Age of Wonders Shadow Magic

About

Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is the third game in the fantasy strategy series, offering an empire-building, role-playing, and tactical combat experience. It introduces the Shadow World and new races like Nomads, Shadow Demons, and the necromantic Revenants. With a new campaign, 19 stand-alone scenarios, and improved race features, this game provides diverse landscapes and endless strategic possibilities.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 639 reviews

gameplay34 positive mentions

grinding4 negative mentions

One of the best turn-based strategy games of all time, offering deep gameplay and a wealth of content.
The game features a charming art style, diverse races, and engaging mechanics that keep players hooked for hours.
Highly replayable with a robust random map generator and a variety of spells and units to explore.

The game can be frustrating due to AI inconsistencies and a steep difficulty curve, especially in the early game.
Technical issues such as crashes and black screens on launch have been reported, causing frustration for players.
Some players find the interface cumbersome and the graphics dated, which can detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
68%
3%
The gameplay of "Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic" is praised for its depth and variety, featuring engaging mechanics that blend kingdom management, hero leveling, and tactical combat. The introduction of new races and the shadow realm adds fresh dynamics, enhancing the overall experience, although some players note that the interface can be counter-intuitive and the difficulty may stem more from game mechanics than actual challenge. Overall, it offers a nostalgic yet polished turn-based strategy experience that keeps players invested for hours.
- “Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic continues to delight fans of the series with its superb gameplay and exciting new additions.”
- “This is not just an expansion but almost a new game, offering a wealth of new opportunities and deep, engaging gameplay.”
- “With its highly varied gameplay, mesmerizing atmosphere, gorgeous soundtrack, and overall polish, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a hypnotizing game so absorbing that it made the world around me dissolve away.”
- “And yet also utterly despising some of the unbelievably brutal campaign mechanics, which I suspect would be the main appeal to most people considering buying this.”
- “Later on, being able to reach the point where you can even call yourself stabilized, much less 'broken' the mission, becomes so unbelievably hard that unless you abuse certain mechanics the game doesn't tell you outright (the AI has faults even at higher difficulties), you're just going to get curbstomped to oblivion.”
- “Counter-intuitive, messed up interface, subpar graphics (game looks like 1996 at best, screens are misleading), very arbitrary game mechanics (all your units are blind and miss most of the time), the game is fairly simple, turn-based strategy.”
story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
79%
4%
The story of "Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic" centers around the emergence of shadow demons and the syron races, offering a mix of traditional gameplay and new mechanics that enhance the experience. While some players find the narrative simplistic and the voice acting lacking, many appreciate the engaging plot and the flexibility of custom campaigns. Overall, the campaign is seen as a significant addition to the series, though it may not reach the narrative depth of its predecessor, "Age of Wonders II."
- “The plot is what kept me interested and playing after facing the annoyance of turn-based for the first time.”
- “The graphics are nice, the storyline interesting, allies, neutrals, and foes have plenty to say, lots to find on each map, and at times, it can be quite hard.”
- “The story is simplistic and usually consists of traditional gameplay, except you get some voice acting.”
- “[*] weak story with bad voice acting”
- “The main story focuses on a new threat, the shadow demons, as you play as so-called 'wizards' in an attempt to stop this alien-like threat.”
graphics
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
60%
6%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming, classic pixel art style that has aged reasonably well, evoking nostalgia for many players. While some reviews note that the visuals can appear dated and occasionally suffer from glitches, the overall aesthetic is still appreciated for its vibrant colors and artistic fantasy elements. Despite the graphical limitations, many players find that the engaging gameplay and immersive campaign experience overshadow any visual shortcomings.
- “Whether you're playing the campaign or a generated map, the world is beautifully detailed in a classic pixel art style and scored with an iconic orchestral soundtrack.”
- “I must also mention the beautiful old-school hand-painted sprite graphics.”
- “The graphics have a very artistic fantasy aesthetic to them that I really enjoy to look at; also, this game has a campaign and randomly generated scenarios which allows for high replayability.”
- “Sadly it seems to run on my machine only without Direct3D activated, which means you lose a lot of graphic quality.”
- “For me, the outdated graphics and gameplay along with it only enlarging not scaling up to fit today's screen, and the audio balance issues just made it a non-starter in my book.”
- “I couldn't get into this one; I think mainly from the graphics and interface or something about the overall look and feel.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
43%
10%
The music in the game is widely praised for its orchestral soundtrack, which enhances the beautifully detailed pixel art and immersive gameplay. Many players find the soundtrack to be exceptional, with some considering it their favorite, although a few note it doesn't quite match the quality of the original game. Overall, the combination of engaging music and varied gameplay contributes significantly to the game's captivating atmosphere.
