E3 2004: Armies of Exigo impresses
EA's new RTS shows its colours
Clearly EA have been taking note of the popularity garnered by certain other mythic-medieval inspired RTS titles, because Armies of Exigo seems to tick many a box on a certain gaming demographic's ideal game checklist. The boundaries of traditional war are apparently broken by this new strategy offering, which will present combat both above and below ground, as elves, beasts, knights, and 'creatures of the darkness' enter battle.
A biblically-influenced contingent of sinisterness know as the Fallen will emerge in Exigo as the greatest threat to the empire of man and beast, where years of prosperity has bred complacency. In the game players will be given huge armies of such humans to control, and war will be waged across lush valleys and in forests, before the mortals take the fight to their nemesis in the subterranean world.
With new attacks coming from the below the surface, Armies of Exigo players will be forced to devise uniquely cunning strategies in order to survive multi-pronged attacks and also launch their own offences. In game, players will be able to play as either the Empire (knights, dwarves, elves and gnomes) or as the dark and evil 'Fallen', "a powerful force of dark elves, fallen warriors, swarming insects and other horrific creatures of the dark." Which sounds just lovely.
A third side, 'Beasts', will be the last side available to play as and will consist of 'ogres, trolls and other fantastic creatures.' As you can imagine, with three sides as diverse and varied as these, balancing is going to be key for Exigo developer Black Hole, but the range of choice available to the player should also be fascinating as a result.
Both military power, and a spot of alliance-forming diplomacy will be required in the online multiplayer mode, which promises eight-player battles for control of huge purpose-built maps. The singleplayer game will also be split into three and will follow the story of Exigo as it emerges through the conflict.
Technically, as you'll deduce from the screenshots, Exigo is a real beauty, boasting stunning visuals that bring this vivid world; and its inhabitants, to colourful life. The world on offer will be a dynamic, realistic one too, in which the gameplay can be dramatically effected by interaction with the world, such as blowing up bridges, destroying damns to flood the enemy, or erupting a volcano spilling lava across the countryside.
Armies of two-hundred units will feature at any one time, and we're promised a theatre of war that will literally change all the time as magic and violence are wrought upon the earth. As well as an offline multiplayer simulation 'skirmish' mode, the following online modes are offered: Melee, Arena, Mission, and Free-for-all. A PC debut at the end of 2004 is mooted. And that, as they say, is that.
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