"Disciples 2 - Gold Edition"

I played for a while now, actually the correct affirmation is I replayed, “Disciples 2”. This game was released on 2002, by Strategy First, but for me is one of those oldies but goldies, as old as could be something released 6 years ago. Over the years three expansion packs were released, “Servants of the Dark”, “Guardians of Light” and “Rise of Elves”. And in 2005 the “Disciples 2: Gold Edition” was released and this one contains the original game and all the expansion packs. The game is Fantasy turn based strategy and I really enjoyed the first time I played it and now after those years too. I know that this game is not as complex as other of its type or genre, but it has at least one attractive part for me.

Basically you start by taking one hero from a race and begin a quest for glory and game objectives. Over the different missions of the game your hero develops accumulating experience points after the battles. Every upgrade gives the player the opportunity to develop a characteristic of his hero. Also throughout the missions the hero can get different artifacts and scrolls to use in his campaign. Well I have to say that after the initial point I didn’t get many new features. The missions follow a general line and became after a while stereotypical. I used to make some pauses in the game for 3 or 4 days, because otherwise I would have become bored. The artifacts are the same. They have different attributes but besides that and a different color they all look alike. This is not a great thing considering that a similar game such “Heroes of Might and Magic” has a great range of beautiful and interesting artifacts.

You’ll ask me why I consider this game. Well, it has some features which I really liked and missed in other games like “Disciples 2”. First of all is how the other unites of the race I lead with my hero upgraded too. I really liked how you can develop them through different stages, from a weak starting one until one very powerful unit. Also the game gives the player the option to choose between two paths of upgrade, each one with their own particularities, advantages and disadvantages. Second, but the best one, is the story behind the game. I absolutely loved each story. I say each story, because every race in the game has its own story and goals. The game made me believe I read a fantasy novel, but not only read but taking part in its development. It gave me a great pleasure finishing each mission and seeing the end movie of that respective mission and the beginning one of the next. And my favorite race and story of the game is the Elves. I like it more because sometimes their story developed while I played a mission and I got the chance to have different objectives throughout one such mission. And I absolutely loved their ranged units, especially when I upgraded them at the marauder level, and the healer units, which gave me the opportunity to heal my units while I was battling.

“Disciples 2” might not be the best game I’ve seen, but because of its storylines and of its concept art I had a fun and entertaining time playing it.