Blackguards 2

Blackguards 2 features an excitingly strategic turf-wars element, akin to that of GTA: San Andreas. The turn-based gameplay mechanics are sound, despite the graphics and many animations appearing flat and outdated. The feeling of building a powerful army from the ground up through many RPG elements can give you a great sense of accomplishment as you install fear in your unsuspecting enemies.

Busting through the midst of a labyrinth filled with mind-altering spiders, Cassia fixes her desires on conquering South Aventuria and ruling over its citizens and towns. Throughout her journey, she forges new allies. Whether they are warlords, outcasts, slaves, or wealthy dwarves, they all help Cassia fulfil her dream to rule.

Blackguards 2, developed by Daedalic Entertainment, is set just a few years after the first, and we see many characters making their return, including Cassia and Dwarf Naurim. It is not essential however, to play the first instalment of the series, as the second features a completely different story, despite having recurring characters.

As the game starts, you (Cassia) find yourself locked inside a labyrinth where you speak with the guard, trying to find out why you are being held as a prisoner. Accompanying you are hostile Corapia spiders that are able to infect your brain, altering your thoughts and behaviour, but do not affect how you control your character. The labyrinth is not a nice place to be. Those Corapia spiders will make your skin crawl, but after this section of the game, it should be smooth sailing in terms of disgusting, web-slinging creeps. You’ll mostly fight soldiers in Blackguards 2 with the occasional close range troll or the long ranged mage-goblin. For four years, you sit and read during the day, and at night, you search for a way to escape your imprisonment. By the time you escape, you have already developed the “urge to rule” over South Aventuria. Reasons for this urge are initially unknown, but it is suspected that the venom of the Corapia spiders have infected her brain, causing her to create wild thoughts and urges.

Using a turn-based combat system, you and your allies of mercenaries and influential citizens of Aventuria conquer each city and township one by one, until you reach the grand prize of Mengbilla, the capital of South Aventuria. Similar to other turn-based games, the combat is done in rounds. At the bottom left of the screen, an action queue shows what actions will take place in chronological order. However, before the battle starts, the player must place their party in specific positions around the battlefield. For example, you would place your melee bruisers at the front, spearmen in the second line, and archers and mages at the back.

When attacking, you’ll be presented with a percentage, which shows your likelihood of hitting the enemy target. If your archer stands face-to-face with an enemy, the chances of hitting will be at 0%, if they’re positioned further away however, they can increase their chances of hitting a target. There are many abilities you can use while in combat, depending on who you are controlling. Your average mercenary will have limited abilities, but ‘Heroes,’ such as Cassia, have unique abilities than can aid them in combat in many ways. Some may be healing spells, abilities that decrease the enemy’s endurance or ones that increase the likelihood of you dodging an opponent’s attack. These abilities however; cost mana, which does not regenerate during battle, so you must not use these over-zealously.

When fighting; it’s important to try and isolate opponents. For example, you should try to get one of your melee fighters to get close to an archer, making it hard for the opponent to hit you and easy for you to hit them. This works in reverse: constantly try and keep your archers protected and positioned towards the back.

You will fail missions; you’ll have to accept that before you can progress. Some enemy spawning times on certain missions are very brutal, and will require you to completely rethink your strategy. But this is no mistake. Initially, your army is very limited, so you will be very outnumbered in the early battles of the war.

Through your journeys, you’ll uncover loot, gold and gain adventure points. You can sell your loot to merchants in towns as well as buying new items to improve your outfit and armoury. After completing a mission, each ‘hero’ will be assigned Adventure points. The amount of these points are determined by how thoroughly you complete the mission. For example, the more loot you discover and the more enemies you kill, the more AP will be awarded to you. These points can then be used to unlock new abilities as well as improving already existing ones. You can also use adventure points to improve and expand your army of mercenaries, which will help you overcome those tricky battles.

With your band of mercenaries, you start off small, conquering insignificant settlements in the swamps. But as you conquer more towns and build your following, you start to draw more attention. Soon, your towns will try to be reclaimed by the forces of South Aventuria, and you must be called upon to defend it. This gives Blackguards 2 a very San Andreas gang war feel to it: conquering areas and then having to defend it at any given moment. There is a definite sense of achievement you’ll feel as you look at the vast map of South Aventuria and admire all the towns you’ve captured under your ever-strengthening command.

The game is very slow to start off with and the graphics and many of the animations look outdated by 10 years. You will be able to easily overlook this since Blackguards is packed with things to keep you busy. You can spend time talking to the locals and hearing people’s stories, barter with the merchants, or stay at camp improving your army’s skill by training both yourself and your soldiers, sculpting them into the ultimate force to be reckoned with.

In many games, I like to occasionally turn off the music to see how it changes the game. I noticed Blackguards 2 is heavily reliant on the soundtrack. Without the music, there is little to no ambient noise and will significantly change your experience with the game. The only real sound effects you will hear are those of combat noises, such as an arrow striking, or a shield blocking a sword. This may very well change before the full release however. With all this being said, the game is clearly meant to be played with music, but if you listen carefully, you will notice the lack of sound effects.

Blackguards 2 showcase many strategic aspects that come with a turn-based strategy game. Although some of the visuals and mechanics feel out-dated, the turf-war aspect of the game provides an extensive amount of fun. RPG elements such as building your character and your army’s skillset over time, as well as meeting new people in towns and taking on side quests, shows no reason why this game shouldn’t succeed.

Gabriel Polychronis, NoobFeed
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