Finding out a game has been in development for five years means expectations have been added onto it. Disciples 3 released with little fanfare, almost as if it was aware that it was just an average game that has taken a little too long to come out.
In this continuation of the world of Nevendaar’s storyline, the land lies in ruins after the epic wars attempting to release demons from hell. Now, a great star has fallen from heaven. A sign, prophesying victory for whichever God obtains it, sends the races of the world to pick it up. Yep, it’s all-out war again.
Do we really need an excuse?
Disciples 3 still feels, overall, the same as the previous two games. This is a good thing, in a market of me-too turn-based titles. Its own distinctive unit upgrading system is still present – For instance, you have to make the choice of upgrading squires into either knights, or witch hunters. Giving the player these choices means they are able to tailor their forces as they prefer on a map.
The use of flags to claim territory is also still around as the game’s way of seeing who controls which resources at a quick glance.
Unlike the first two games though, some major changes have been made to the game. Some are good, others a little more iffy.
For starters, combat has changed to a hex-grid, tactical turn-based map reminiscent of other games like King’s Bounty or Heroes of Might and Magic. This adds some oomph to the game. Dotting the land are hexes that offer bonuses to melee, ranged and spellcasting. Sounds innocent at first, but considering how many hit points some of the creatures and
Customizable heroes also create a good amount of oomph in combat. As heroes level, a skill board opens up reminiscent of Final Fantasy XII’s License Board. The great amount of customizability, including equipping artifacts and armor, means there’s always something to do.
Another big change is the change to flags. These are now control nodes. Gone are the specific units who dropped flags that claimed resource mines for players. In return, glowing nodes are found near resources, which players need to capture. Capturing it places a guardian there, like a free defensive unit. A definite nice change.
The problem with Disciples III is that the game feels so unoptimized. Things which seem obvious – such as double clicking to move to a spot – aren’t possible.
Or take activating special buildings such as shrines to pray at. Ending your turn a few steps away will see your hero stop and stare at the special building in dumbstruck awe on the next turn, until players double click it again to interact with it.
For a game that has been in development for five years, it also feels laggy. Switching windows such as opening the city builder, or checking out your hero, has lead to not a few loading screens on my relatively decent 5700 GTX.
Disciples is also horribly cluttered on the map. Trees, burning buildings, and more litter the landscape, making it all very pretty. The problem is, until you get familiar with what is and is not interactable, you’ll likely think that small wagons or burned out buildings are just fluff and miss the bonus resources and dungeons found there.
The spell system is still a little archaic as well. After you’ve researched a spell, you can cast it only on the overland map. In order to cast it in combat, you have to spend the resources to craft a rune carried by heroes and waste a turn using it. And as it turns out, the best way to use spells is to simply craft out summoned monsters to help bash heads in.
Does this mean that Disciples 3 should be missed? Not really. There are few turn-based strategy games around, and it is not as if the game is horribly broken. Most of the issues can be overcome with a little patience or closing a blind eye. And for sixty bucks, it’s worth a few spins. |