Evil Islands

Genre combinations have the potential of turning into something truly great, especially if the execution is good and the developers manage to eliminate most of the problems that might arise during gameplay. However, the mixture can also turn sour, in case the mechanics fail to work properly and the game cannot be played as either one of the genres it tries to emulate.

Evil Islands is one of these experiments and it takes a stab at the popular RPG/RTS mixture, although it also throws in a bit of stealth in there for good measure. Hence, the result is a rather unique product, one that does not really adhere to any particular category and is liable to provide you with a one-of-a-kind experience. On the other hand, the execution required a lot of creativity as well, especially since there are many different elements that need to work together.

To start off with, it is worth noting that the entire combination is set in a classical fantasy world, filled with magic, evil creatures and the typical hero who's about to save the realm from destruction. It should come as no surprise that this character is also know as “The Chosen” and you happen to control him throughout the main story. Speaking of which, the plot revolves around Zak, the main character, who wakes up in a strange land one day, with no memory of his life until that point and a strange knife in his possession.

In essence, the genre mixture works wonder in this case, especially when it comes to the stealth mechanics, which come in handy when you want to avoid fighting face-to-face and you want to eliminate the enemies without attracting too much attention. This way, you can decide to send only one of the characters to do the job, while the others await for further orders. It is also possible to control the units like in a classical RTS title, using the mouse and giving them orders with a simple click.

Although the game was released quite a while ago, it does feature quite the impressive technologies when it comes to graphics, mostly because top-down titles did not receive this much attention back in the day. The models look very nice and there are even some dynamic weather effects thrown into the mix, as well as real-time shadows and plenty of particle effects to make the spells look pretty.

Evil Islands may not be remembered as a game that changed the industry, but it did manage to achieve its purpose and do a good job at giving you plenty of gameplay options. Hence, you can complete the missions in a variety of ways and take full advantage of the stealth, RTS and RPG elements that make up the mechanics of the game.