Age of Fear 3: The Legend
- August 31, 2017
- Leslaw Sliwko
- 26h median play time
"Age of Fear 3: The Legend" is a fantasy turn-based strategy game with RPG elements. Lead a party of heroes, build and manage your army, and engage in tactical combat against monstrous enemies. The game features a rich story campaign, random skirmish maps, and a map editor for creating your own scenarios. However, some players have criticized it for having a steep learning curve and lacking in tutorials.
Reviews
- Engaging tactical combat with a variety of units and strategies, reminiscent of tabletop wargames.
- The game features a humorous narrative and well-written dialogues, enhancing the overall experience.
- The developers are responsive and actively update the game, adding new content and improving mechanics.
- Graphics are dated and may not appeal to players looking for modern visuals.
- Some players report technical issues, including bugs and performance problems, particularly related to resolution and animations.
- The game can feel incomplete or like an expansion rather than a standalone title, with limited factions and features at launch.
- story49 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, featuring a mix of humor and engaging narratives, though some players find it lacking depth compared to previous titles. While the main storyline may not be the focus for all, the light-hearted dialogue and character interactions enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the variety of campaigns and optional missions, which contribute to a satisfying gameplay experience, despite some critiques regarding the writing quality and the desire for more player-driven storytelling.
“The game has a sense of humor and a good storyline.”
“The story is related in a very interesting way: the bad guy reading letters reporting the events.”
“The story is actually pretty good, and the way you get to build your squad is nice as well, allowing you to add a lot of characters quickly and level them up to compete as the story progresses.”
“Just as a warning, the free game does not contain a storyline; it just lets you understand the mechanics of the game's combat system and character development.”
“Compared with previous titles, I found the story bland.”
“I simply do not enjoy someone 'telling my story'.”
- gameplay22 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by engaging old-school turn-based strategy mechanics, offering a variety of tactical options and balanced progression that appeals to both casual and hardcore players. While the graphics may not impress, the game compensates with interesting mechanics and a light-hearted feel reminiscent of classic titles like Heroes of Might and Magic. Players familiar with previous entries in the series will find the core gameplay consistent, with new characters and factions enhancing the experience, making it a solid choice for fans of the genre.
“An excellent old-school strategy game; the graphics are certainly not impressive, but there are a lot of interesting mechanics that make the gameplay engaging.”
“Enjoyable mechanics and well-paced, balanced progression.”
“Great game; good mechanics make for deep, interesting tactics. It's not the easiest of games, but to me, that only means I'll be playing this for a while.”
“Just as a warning, the free game does not contain a storyline; it just lets you understand the mechanics of the game's combat system and character development.”
“Despite the connectivity in mechanics between games, the storylines aren't connected any more than being mentioned or briefly encountered in one another's campaigns.”
“The core gameplay remains the same, so it's unlikely to win over anyone who disliked the previous games, but the ambition and dedication on display by the developers – introducing new characters and factions with each game, and releasing free patches and upgrades at what seems to be a rate of more than once a week – should be applauded, especially in these times when the monetization of video games is a much-debated issue.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as simple and functional, with a clean art style that may not impress but effectively supports gameplay mechanics. While some players find the visuals lacking compared to modern standards, others appreciate their clarity and utility in distinguishing units. Overall, the graphics serve their purpose without detracting from the engaging gameplay experience.
“If you are looking for an older Genesis game but with modern graphics, then this is your game.”
“The visuals are simple but effective; different units are easily recognizable, and although the animations are pretty basic, they get the job done.”
“Age of Fear might not be a treat for the eyes, but it's no eyesore either – I'd much rather have functional graphics that work reliably than a glitch-ridden mess, and I'm glad Age of Fear has the former.”
“What can I say, the graphics and presentation sort of put it in the 'I'll get to it when I get to it' pile.”
“Don't buy it for the graphics; they are nothing special.”
“The visuals are simple but effective; different units are easily recognizable, and although the animations are pretty basic, they get the job done.”
- humor9 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its humorous dialogues and quirky character interactions, particularly between diverse fantasy races, which add a lighthearted touch to the gameplay. Players appreciate the blend of twisted humor and campy elements, making the experience enjoyable and often laugh-out-loud funny. Overall, the humor enhances the game's charm and contributes to its engaging storyline.
