14 DAY TRIAL // 
It's hard to talk about Warcraft III: Reforged without touching more sensitive subjects like what was promised before the remasterization of the game that was delivered, as well as the matter of multiplayer features missing from the initial release.
Before I tell you what's with Warcraft III: Reforged and if it's worth the money, let's clarify something. The game that was launched 18 years ago is undoubtedly one of the best, if not the best, real-time strategy game ever made. The release of the “reforged” version doesn't change that, which means that the game isn't made worse by the graphical improvements.
Everything that could have been said about Warcraft III has been said in the last decade or so, which is why we're going to focus on all the new stuff that Blizzard added to modernize it, stating with the visuals, sounds, and animations and continuing with the changes made to multiplayer and UI.
My first thought after playing through the main campaigns was that the classic Warcraft III has been covered with new paint and given a fresh look. But the improvements go beyond just updated visuals, the animations and lighting effects are also a welcome addition.
But one of the major disappointments of Warcraft III: Reforged is the cutscenes between and during missions. Although new character models have been added, the cutscenes have not been updated as the studio promised when the game was revealed at Blizzcon 2018. I'm not sure how many fans were aware that Blizzard backtracked on that statement last year at Blizzcon and said they have no plans to redo the cutscenes.
In fact, they reiterated the cutscenes will remain as is early this month when they promised they will fix many of the bugs that are plaguing Warcraft III: Reforged. Blizzard wants to preserve the nostalgia factor and the cutscenes seem to be the perfect means to transfer the feeling to the player. That doesn't change the fact that what Blizzard did initially is false advertising. To its credit, the US company decided to change its refund policy to allow returns of Warcraft III: Reforged without asking anything from owners.
Warcraft III follows the stories of four main characters spanning across seven full-fledged campaigns: Orc warchief Thrall, Human paladin Arthas Menethil, and Night Eleven leader Tyrande Whisperwind. The amount of content offered by the game is staggering by today's standards, but that was the norm 18 years ago. Each of these heroes will lead their factions that present players different playstyles that are easy to understand and master if you have some strategic skills.
Your heroes have special abilities that can be upgraded as they level up. They are your most powerful units and even if you lose them in battle they will be resurrected after a while. Their abilities use mana, except for those that are passive. Nothing has really changed gameplay-wise, so if you've played through the campaigns before, there's nothing new for you to see here except better graphics.
The main reason Blizzard has decided to release Warcraft III: Reforged is to freshen up one of the best real-time strategy games of all time, but the studio only partially succeeded in what it set out to achieve. The best thing about this remasterization is the new character models, which look more realistic than the old ones that are more cartoonish.
The buildings, heroes and the rest of the characters have been redone and the work is amazing. Pity that you won't be able to notice any of it if you zoom out, which is exactly how you'll play Warcraft III: Reforged most of the time. Unfortunately, the environments did not receive similar treatment and while I definitely noticed some improvements to the textures, they still look rather bulky and dated.
The UI is simpler and cleaner, which is a good thing, although many players feel like the UI that was available in the beta looks much better. I don't have an opinion on that, I guess it's a matter of taste.
Although I did not encounter any bugs in the single-player campaigns, I did notice the menus lag and freeze regularly. Buttons are as responsive as they should, especially in a real-time strategy game where speed is essential. Almost every time I want to build something new the game lags for a second or two before it lets me place the building on the ground.
I did not encounter any game-breaking bugs, but some players report that they are met with a “Defeat” message when they start a new chapter in the campaign even though they haven't started the new mission.
If you're here for the multiplayer, you'll want to know that the initial Warcraft III: Reforged doesn't include custom campaigns, ranked ladders, automated tournaments, clans, and LAN/offline play. However, many of these features will be added in the coming months according to Blizzard.
And if you're one of those players who like to create your own scenarios and modes, you're in for an unpleasant surprise: Blizzard changed the EULA so that all fan creations become its own once they're uploaded on its servers.
The Good
- Serviceable visuals, great character models
- Simpler, cleaner UI
- Decent animations overall
The Bad
- Lacks many multiplayer modes
- Cutscenes haven't been remastered and lack emotion
- Lots of bugs and bad optimization
- Overall, it's an unremarkable remaster
Conclusion
To put it bluntly, if you haven't played the classic yet, Warcraft III: Reforged is definitely worth your time, otherwise, wait for a deep discount. The remaster feels rushed with too many things missing or not up to par with what I had expected in terms of improvements.
In this state, the best way to describe Warcraft III: Reforged is “serviceable.” Taken as a whole, just like the original, the remaster offers a great gameplay experience for newcomers, but there's not much here that would justify a purchase if you've already played the classic.
