14 DAY TRIAL // I have for the moment stopped playing Warlock – Master of the Arcane, mostly because I need my gaming time to play and complete Max Payne 3, the third-person shooter with slow motion from Rockstar and Take Two.
But I suspect that once I get some free time, with no pressure of trying out something new, I plan to go back to the land of Ardania and launch yet another campaign to master the world and a few other dimensions with my armies of fantasy creatures and my ever expanding array of spells.
The turn-based strategy concept, the fact that it gives me time to think about my next move, study the map and then create a plan for a certain number of turns, at least in broad strokes, is something that appeals to me more than the instant thrill of shooting a bad guy while falling back slowly.
The fantasy theme adds even more to the gameplay because this is a world with rules that are slightly awkward, a delight to slowly unravel , understand and then use in order to defeat enemy mages.
Warlock is not a perfect way by any measure, but it takes two core concepts and exploits them as much as possible without trying to dazzle the player with graphical quality or complex voice tracks.
And, more importantly, Warlock is a game that gives me the freedom to craft my own stories from the elements that the game offers rather than forcing me to simply explore the narrative that someone else has created.
I understand why most of the gaming world would always pick up Max Payne 3 before they take a look at Warlock – Master of the Arcane, but I am somewhat saddened by this fact and hope that as game audiences mature the balance will even out a little.