“Deep turn-based battles, RPG management of a huge team of fantasy characters (spanning many different fantasy races), and some great twisted humor makes for a fantastic package!”
“The forest folk campaign is pretty good, with a lot of funny moments because one of your heroes is a dryad, a nature-lover character, while the other is a drider, an evil unit full of violence.”
“I find the text dialogue between your 'heroes' or them and the enemy leaders is a little campy but can be funny at times.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the game's extensive grinding opportunities, noting that it offers theoretically unlimited endgame grinding with uncapped units and random encounters that can enhance the experience. While some initially criticized the slow progression and limited grinding areas, recent updates have improved this aspect, allowing for a more balanced approach that accommodates both grinding enthusiasts and those focused on the story. Overall, the grinding mechanics contribute positively to the game's strategic depth and replayability.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Grinding is a rewarding experience that keeps you engaged.”
“The grind is challenging but ultimately satisfying.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“My original gripe in my review was about the lack of grinding areas and slow unit progression, but now units are mostly uncapped, and we have random foe encounters in the game (that you can toggle on or off). Not only that, but some of these events are tied into the plotline and have been balanced so that you can go without them if you play for the story alone.”
- character development3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted to have some depth, allowing players to make informed decisions, though it is compared unfavorably to titles like Fire Emblem due to weaker writing. Additionally, the free version lacks a storyline, focusing primarily on combat mechanics rather than character progression.
“Good character development with some depth, but clear enough to make good guesses as to what will work.”
“The free game does not contain a storyline; it primarily focuses on understanding the mechanics of the game's combat system and character development.”
“Just as a warning, the free game does not contain a storyline; it just lets you understand the mechanics of the game's combat system and character development.”
“Somewhat like Fire Emblem, but with better combat and worse writing and character development.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and suitability to various settings, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players feel that the combat music lacks the necessary intensity, making battles feel less engaging. Overall, the soundtrack is considered good and varied, complementing the game's charming story and mechanics.
“The audio sounds and music are nice and fit the various settings and maps.”
“Other than that, decent army building and level-up system, good and varied music and art, with a charming story.”
“Dialogues and encounters are interesting, and the music is beautiful.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed feedback; while players appreciate the developers' commitment to regular free updates and new content, there is criticism regarding the misleading promotion of a level editor as an included feature. Overall, the developers' dedication to enhancing the game experience is noted positively amidst broader concerns about monetization practices in the industry.
“The core gameplay remains the same, so it's unlikely to win over anyone who disliked the previous games, but the ambition and dedication on display by the developers – introducing new characters and factions with each game, and releasing free patches and upgrades at what seems to be a rate of more than once a week – should be applauded, especially in these times when the monetization of video games is a much-debated issue.”
“My main beef is advertising a level editor as if it was an app included in the program.”
“The core gameplay remains the same, so it's unlikely to win over anyone who disliked the previous games, but the ambition and dedication on display by the developers – introducing new characters and factions with each game, and releasing free patches and upgrades at what seems to be a rate of more than once a week – should be applauded, especially in these times when the monetization of video games is a much-debated issue.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has been criticized for causing stuttering animations and significant performance drops during gameplay, often necessitating a restart to restore functionality.
“Every bit of animation was stuttering.”
“Sometimes, after a while of playing, the performance tanks when doing any action, and I need to restart the game.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been criticized, particularly during specific battles, with players experiencing significant bugs that can cause the game to freeze and require multiple restarts to progress.
“One of the battles was very buggy for me (the one where you fight Lexa): the game hung near the end of the opponent's turn, forcing me to quit and restart the game about twenty times at different points in the battle.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing my progress.”
“I experienced constant frame drops and stuttering, which severely affected my gameplay experience.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through its role-playing elements, allowing players to customize their heroes in various ways, such as choosing between becoming an evil necromancer or a holy paladin, which can lead to diverse gameplay experiences.
“There is a lot of role-play replayability depending on how you equip your heroes (e.g., they can become an evil necromancer or a holy paladin, for example).”
“The game offers endless replayability with its diverse character builds and story paths.”
“Each playthrough feels unique due to the different choices and strategies you can employ.”
“There is also a lot of role-play replayability depending on how you kit out your heroes (e.g., they can become an evil necromancer versus a holy paladin, for example).”