14 DAY TRIAL // 
Evil. It is the center point for a lot of video games these days, as many tell the story of a brave and good character going up against the forces of evil and eventually vanquishing them in a tour de force. After that, all is well in the land, peace reigns and everyone can start hugging puppies and kittens until they feel sick.
But luckily for those who prefer to play on the dark side of things, the team at Triumph Studios has created the Overlord franchise, with the first title showing us just how good it is to be evil with your fellow companions and how much better it is to send your loyal minions into the fight while you think of your lovely mistress back at the Dark Tower.
Now the series is back with Overlord II, which promises to bring even more mayhem and feature a new Overlord with an even bigger hunger for power. The minions are also back, alongside a lot of new features like being able to ride mounts. With a new story, written by Rhianna Pratchett, and improved mechanics, promised by Triumph, Overlord II seems like a perfect title. But is it that good or has an evil presence meddled with it? Read on to find out.
Story
In terms of story, this is where the whole Overlord franchise can teach many other games some valuable lessons. Its writer, Rhianna Pratchett, has emphasized the key role of a good story in video games, and how writers should interact with the development team in order for everything to work as a smooth oiled machine.
The first game was filled with amusing characters, interesting twists and some unforgettable moments. The second brings much more than that, as you are now in the armor of a new Overlord, who must go against the Empire, a Roman-like civilization that hates everything related to magic and, subsequently, you and your minions.
In order to sabotage its grip on the land, the Overlord must go on several quests and wreak havoc in a few interesting locations – all the locations in the game are well thought out and have some unique characteristics. The colorful characters and the amusing one-liners from the inhabitants are also quite entertaining.
As in the first game, in a few cities you will meet some lovely female companions whom you can bring to your Netherworld fortress in order to make them your mistresses. Each of the three eligible young ladies offers unique talents and can help customize your Dark Tower. They are also instrumental in helping you defeat the Empire and, as an added bonus, the bedroom scenes are quite amusing.
Gameplay
Overlord II delivers some very mixed gameplay. On the one hand you are treated with some upgraded things as opposed to the first title, like improved minion speed, wider areas of exploration or more destructible things, while on the other hand the buggy camera, stupid AI or very annoying Autosave mechanic are still present.
First of all, the game plays out pretty much like the first one. You are the almighty Overlord, meaning that you can make your minions do all the work for you. They come in four different “flavors”: the Browns are expert fighters; the Reds can absorb fire and are great at long range; the Greens are guerrilla fighters and have a powerful backstab attack; and the Blues can swim around and revive their fallen brethren. The animations and the attention to detail in terms of the minions is great, and you will definitely laugh when you see the little critters wearing peacock feathers, soldier hats or baby seal fur on their heads or bodies.
The Overlord itself can also be customized, as the Dark Tower has a handy Forge, where, at the expense of jewels, gold and other minions, new weapons and armor can be made. The RPG side of the action game doesn't end here, as you can buy upgrades for your minions, increase their skill level and even revive the best soldiers you lost in battle, meaning that you must not worry about sending your most well-equipped minions into battle.
Sadly, battles aren't extremely diverse, as there are only a handful of enemies, and their AI isn't the brightest. Sometimes though, they are present in many numbers and, coupled with some levels being constructed like mazes, might pose a significant threat to your Dark Majesty. But with some patience and clever micro management, it isn't something that hard.
The buggy camera and control system have stayed the same sadly, as you'll often find your camera fixed to minions that run around the area, even though you gave the command to regroup. One of the most irritating parts of the whole control scheme is the sweep maneuvers, when you must hold both mouse buttons and direct a group of minions around the room, on some steep ledges or in a hard-to-reach section. Sounds simple, but almost everything is left to chance; you can't adjust how many minions you want to go, where exactly you want them, what to do when they get there or how they can come back. If the mechanic hadn't been used a lot, it might have been alright, but there are scenes in game where this is everything that you do, making it extremely annoying.
Don't think that you can quit whenever you want though, as the game specifically relies on an Autosave function, which generates a check point every time you find a Netherworld gate, which are few and far in between. Also, once you load up a save, you're transported at your Netherworld Tower, meaning that you must teleport back to where you were and eventually start things all over again.
The boss fights are extremely scripted, to the point where you might encounter glitches that will halt all your progress. Oftentimes the objectives are quite ambiguous, meaning that you will need to start exploring all of the nooks and crannies in the game world or even go online and seek walkthroughs in order to find out just what you need to do in order to advance in the game.
On a lighter note, the mounts for the minions are quite interesting, as Browns can ride wolves, Reds can tackle salamanders and Greens can use spiders. All of them accomplish a specific goal, but you can only use them on certain levels, making them a novelty rather than a useful tool in battle.
Another break from the usual gameplay is the sections where you can man siege weapons, like catapults or ballistas, and where you can command boats. But although they seem novel, they aren't very efficient sometimes, giving you the feeling that you should have taken your minions and do the job properly.
Also, there are some sections where you take control of one minion and make him lead the others through some hard-to-reach places for your dark majesty. These are quite interesting, but will require a lot of strategy, especially when you need to recover the green hive.
Concept
In terms of concept, the whole Overlord series deserves to be applauded for bringing evil to the center of the game's story and making it the main character. The “good” guys in the games that appeared so far have been corrupted by their power and fell prey to their weaknesses. As a character in this new title will say at the end, there is no light without darkness, and the Overlord is a necessary presence in order to balance things out.
This second game brings back a lot of the elements from the first one, but also improves in terms of story and the wider variety of choices available. There aren't many in terms of exercising your dark power, but you do have a few more large quests to accomplish, even though they aren't mandatory to progress the main story.
Graphics and Audio
The first game was applauded for its story and concept, but in terms of graphics it wasn't much to look at. Overlord II, though, is quite a looker, giving almost everything in the game a fresh coat of paint. All of the environments are much more detailed, and let's not forget about the main character or the minions, who are extremely well built.
The other characters look pretty enough, but sometimes they border on ridicule in terms of design and the overall look of the empire. The textures are extremely nice, but enemies do have a tendency to pop in from time to time, even though they are on the side of the room you are standing in.
In terms of audio, you can't say anything to Overlord II. From the extremely funny one-liners said by your minions, to Gnarl's musings and the complaints of the inhabitants of the different cities, you will be amused. The orchestral score is impressive and is a vital part to the fighting sequences in the title.
Multiplayer
The game, despite featuring a top-notch single-player campaign filled with interesting things, also has a multiplayer mode, pertaining to both competitive and cooperative play. In terms of competitive, you can choose, alongside your rivals, to play the Dominate mode, where you must capture sections of the map and hold them against your rivals, or the Pillage mode, where you need to capture portions of a large treasure.
For those who want to collaborate, you will have to choose between Survival, which is basically a Gear of War 2 Horde mode, meaning that you will have to defend yourself against waves of enemies, or Invasion, where you will attack powerful foes alongside your friends.
Overall, although quite fun, the multiplayer modes seem a bit tacked on, as Overlord II is mostly about its intricate story.
Conclusion
All in all, Overlord II sways between two extremes. It is a very funny experience and it's guaranteed to make you laugh once you see your minions dressed up as children or as imperial guards and humming marching tunes, but thanks to the complicated camera and auto save system, it will make you angry most of the times.
If you're looking forward to wreaking havoc against your fellow men with the help of some extremely funny little critters, then Overlord II is definitely something you will love.
