huge creatures that require key items in the environment to kill them. These are pretty awesome and are very satisfying to take down. My biggest complaint must be the level design. A lot of times you won’t find most of the hidden secret areas since they aren’t even in places you’d remotely think they’d be in. There will be times you’ll wander around for over 30 minutes in the same place wondering where to go and this has to do with poor level design. The levels are very linear, most of the time dark, and really hard to navigate. Other than this Dark Messiah is a pretty good game, and you can even get it off Steam for $10! I highly recommend Dark Messiah to any action RPG fan.
this game fucks but the game design is stupid as fuck and it also has platforming sections and the combat is terrible but its funny and i like the magic
Best combat system in any game
Might of been good if I didn't have to deal with crashes before even finishing the tutorial lol
This review contains spoilers
Killed my dad so I could have a succubus wife all to myself
A strong start for Arkane, you can see all the things to come from their philosophies on game design and focus on player freedom. I played this numerous times back on Xbox 360, it was the first time I played a game that really felt like it was letting me make my own fun. I played through as a sorcerer, as a stealth archer, a knight, etc. Every configuration you could think of and I had so much fun.
Revisiting it now it does feel somewhat like a relic. The combat isn't very engaging and there's a lot of jank that feels almost endearing. It does seem like a prime candidate for the remaster/remake treatment. Even better it would be cool if Arkane revisited this world and made a sequel building off of the mechanics. They really improved on the formula with Dishonored and Prey, and I think it would be neat to revisit a fantasy setting again with what they've learned in the nearly 2 decades since.
Revisiting it now it does feel somewhat like a relic. The combat isn't very engaging and there's a lot of jank that feels almost endearing. It does seem like a prime candidate for the remaster/remake treatment. Even better it would be cool if Arkane revisited this world and made a sequel building off of the mechanics. They really improved on the formula with Dishonored and Prey, and I think it would be neat to revisit a fantasy setting again with what they've learned in the nearly 2 decades since.
One of the most fun first-person melee combat systems in video games marred by extremely unfortunate technical foibles, a couple bad levels, and a terrible final boss. God damn is creating an ice patch on the side of a cliff and watching goobers slip n slide to their doom cathartic though.
This game crashed probably 15 times, and that was after doing a hex editor fix which at least stopped it from crashing every 5 minutes.
This game crashed probably 15 times, and that was after doing a hex editor fix which at least stopped it from crashing every 5 minutes.
Playing this game in 2023 reminds me of why I started to love gaming in the first place. I don't care about numbers going up as much as figuring out what kind of goofy antics I can get into with my magic. It's a little janky, sure, but this is head and shoulders above most games in fun factor.
This review contains spoilers
Very hard but amazing game with a lot of realism.
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is a unique experience. It shares story and characters from the Heroes of Might and Magic series but is a completely standalone game with a surprisingly good story, solid mechanics and an unforgiving difficulty.
In Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, you are an apprentice called Sarteh, trained by a master magician named Phenrig, trained in the arts of combat and magic. You complete your training and need to go to an expedition to the city of Stonehelm. Your master plants a spirit inside your head named Xana, who guides you on your travels.
You need to search for the Skull of Shadows, an artifact that your master Phenrig and his buddy Menelag, lord of Stonhelm want you find. That night, the city is attacked by Necromancers and a cyclops and after defeating them, your search for the skull continues. The Crystal that you found is then stolen by a Ghoul in the night. You follow it and find out that a necromancer called Arantir is behind the attack. He eventually finds the Skull of Shadow and one can only imagine what he is planning to do with it. You eventually meet Leanna, a chick that helps you on your journey.
You learn that Xana is actually a demon that possesses you and besides finding and destroying Arantir, you need to banish her from your system, what you eventually do. Then you take the fight to Arantir, getting hindered by Orcs, Goblins and a Pao Kai in the process. You dispose of the Orc war chief and start your battle with Arantir. After defeating him, you decide the final fate of the Skull of Shadows, spawning one of the four different endings the game offers.
You can earn skill points in combat to improve your skill tree. There is no bound class for you to master so you are free to spend your points however you want. However, you need to think about the feats and skills you want to master because “a little bit of everything” is not going to work out for this game. I really loved the RPG elements in this game. You collect potions, scrolls, food, weapons and items on your travels to improve and heal your character. Some items are hidden well but are worth it to find to give you the advantage that you desperately need at times. The items are well balanced too in terms of availability and are overall well designed.
For the time, I thought (and still think) that Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is one of the best-looking games out there. I was stunned by its realistic graphics, its animations, the view bobbing of the main characters, the fact that you could see your own feet and limbs and the incredible detail of the environments. Even today, this game looks like it is just four years old or something, but it is actually almost thirteen years. The enemies look horrifying and very detailed, and the overall tint is colorful but very grim at the same time. A unique combination.
The music has that typical Heroes of Might and Magic vibe and never fails to impress when in combat, running away from hordes of zombies or when fighting epic bosses. The sound effects are solid, and this is one of the games in my personal top ten when it comes to sound. The kling sound of the swords, the impact of your kicks, the footsteps, the magic attacks, the sounds and speech of enemies, it is all just perfect.
