The original Overlord burst onto the scene in 2007 and I think it’s fair to say that it took most of us by surprise.  I remember the demo appearing on Xbox Live Marketplace and for some reason I thought I wouldn’t like it but I decided to download the thing and give it a chance.  I was left feeling very impressed by what I saw in the demo and described it to others as an interesting cross between Fable and Pikmin.  I looked forward to the full game, it provided much more of what I loved about the demo, and I wasn’t disappointed.  When this inevitable sequel was announced the one hope I had was that the wise words “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” were heeded and that we’d be presented with more of the same.

Don’t get me wrong, Overlord certainly wasn’t flawless, as with many games of its type the camera proved to be a bit of a pain in the ass.  I’d love to report that the camera issues have been put to rest but I can’t do that.  The problem I have is that you constantly need to press the left trigger to reposition the camera behind your character.  I don’t take issue with the camera angle itself, at least no more than with almost every game since the start of the 3D era, I just feel that a fixed camera behind your character would have avoided the disorienting spinning motion.

For those who have yet to experience Overlord it borrows the system of group helpers of Pikmin and adds the cartoon charm of Fable.  In place of the alien plants you control in Pikmin are minion creatures which look a lot like Gremlins.  Instead of being gentle and kind-hearted like Pikmin’s plant-life your minions are chaotic and blood-thirsty – but in a good way.  The art and feel is similar to that of Fable with its charming caricatures and comical moments.  One such moment happens quite early in the game when you blow open the doors to re-enter your childhood village and the resulting on-screen text is something like “you blew the bloody doors off”.  Quoting The Italian Job for the win!

One new addition is the ability for your overlord to have multiple wenches, or “wives” as some mortals like to call them, and this means even more saucy banter than in the first game.  You can now have mounts for your minions and watching them ride around on the back of wolves is a pretty great sight.  The basic premises are intact including the ability to sacrifice some minions to forge new and improved weapons and purchasing upgrades for your tower.  At various points in the game you’ll be presented with a choice of either Destruction or Domination which amounts to killing or enslavement.

If you enjoyed the first Overlord game then this will be right up your street and I recommend this to anyone who thinks it would be a good idea to cause a bit of mischief in a fantasy realm.  If on the other hand you played the first game and it wasn’t your type of thing you should stay clear of this one as it’s very much more of the same.  I think it’s nice to play a game in which you can flex your dark side but in a pleasant and humorous kind of way.

8.5/10

Other TTB Posts Like This One

• Review: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (PS3)
• Review: Fight Night Round 4 (Xbox 360)
• Review: Guitar Hero Metallica Solus (Xbox 360)
• Review: Ghostbusters (PS3)
• Review: Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)