Overlord

Its fresh take on the fantasy genre, excellent minion mechanics and morbid humor make for a gaming experience you won't soon forget.

Overall, Overlord is an exciting romp through a twisted fairy-tale land. While it lacks any incredibly difficult challenges, it delivers a laugh-a-minute story that is very well executed.

I’d highly recommend this game; it’s funny and addictive, with beautiful graphics and the novel mechanic of controlling a minion horde. However, if you’re looking for a high level of challenge, you may be disappointed.

This is what a good game is supposed to be like. Visually stunning but not overpowering to take away from the game play. A humorous and interesting story, but the real heroes are the minions themselves.

Overlord is already shaping up as the sleeper-hit of 2007 – underpromoted by its publisher, barely hyped by consumers and critics, yet it delivers a unique and enjoyable experience on the Xbox 360.

A genuine attempt to deliver something fresh and different. Controlling an army of minions was both fun and rewarding. The evil humor and richly detailed world keep me fastened to my chair for hours at a time totally immersed within the game.

A simple concept that is so well executed that you can’t put it down.

The tongue-in-cheek humour and lush graphics make Overlord the sort of cult title games should be overjoyed to discover. [Aug 2007, p.69]

Overlord won’t keep you coming back and again for more, but it’s a satisfying, amusing experience that’s fairly unusual in today’s games industry, even if it isn’t quite the bad boy it wants to be.

Any time you let minions do my dirty work you'll win me over, so the great genre-combining gameplay is just icing on the cake.

Superbly fun single player with a largely forgettable multiplayer tagged on.

Overlord is charming, satisfying and pure evil all at the same time. In a good way, of course. [July 2007, p.87]

More than the script (generally witty and sharp, if occasionally undercut by an iffy voice-actor) or the graphic design (a brother to Fable's faux-fantasy charm), the constant capering of your charges is what gives the game its personality. That is, they have a lot of personality and so does the game.

It's not perfect, can sometimes be a little too fiddly and has moments of frustration. But given the minions, the depth and breadth of the challenge, the ideas and the seer strength of the entertainment it provides, there really is little you wouldn't forgive it. [Issue #24, p.72]

Maybe the boneheaded A.I. is intentional; maybe they're supposed to be feral lemmings, and the game's forcing you to slow down for tactics -- but I ain't buying it. With a throng of mischievous pets as the game's centerpiece, you'd expect 'em to be a little better housebroken.

Overlord is a fun and original title that takes some great elements across a spectrum of genres and applies them very well together.

Highly imaginative and with a wicked sense of humour, Overlord's issues are easy to overlook when compared to the moments of entertainment it provides in between.

But the “evil or eviler” tagline has more to do with marketing than with the game, which for the most part offers a choice closer to being an evil or benevolent despot.

It's a sort of evil version of Pikmin with the ability to slaughter the innocent.

Wacky creatures, traditional fantasy settings and simple controls are a delight in this ultra-serious age, and the Fable style accents top off the silliness.

Amid shelves crammed with me-too mediocrity, we'll take Overlord's wicked humor and creativity, warts and all. [Sept 2007, p.80]

Overlord delivers a fun experience and is well worth the $39.99 retail price of admission.

Overlord might be a short lived experience but nothing quite like it exists for the Xbox 360 right now. The gameplay is sound, the humour is all too apparent and we doubt you’ll walk away unimpressed. It’s just a shame there wasn’t a little bit more going for it online.

Maybe the biggest surprise here is that Triumph Studios included an online option. A couple of Versus modes -- Slaughter and Pillage -- and Co-Op Survival fill out an already substantial game.

A great play. It’s got a great sense of humor and style. In these summer months when there’s often not a lot to play, it’s a real treat to get a game that effortlessly mixes style, challenge, and fun.

Ultimately, if it weren't for an oddly skewed sense of gameplay balance that offers two separate genre types (action and puzzle) rather than a comfortable mixture of both, Overlord would be a thoroughly impressive experience that delivers something a little off the beaten track.

Overlord is like that annoying friend that may steal your Cheetos once in a while, and although you get mad, it's only for a brief moment because you can't wait to see what the crazy bugger will do next.

Observing the little beasts gleefully swarm, destroy, and stab every creature and object in sight is one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever seen in a video game. The problem is that Overlord only shines this brightly when you’re just watching it. When it comes to managing your minions and directing them through the puzzles, the game is just as frustrating as it is humorous.

The pure joy of commanding a small army of malicious minions more than makes up for Overlord's minor shortcomings.

Overlord is far from perfect, but it does contain a very interesting mixture of fantasy role playing and real-time strategy.

If you like adventuring, dark humor, acting evil and being in control then Overlord is well worth a look especially if you enjoy exercising the old grey matter. However if you are more action orientated gamer then Overlord might not be for you and so as I mentioned a rental is probably your best bet.

It is an easy game to recommend as a rental, with a solid single-player story mode that will take over 10 hours to complete, but is not without blemishes and lacks the multiplayer options to extend gameplay beyond the first go-around; needed to purchase a game.

Overlord is an entertaining game that should keep you smiling for its duration, but certain control complexities and a distinct lack of evil keep it from being a truly great next-gen adventure.

Overlord has a neat idea, but it really needs more direction. Or should I say directions? [Aug 2007, p.77]

It's well worth playing the single-player campaign, if only to experience an irreverent take on the typical fantasy setting.

While Overlord sets itself apart from other 360 titles by offering a genuinely unique experience, it suffers from a lack of execution. Despite this, Overlord is still worth a shot if you have the patience to deal with its flaws.

Ultimately, the game provides plenty of enjoyment, and sits very happily on the 360, slotting itself in as a console game well. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a bit of mindless destruction, and a justification to empathise with the ‘other side’?

It’s a great idea but a flawed execution, and will need a sequel to achieve its potential. [Aug 2007, p.92]

Despite its obvious shortcomings, it's difficult to overlook the game's clear enjoyment. Keep expectations low and you could find your 'guilty pleasure' title of the year.

You find yourself in a game resembling a mix of Fable and Pikmin.

The concept is there in spades; it’s the execution that doesn’t go the distance.

Stiff controls and samey puzzles hamper what is otherwise a fun, enjoyable romp.

Overlord is a "play at your own risk" title. If you're lucky enough to avoid the bugs, you'll find a fun game unlike any other on Xbox 360. If you do run head first into a game ending bug, don't say we didn't warn you.

Tedious puzzles and repetitious level design makes Overlord become very predictable all too quickly. [July 2007, p.90]

Thankfully, Overlord doesn’t take itself too seriously and due to its sheer simplicity it remains a fun game to play. [July 2007, p.118]