The controls work fine but because of the realism this game offers in movement and platforming, it can be a little stiff and clunky sometimes. Jumps need to be perfect, and your range is limited. It takes some time to master but when you do, it could just as well be a VR game.
The combat mechanics and style of fighting in Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is also really unique and still one of the most realistic feeling out there. You can block, dodge, kick and really need to get control of the situation. Mainly because of the outstanding AI that enemies use, in which they can outsmart you easily, drive you into a corner or simply land a hit on you before you got time to figure out what they are going to do. You can also interact with the environment, kicking enemies in spikes for example or smashing them off ledges. It feels so epic and satisfying when you nail an Orc to the spike wall behind him and overall, I think it is perfection. The enemies are almost human players in their actions and behavior and to this day, I believe it is one of the best and most realistic combat experiences I have ever played.
The realism in combat, movement and platforming makes this game also really, really hard. The whole game has a vibe of danger, helplessness and caution over it. You cannot rush towards your goal and hope for the best, every step can be a trap, an enemy lurking around the corner or a jump that you need to plan carefully. I also thought this game had a very grim atmosphere. Your character Sareth is really cautious and overall, not that positive about the events around him and because this is one of the few games that let you bond automatically with the fate of the main character, you can feel his questions and cautious behavior too. It is a little hard to explain.
In conclusion, I thought Dark Messiah of Might and Magic was an amazing game that came out of the blue and it still a unique specimen in the Might and Magic series and games in general. It is hard as the seventh layer of hell but well worth it in the end.
Definitely recommend this awesome game.
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is a unique experience. It shares story and characters from the Heroes of Might and Magic series but is a completely standalone game with a surprisingly good story, solid mechanics and an unforgiving difficulty.
In Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, you are an apprentice called Sarteh, trained by a master magician named Phenrig, trained in the arts of combat and magic. You complete your training and need to go to an expedition to the city of Stonehelm. Your master plants a spirit inside your head named Xana, who guides you on your travels.
You need to search for the Skull of Shadows, an artifact that your master Phenrig and his buddy Menelag, lord of Stonhelm want you find. That night, the city is attacked by Necromancers and a cyclops and after defeating them, your search for the skull continues. The Crystal that you found is then stolen by a Ghoul in the night. You follow it and find out that a necromancer called Arantir is behind the attack. He eventually finds the Skull of Shadow and one can only imagine what he is planning to do with it. You eventually meet Leanna, a chick that helps you on your journey.
You learn that Xana is actually a demon that possesses you and besides finding and destroying Arantir, you need to banish her from your system, what you eventually do. Then you take the fight to Arantir, getting hindered by Orcs, Goblins and a Pao Kai in the process. You dispose of the Orc war chief and start your battle with Arantir. After defeating him, you decide the final fate of the Skull of Shadows, spawning one of the four different endings the game offers.
You can earn skill points in combat to improve your skill tree. There is no bound class for you to master so you are free to spend your points however you want. However, you need to think about the feats and skills you want to master because “a little bit of everything” is not going to work out for this game. I really loved the RPG elements in this game. You collect potions, scrolls, food, weapons and items on your travels to improve and heal your character. Some items are hidden well but are worth it to find to give you the advantage that you desperately need at times. The items are well balanced too in terms of availability and are overall well designed.
For the time, I thought (and still think) that Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is one of the best-looking games out there. I was stunned by its realistic graphics, its animations, the view bobbing of the main characters, the fact that you could see your own feet and limbs and the incredible detail of the environments. Even today, this game looks like it is just four years old or something, but it is actually almost thirteen years. The enemies look horrifying and very detailed, and the overall tint is colorful but very grim at the same time. A unique combination.
The music has that typical Heroes of Might and Magic vibe and never fails to impress when in combat, running away from hordes of zombies or when fighting epic bosses. The sound effects are solid, and this is one of the games in my personal top ten when it comes to sound. The kling sound of the swords, the impact of your kicks, the footsteps, the magic attacks, the sounds and speech of enemies, it is all just perfect.
The controls work fine but because of the realism this game offers in movement and platforming, it can be a little stiff and clunky sometimes. Jumps need to be perfect, and your range is limited. It takes some time to master but when you do, it could just as well be a VR game.
The combat mechanics and style of fighting in Dark Messiah of Might and Magic is also really unique and still one of the most realistic feeling out there. You can block, dodge, kick and really need to get control of the situation. Mainly because of the outstanding AI that enemies use, in which they can outsmart you easily, drive you into a corner or simply land a hit on you before you got time to figure out what they are going to do. You can also interact with the environment, kicking enemies in spikes for example or smashing them off ledges. It feels so epic and satisfying when you nail an Orc to the spike wall behind him and overall, I think it is perfection. The enemies are almost human players in their actions and behavior and to this day, I believe it is one of the best and most realistic combat experiences I have ever played.