- “High marks for sheer content and variety, combined with engaging deep gameplay, and beautiful art and music.”
- “With its highly varied gameplay, mesmerizing atmosphere, gorgeous soundtrack and overall polish, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a hypnotizing game so absorbing that it made the world around me dissolve away.”
- “Hugely fun and innovative yet simple game with a fantastical musical score that will keep you entertained for hours.”
- “The music is nowhere near as fine as in the original game, which is unfortunate but it happens.”
- “Then restart the game and listen (in case you get a black screen but can hear music that will be fine, so force close the game once again this time..).”
- “All bound together in a generic, D&D-inspired high fantasy setting (dwarfs and elves abound) imbued with a sense of weight and drama thanks to a soundtrack far better than it has any right to be.”
replayability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
22%
11%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, with features like extensive customization, random scenarios, and modpacks contributing to its near-infinite replay value. Players appreciate the random map generator and additional layers that enhance gameplay options, making it stand out among turn-based games in terms of content and replayability. Overall, the combination of artistic graphics and diverse gameplay elements ensures a highly engaging experience that encourages repeated playthroughs.
- “It has near infinite replayability.”
- “Endless replayability.”
- “Additionally, the random map allows for additional 'layers' (underground and shadow realm) that maximize on some of the races' inherent abilities, adding more options and replayability.”
- “There aren't a lot of turn-based games that can outdo this game in terms of content and replayability.”
- “Additionally, the random map allows for additional 'layers' (underground and shadow realm) that maximize some of the races' inherent abilities, adding more options and replayability.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players express that grinding in the game can be excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time to progress. However, the game compensates for this with a rich world full of exploration and discovery, despite some tedious elements like navigating between cities. Overall, while the grinding aspect can be a drawback, it is somewhat mitigated by the engaging gameplay experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Switching between cities is tedious (there's no 'next' button), making the grinding experience feel unnecessarily prolonged.”
- “The grinding aspect takes away from the enjoyment of the game, as it feels like a chore rather than an engaging activity.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the optimization of Aow 3 is praised for its fluid performance and stability, with users reporting no crashes. However, some players suggest adjusting full screen optimizations in the compatibility settings to resolve potential launch issues.
- “AOW 3 is a pleasant game to play with fluid performance, and it doesn't feel monotonous or tiring. Well done, Triumph Studios!”
- “(Tip: you might want to check the box: 'Full Screen Optimizations Off' in the compatibility settings menu (advanced users) if you're still running into issues during the launch of the game's intro.)”
- “(Regarding performance)...never crashed either.”
- “(Tip: you might want to check the box: full screen optimizations off) in the compatibility settings menu (advanced users) if you're still running into issues during the launch of the game's intro.”
- “Aow 3 is a pleasant game to play, but it suffers from performance issues that can detract from the experience.”
- “The optimization in this game leaves much to be desired, as I frequently encounter lag and stuttering during gameplay.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features vibrant graphics but is marred by occasional glitches that can disrupt gameplay, particularly in multiplayer scenarios. While the overall experience is enjoyable, players may encounter stability issues that can lead to frustrating freezes.
- “The game offers some pleasant graphics and really vibrant colors, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
- “Sure, you can break that spell, but it'll set you back, so maybe don't and hope someone else will before everything freezes.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere in "Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic" is described as sublime and mesmerizing, enhanced by a gorgeous soundtrack and a highly polished presentation. The game's random map generator ensures each scenario feels unique, while the engaging AI adds depth to the experience, making it so immersive that players often lose track of their surroundings.
- “The atmosphere is sublime, the random map generator is perfect (every single scenario will feel totally different), the AI plays incredibly well (and cheats a lot) and it is ready to exchange spells or forge alliances.”
- “With its highly varied gameplay, mesmerizing atmosphere, gorgeous soundtrack and overall polish, Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a hypnotizing game so absorbing that it made the world around me dissolve away.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be somewhat ironic, as it is recommended primarily for those who have not experienced its predecessor, Age of Wonders 2. This suggests a self-referential quality to the humor, highlighting the game's unique position as an expansion rather than a standalone title.
- “It was originally an expansion pack to Age of Wonders 2, and the funny thing is that I would only recommend this if you haven't played that.”

89%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

PC Review - 'Age Of Wonders: Shadow Magic'
Worthplaying.com
89%

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80h Median play time

80h Average play time

80-80h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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PC Review - 'Age Of Wonders: Shadow Magic'

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