Sound
Sound was obviously of great importance when Ino-Co Plus was developing the game, as Warlock features excellent sound design in many different ways. The music in Warlock is probably the most notable one. Just a pattern on the war drums sets off the mood so perfectly.
The ambient noise is another way in which you can tell a lot of work was put in to the sound design. This is evident in the sound of the boats rocking in the ocean to your city information screen where you can hear the markets being active and when you build new units.
Replay Value
Like any turn based-strategy game would, Warlock features an immense about of replay value. You can play as any of the 12 great mages that can be customized in a multitude of ways. You can choose your perks, your starting spells, and if you want to favor a certain god you can choose that too. You can also choose which race you will start out controlling.
If you couple this customization with the different paths of victory, you’ll find yourself starting many new games. With this insane amount of replay value you’d think the game would cost upwards of $40.00, and that’s where you would be wrong. Warlock is retailing at $19.99 at this price you’d be crazy not to pick it up.
NOT
Graphics
If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, than Civilization V should feel very complimented, as Warlock imitates the Civilization 5 quite heavy in the graphics department. The look and feel is heavily borrowed from Civilization 5. I feel that if you’re going to rip off another game’s look, at least try do it better than them and not worse.
Verdict
All in all, Warlock: Master of the Arcane is a fun game and there is a lot of content to be seen and experienced. I enjoyed my time in Ardania, and can’t wait to start up another playthrough soon. The fact that the game has the exact feel as Civilization V is not a big issue in my book. However, it still needed to be pointed out. With the price tag of $19.99 you’d expect to see some concessions some where along the lines. Overall, Warlock: Master of the Arcane deserves its score of a 7.5 out of 10
[Editor’s Note: Warlock: Master of the Arcane was reviewed on the PC. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
