Real Strategy Tzar: The Burden of Crown (Fire and sword in Russian translation) was released in 1999. Although she did not become a cult time, but warmth was met. Reviewers of those years compared it, with Age of Empires, then with Warcraft. After 18 years, which have passed since its release, we will find out whether their game is worthy.
What comes to mind at the words "Strategy in Real Time"? If the base of the base, the development of the army, and hundreds of soldiers of all colors in battles immediately arise before my eyes, then the king’s gameplay will be close and understandable to you. The game has absorbed the standards of the genre of that time and is similar to different strategies, but at the same time has its own face.
Events unfold in the early fantastic Middle Ages with all the stirring from this magicians, golems, and gnomes with undead. However, magic and mythical creatures are rather a background, and we have to control mostly ordinary people. There are three races in the game, for tolerance called by Europeans (the most progressive), Asians (the most prolific) and Arabs (the most black). At the disposal of each mass of units that differ not only in skin color and hats shape. Nations have different sets of buildings, technologies, units and spells. Where Arab will fly on a carpet carrier, the Asian will let a ninja, and the European will simply throw a spell.
Orcs from parallel measurement on the guard of gold.
But despite all the differences, the basic mechanics are extremely simple and painfully resembles Age of Empires. There are 4 main resources that peasants can minute. With the help of stone and wood, buildings and some units like catapults or ships are built. Food and gold are used to hire the army and study technologies. The combat system is based on a scheme of a stone-paper stone, as in many games of the genre, but not everything is so simple.
The usual mechanics in the king are adjacent to unusual decisions. Fractions can stealth-losits like a ninja or spies. With the help of a call gates located on the map, hire orcs, gnomes and other undead. There is a tavern in the game, from where packs of units of different races or even heroes instantly fall out for a certain fee. Differences and a variety of mechanic, giving strategies there is enough their own style.
Castle is the basis of the city of each race.
True, to check under the field how well they work and whether the balance is broken, alas, is difficult. Artificial intelligence is impenetrable stupid and simple crushes mass, so for a full opponent cannot go down. Multiplayer, although it is warming up and even there is a small Russian -speaking community, was not available to me. Still, in the center of the whole game is a single campaign that deserves special attention.
Once upon a time there was a https://casinopokerstars.uk/games/ very cool magician who took, and defeated the great evil. So that after his death, the evil does not break out to freedom, he locked him with the help of magic, shit and sticks, and a piece of rock crystal, where he concluded all his power. At first, the stone regularly restrained evil. But only grateful descendants began to polish and grab crystal, thus detracting its strength and finished to the perfect shape of the sphere, which had only a small part of the original power. As a result, the evil is strong and again climbed to the ground.
Almost at this very time in one state of Hiron, where things went frankly so -so, a great hero in his thirteenth incarnation grew up and crepe in a local county village, where he was found by the last good magician fat. Uniting with partisan Spartak, they began the victorious procession first by Hiron, and then in the surrounding lands like vanished islands in the name of good, equality and drink, which is what the game tells about.
They say that in the original Tzar: The Burden of Crown there was a serious plot in the fantasy genre. The heroes honestly carried good and saved the genre oppressed according to all the laws and fought against the armies of the Messiah of Evil and Sorokopud, freeing one kingdom after another. However, in Russian localization from the previous story, there are not even character names left. The fact that heroes on the side of good can only be understood from their words.
The animal grin of capitalism put an imprint on each character. They dream not about universal good, but about beer, women and milk. The great hero of Horatio, who is the original, the son of a fallen king named Sartor, flatly refuses to go to save the kingdom for nothing. His comrades are not behind. Give one chiron to another, just to fight and so on ..
The last raft of universal evil on the way to victory. Although it is not clear to evil.
The degree of inadequacy in the dialogs sometimes reaches overwhelming heights, and only the author remained more adequate, who tells about the plans of the heroes in between the missions. Tzar – strictly contraindicated to those who take a close to their hearts to the correspondence of the localization of the original, because even the name tzar: The Burden of Crown in Russian sounds like fire and sword.
Horatio – The thirteenth embodiment of the great hero on earth. The main protector of good and humanity and the main hope of Hirona and the surrounding lands. Stingy, greedy for money, and therefore does not heroize for nothing. Prone to alcoholism. The three -time winner of the title “Mr. Egocentricity of Hirona”, rusty armor and combat horse.
Spartacus – Eternal fighter with a regime (no matter what). Throughout his life, he is staggering at the head of the partisan detachments in the forests and robs for the glory of offended and oppressed. The most offended and oppressed on the planet, of course, considers himself. Expert Military Affairs, the main commander and drinking companion of the hero Horatio. We impenetest for any arrows and logical arguments.
Fats – Master of sports in fortune -telling on coffee grounds. The last (and thank God) the royal magician and in fact the leader of the uprising of good. The most dangerous of the trinity, for alone is able to arrange the genocide of a small kingdom. Has a weakness for metropolitan chironics. The sharp mind and the swing of the team’s sword.
Vandal – True will be piled from vulgar islands. Allowed evil to destroy his homeland, so that later his construction trust received contracts for the restoration of cities. A knight without fear and reproach, faithful comrade Horatio, as well as a failed killer.
Sorokopud – The main antagonist of the game. Which only two things are known about: it is very thick and it stinks very. According to Zhirov, Sorokopud concluded a deal with evil and, together with his army and General Biryulkin, established a total mordor in all the surrounding lands, so it should be overthrown.
Look into the eyes of your saviors!
The game was released 18 years ago and in order to understand the level of its performance, it is necessary to compare with its contemporaries. Drawn graphics, looks nice, and in the reviews of those years she was literally admired. The strongest side of the game was the soundtrack. His leisurely and light melodies, especially in combination with the cries of dying soldiers, create the right mood, which the truth is not able to hold out for a long time.
Alas, but from a technical point of view, there’s nothing to praise more. Tzar – extremely unstable and regularly flies out. Artificial intelligence is impenetrable stupid and simply throws the player in tons of all available units from a dozen other barracks. At the same time, both soldiers and peasants suffer from topographic cretinism. When trying to send them on command from point A to point B, they often push their shoulders at the beginning of the way or run away in the opposite direction.
Stopgame editors with ropes are warmer than soldiers in the king with bridges.
With the game Tzar: The Burden of Crown I met only in 2016, so write off on the syndrome of the duckling fact that I liked it. Yes, technical flaws are obvious, but not to launch the game without dancing with a tambourine, but in a campaign over the player they mock as they want, and the bots have endless sources of resources. But the absolutely distinctive game world created by the Bulgarians, and increased by Russian localizers, devoid of pathos and filled with humor is very different from the usual games of the genre and this captivates.
Pros: Good and atypical plot, intuitively understandable game mechanics, soundtrack.
Cons: An overwhelming complexity of the campaign, stupid AI, regular sorties and paint, problems with finding a path with units.