Etherlords II
- February 13, 2014
- Nival
- 50h median play time
Get on Steam"Etherlords II" is a fantasy turn-based strategy game with single-player and multiplayer features. The game offers role-playing and adventure elements, allowing you to lead your hero through five campaigns and summon various creatures to aid in battle. Multiplayer options include co-op battles via the internet and a round robin elimination tournament with random sets of cards. If you enjoy strategic challenges and trading-card games, this is an exciting choice.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a deep and engaging card-based combat system with a variety of strategies and deck-building options.
- It evokes strong nostalgia for players who enjoyed it in their childhood, with many finding it just as enjoyable years later.
- The voice acting and character design add charm to the game, enhancing the overall experience.
- The game suffers from significant balance issues, particularly in the early stages where some enemies can feel overwhelmingly powerful.
- The user interface and controls are outdated, making navigation and deck management cumbersome.
- The multiplayer aspect is largely non-functional due to the server being down, limiting the game's replayability.
- gameplay56 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay is deeply engaging, drawing comparisons to popular card games like Magic: The Gathering and Hearthstone, with a complex system that includes unique mechanics and roleplay elements. While there is a learning curve, especially for newcomers, players appreciate the strategic depth and variety in enemy decks, which often present puzzle-like challenges. Despite some outdated graphics and minor technical issues, the overall experience is enjoyable, with a strong emphasis on deck-building and tactical gameplay.
“A deep system, four races each with their own fully developed plotline plus a final plotline that ties everything together that only unlocks when you have done all the others, truly original gameplay.”
“The gameplay is a real good challenge, an entertaining strategy game where you're always trying to build your deck to get better, but also a game where defeat is usually just the perfect chance to get better.”
“Solid gameplay, and pretty fun if you're into the whole turn-based strategy game genre.”
“The gameplay between the fights I would hardly call gameplay.”
“It could be a truly great game but there are some annoying mechanics, most annoying of which is the opponents' rat's tenacity ability (which pretty much every rat opponent has), and works ~90% of the time for them.”
“As the whole mechanics and graphics are pretty much outdated.”
- graphics34 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, showing signs of age with low resolution and quality, yet they maintain a certain charm that doesn't detract significantly from the overall enjoyment. While some players find the visuals to be a hurdle, others appreciate the solid gameplay mechanics and animations, noting that the game still runs well on modern systems despite its graphical limitations. Overall, the graphics may not impress by contemporary standards, but they are deemed acceptable for a game of its age.
“16 years since its initial release, it still has awesome graphics and an exciting online duel multiplayer mode.”
“Overall, a well-made game with good graphics and fun to play.”
“The game may not have the most current graphics, but there is a charm to older figure-style games.”
“Once you get past the horrific graphics, the gameplay is decent.”
“- Outdated visuals all around, low resolution, low quality; it heavily shows its age here.”
“Don't expect much from graphics as they are the same from the original back in '98.”
- story30 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story of Etherlords 2 is generally considered decent but somewhat generic, with many players finding it unengaging despite its potential depth for a card-based game. Voice acting is often described as goofy, detracting from the overall narrative experience. While the game offers a rich card game mechanic and improved balance over its predecessor, the storyline does not captivate all players, leading to mixed feelings about its overall impact.
“In the early 2000s, I would rate this game a 10/10 for anybody interested in magic or other card games, as Etherlords 2 offered an amazing card game experience with animations, sounds, and a story.”
“Its an amazing story and great mechanics, but the thing I loved most was the monsters.”
“You have 18 (or 16, can't remember) spell/card slots and as you progress through the story, you build your deck.”
“The story itself is a bit generic and mostly I just skipped through.”
“A decent but not amazing storyline.”
“It also doesn't help the story that most characters have less than average voice acting.”
- music10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, with many players describing it as "fire" and enjoyable, particularly the battle themes. Overall, it contributes positively to the game's atmosphere and is a standout feature for many users.
“My favorite thing about this game is the characters and music.”
“I can't help but jam to all of the battle music except the kinets.”
“The music is fire as far as I am concerned.”
“Music 8”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs and crashes, particularly on modern systems like Windows 8.1. Multiplayer experiences are also problematic, with players facing constant disconnections and a lack of available users on master servers.
“Multiplayer is kind of buggy too; some people get disconnected constantly, and there aren't many players on the master servers.”
“Now it is not properly compatible with modern systems like Windows 8.1 - very buggy, and a single pop-up can disrupt your game and make it crash.”
“Also buggy.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Despite the potential for variance in gameplay, the nonrandomized nature of the campaign significantly limits its replayability, leading to a consensus that players may not find much incentive to replay the game.
“With such variance should come replayability, but due to the nonrandomized nature of the campaign, the replayability isn't too great.”
- grinding4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, with battles feeling slow and drawn-out even when acceleration is maximized. The lengthy and repetitive nature of the tutorial further contributes to the overall sense of monotony.
“The battles are slow; even with maximum acceleration enabled, it can get very long and tedious.”
“The tutorial is very tedious to play.”
“The battles are slow; even with maximum acceleration enabled, it can get very long and tedious.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its hilarious voice acting and quirky monster designs, which are both entertaining and frustratingly challenging. Players find the absurdity of the monsters—who can resurrect and deal significant damage—adds a comedic layer to the gameplay, making it engaging for extended play sessions. Overall, the blend of humor and captivating mechanics enhances the gaming experience.
“Most details and especially the voice acting are hilarious, and the main mechanic is captivating enough to sink a few hours into it.”
“Some of their monsters are hilariously broken, as they're insultingly hard to kill (they usually just go hollow when you kill them, becoming a ghost but being able to return to life in exchange for mana or other resources), and some of them deal insane amounts of damage while also draining your HP.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised as exceptional, with multiple users highlighting its immersive and engaging qualities.
“Great atmosphere.”
“Great atmosphere.”
