With its highly varied gameplay, mesmerizing atmosphere, gorgeous soundtrack and overall polish, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a hypnotizing game so absorbing that it made the world around me dissolve away.
Huge breakthrough compared to the previous part in all aspects of the game. Everything in the game is honed to the max, you can only pick on it. Great DLC too. After the training missions, it was immediately clear that this is a masterpiece.
Great Game!
I'm still playing it ten years after its release by email with some guys at Age of Wonders Heaven Forum.
Very fun to play with friends or even the against AI can be amusing, although unofficial mods are needed to make them smarter/stronger, if you know the game well.
Despite the recycled graphics engine and undulating difficulty, Shadow Magic offers outstanding gameplay with unlimited playability in a variety of gameplay modes.
There's lots of new stuff to play with, many new units, many new spells, plenty of campaign scenarios, single scenarios, and a random map generator that actually works like it's supposed to.
This quasi-expansion pack/sequel doesn’t really light any fires, but it does play well. Unfortunately, it lacks that compelling reason to continue playing.
Like an unexpectedly good BLT. It’s based a little too heavily on "Heroes of Might and Magic," making you long for the days of the "Armageddon Blade," but with some nice crisp bacon and cool fresh lettuce, it still makes for a satisfying sandwich.
With more variety and strategic depth than any of the previous AOW titles, there are plenty of reasons for fans and beginners alike to immerse themselves in Shadow Magic's world of adventure. [Oct 2003, p.119]
This game and the original Age of Wonders are still my favorite fantasy strategy games even though it has been almost 10 years since Shadow Magic came out. The variety of races, units, and spells gives the game near infinite replay value. This game has just the right blend of combat, exploration, research, and RPG elements. City management and diplomacy are quite simple but I prefer it that way. There are also many user created mods and scenarios that enhance the game.
This is the best turn based game I've ever played!!! I really love these type of games, but this franchise is soooo superior compared to HOMM!! I really hope that one day that a new one will arise!
I bought this game at launch and 8yrs later it is still played by the whole family for at least a couple of months each year. We keep going back to it and have a great time when we do. It's well balanced in the main with only a couple of exceptions and these can be countered with a thoughtfully built stack of units.
The AI is competent, on the medium settings it can be quite challenging in the early to mid game and on the harder settings it can crush you if you allow war on more than one front. There is a great variety of playable racesunits and magic specialisation, this combined with the wealth of community made maps and the excellent map generator offer infinite re playability.
This is without doubt the best successor to Master of Magic and a "must have" for any strategy gamer from the more casual through to total grognards.
Anyone who likes strategy games will love this game. There is also a interesting story involving strang and terrorfying shadow-creatures from a evil realm. the gameplay is great and I love turn-based strategt games like this and if you like the sound of this you should get it
Don't expect a review of the multiplayer options, the editor or the mods. I don't have time for these. I'm happy enough when I find time for playing solo. Anyway, I did notice that the game offers plenty of these options, which is a good thing if they work (you'll check that in other reviews.)
This addition to the genre has many more features than its competitors of the day. Too many if you ask me, as it becomes perhaps overcomplicated, but what is of little interest to me is a turn on for others. In fact, in general, I like the features. It's the interface to use them that I find improperly adapted, tabs cluttered with hard to read texts and numbers, a microscopic, useless minimap, unintuitive series of clicks, and so on. Another issue of mine is that the game is very battle oriented, to the detriment of exploration.
But let's face it: the real problem is that the graphics, as pretty as they might be, are an unclear mess when it comes to actual play. Half the time I can't see enemy units, often not even mine. I can't see bonus trees and magic bushes. I'm never sure on which hexagon I'm standing. Possibly the most annoying is that I never know if I'm going to click on my wizard or on the city. In fact I never know who is defending a city, as there is no clean garrisoning system and cities are where I lose sight of my units the most. The button for cycling is not that great a solution. I know, it doesn't help that I play in short sessions separated by weeks.
As for the music, I turn off the annoyance, like in 90% of games. I don't lower the rating for this (I give a point when a music compels me to keep it on.) I mention it because, with the music off, I notice that the sound effects are mediocre at best. As mediocre as the animations.
Still a decent title for strategy buffs, but I believe it requires a strong investment and long sessions.
SummaryAge of Wonders: Shadow Magic takes the acclaimed fantasy strategy series to new heights. This new stand-alone game enhances the series' praised fusion of empire building, role-playing and tactical combat with the eerie Shadow World and battle with races never before seen, across new and diverse landscapes. Combined with the option of cre...