The realism in combat, movement and platforming makes this game also really, really hard. The whole game has a vibe of danger, helplessness and caution over it. You cannot rush towards your goal and hope for the best, every step can be a trap, an enemy lurking around the corner or a jump that you need to plan carefully. I also thought this game had a very grim atmosphere. Your character Sareth is really cautious and overall, not that positive about the events around him and because this is one of the few games that let you bond automatically with the fate of the main character, you can feel his questions and cautious behavior too. It is a little hard to explain.
In conclusion, I thought Dark Messiah of Might and Magic was an amazing game that came out of the blue and it still a unique specimen in the Might and Magic series and games in general. It is hard as the seventh layer of hell but well worth it in the end.
Definitely recommend this awesome game.
source egnine
I originally heard about Dark Messiah through a personal recommendation from a buddy of mine, when we were talking about cool wizard games, with complex casting systems that make you really feel like you're mastering a school of magic. The only other games I can think of with magic systems that are actually interesting and have any modicum of depth to them would be Noita and Magicka, and loathe as I am to admit it, that club isn't getting any new members after my playthrough of this game. However, that's not to say the game doesn't have any tricks up it's sleeve.
A joke I heard once about the game that I keep unashamedly regurgitating, mainly due to how it perfectly encapsulates the gameplay loop, is that you DON'T play Dark Messiah like you're trying to larp as Gandalf, blasting giant spiders with fireballs and making orcs feel the wrath of God with a lightning bolt or two. Instead, you play it like you're Macaulay Culkin, using your admittedly limited arsenal of spells, combined with your quick wit and the sacred jank of the source engine, to lure unsuspecting necromancers into physics-based death traps. Crushing them under crates suspended above a flimsy wooden ceiling, freezing the floor by a big drop and watching them slide to their death, spartan kicking a goblin into a spike trap, or even just slamming a chair over their head to throw them to the floor, lining them up for an easy finisher.
As fun as it can be to kill fantasy monsters with unorthodox, slapstick methods, though, the game unfortunately doesn't have a lot going for it besides all that. The combat, especially outside of the magic system, is extremely bare-bones and you'll get tired of trying to win fights fairly really quick. There's also not much to speak of in terms of presentation or plot, other than the typical rpg schlock of "hurr le ancient prophesy durr your dad is the devil lmao durr" and all the funny looks you'll be getting from people that comes with that territory. At least you get a hot demon lady living in your head for the trouble, but I wish she'd stop coming on so strong. I know you want me, Xana, but now is not the time. Everything else, the characters, voice acting, world, music, monster designs, it's all servicable-for-rpg-standards at best and downright comical at worst. Though, I suppose that does compliment the already comical nature of the game.
All in all, however, in spite of it's flaws as a holistic gameplay experience and having quite possibly the least mechanical depth out of any Arkane game pre-Deathloop (most likely due to interference from Ubisoft), the beauty of sourcejank combined with the cartoonish nature of the combat encounters make for a unique gameplay experience I have yet to see repeated or improved upon, especially within the boundaries of a toolset provided to you by a fantasy world. Dark Messiah isn't going to blow you away, but you're sure as hell gonna blow those orcs away. Right off a cliff.
A joke I heard once about the game that I keep unashamedly regurgitating, mainly due to how it perfectly encapsulates the gameplay loop, is that you DON'T play Dark Messiah like you're trying to larp as Gandalf, blasting giant spiders with fireballs and making orcs feel the wrath of God with a lightning bolt or two. Instead, you play it like you're Macaulay Culkin, using your admittedly limited arsenal of spells, combined with your quick wit and the sacred jank of the source engine, to lure unsuspecting necromancers into physics-based death traps. Crushing them under crates suspended above a flimsy wooden ceiling, freezing the floor by a big drop and watching them slide to their death, spartan kicking a goblin into a spike trap, or even just slamming a chair over their head to throw them to the floor, lining them up for an easy finisher.
As fun as it can be to kill fantasy monsters with unorthodox, slapstick methods, though, the game unfortunately doesn't have a lot going for it besides all that. The combat, especially outside of the magic system, is extremely bare-bones and you'll get tired of trying to win fights fairly really quick. There's also not much to speak of in terms of presentation or plot, other than the typical rpg schlock of "hurr le ancient prophesy durr your dad is the devil lmao durr" and all the funny looks you'll be getting from people that comes with that territory. At least you get a hot demon lady living in your head for the trouble, but I wish she'd stop coming on so strong. I know you want me, Xana, but now is not the time. Everything else, the characters, voice acting, world, music, monster designs, it's all servicable-for-rpg-standards at best and downright comical at worst. Though, I suppose that does compliment the already comical nature of the game.
All in all, however, in spite of it's flaws as a holistic gameplay experience and having quite possibly the least mechanical depth out of any Arkane game pre-Deathloop (most likely due to interference from Ubisoft), the beauty of sourcejank combined with the cartoonish nature of the combat encounters make for a unique gameplay experience I have yet to see repeated or improved upon, especially within the boundaries of a toolset provided to you by a fantasy world. Dark Messiah isn't going to blow you away, but you're sure as hell gonna blow those orcs away. Right off a cliff.