Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim (PC)

The legend of the king who had no power
9/15/2009 6:31 PM | 4 Comments | Page 1 of 2

2000's Majesty was an odd real-time strategy game. Cyberlore's fantasy-themed RTS gave you no real control over the action. Yes, you constructed buildings and recruited units, but then they were on their own -- a couple of dozen fantasy archetypes wandering the world, seeking monsters to kill and loot to steal. But, as king, you had things that needed doing, so you would put price tags on specific tasks. Kill this, explore here, protect me, etc. And, if the bounty was high enough, someone would take you up on the job.

Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim's fidelity to the first game will be more than enough for that aging cohort that fondly remembers the original. Newcomers to the series will experience the same thrill that comes when you have to rely on persuasion instead of orders. But it's not long before continuing seems more a matter of obligation than delight.

The game structure is very simple. You start with a castle and a few buildings. Your first construction orders will probably be a market and a military building of some sort. Your kingdom is surrounded by enemies, so you have to put a price on their heads. As your adventurers survive encounters, they gain levels and gold -- precious gold they can spend on healing potions or better weapons. You collect taxes based on what they spend and from trade routes; and then you can upgrade buildings, research spells, and offer higher bounties for harder tasks.

Bounty is the key concept in the game. As your adventurers get more experienced, they will be a lot less likely to clear out a nest of snakes for a couple of hundred gold. If you make the prize too high, though, then everyone will rush out there and no one will be available for home defense. (As your city gets more populated, it becomes plagued with giant rats from the sewers and wandering undead from the cemetery. No cliché is left on the shelf.)

Majesty 2 has no random maps, and its standalone missions are very difficult. The first one, for example, tasks you to clear out bandit camps. Then, just when you are getting started, an ogre shows up. And then a dragon wanders into town and burns you to death. Every standalone mission has a little trick to it, but the punishment will be enough to force lesser souls to forgo these altogether in favor of multiplayer action or the story-based campaign.

This campaign is the centerpiece of Majesty 2. The story is the usual "Once upon a time there was an ancient evil" deal, but since this is a game that unapologetically revels in the tropes of fantasy stories, it would be churlish to expect anything else. The narrator -- perfectly voiced by original Majesty actor George Ledoux -- does his best Sean Connery and keeps things from getting too serious. Each mission involves a few small chores leading up to a major quest, along with the usual random, roaming monsters and lairs to eliminate. The difficulty is manageable in the dozen or so scenarios, but you will play some of them more than once, including a dragon-themed killer that will punish both the hasty and the laggard.

The most challenging part of the game is managing the cash flow. You need to get trade routes going as soon as you can to get that extra tax income. Rewards for exploring or slaying also give your heroes spending money for new gear and potions. And upgrading your markets and blacksmith is not optional -- better stuff for your heroes to buy means more money for you, which means you can access the higher-level content like the lords, paladins and beastmasters. The campaign's frantic pacing never really gives you much of a chance to learn the economy slowly, so it's hard to get a grip on things like setting appropriate bounty levels for certain heroes, or when you should spend money on a spell.