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T-Rexes aren’t the only twist that Dinolords puts on medieval strategyThou bred raptors?
Thou bred raptors?
Image credit:Ghost Ship Publishing
Image credit:Ghost Ship Publishing
“Age of Empireswith dinosaurs” is, the developers of theDinolordsrecently told me in a cramped Gamescom booth, a flattering description for their upcoming England vs. Vikingsaurus RTS. It’s also not a terribly accurate one. From what I saw of the game,Dinolordsis more about the lords than the dinos, having as much in common withDiablo-style ARPGs as it does with classicstrategy. And that’s a distinction which might just elevate it out of novelty status.
Technically, y’see, you only ever really control the one noble dude, who’s been put in charge of defending the kingdom after those sly Danes fished out some living dinosaurs from the Greenland ice fields. You push him around, deploy abilities from his little ARPG hotbar, and most crucially, will only ever see the world from the isometric camera locked permanently onto his bonce. You still order the construction of buildings and castle ramparts, and give orders to amassed troop units in defence against the bitey horde – it still plays very much like an RTS in that sense – but your perspective never shifts.
This might, understandably, vex strategy veterans who’ve spent decades having full control of their god’s eye view. But when the time comes to battle, the genre-blending does produce something distinct, if more than a little hectic. When the Vikings come into view, they’re practically already at the gates, and mucking in yourself with sword and bow attacks is as vital as bossing the underlings around.
Image credit:Ghost Ship Publishing
To fit the tighter perspective, and altogether more hands-on approach to fighting, the command-giving is simplified in seemingly clever and intuitive ways. Giving a specific order to multiple units involves holding down a specific key, free-mousing over the desired soldiers, then releasing; a sequence that can be completed in a blink and requires no additional menus. And while you shouldn’t expect grandiose, full army warfare, there’s still scope for individual moments of tactical trickery.
Enemy raptors can also scale the walls of your town, munching on archers as they go, while Danish T-rexes are apparently bred to specialise in destroying static defences. They’re not just here for laughs, in other words: each dino breed presents a distinct tactical challenge that you’ll need to plan for and counter in different ways, and while your lord is strong, he’s also not quite enough of a Diablo-tier godkiller that you can ignore your more traditionally RTS-y units.
Image credit:Ghost Ship Publishing
Similarly, I find the RTS/ARPG hybrid of Dinolord’s battling more appealing than I normally would for a pure strategy game. Obviously if everything thought this, the genre wouldn’t exist, but I’ve personally never clicked with the likes of Total War (or, indeed,Age of Empires) because I like the feeling of direct action in games, and watching all the tiny men doing the actual action seems more like helpful influence at best. Having my very own lord to throw into the fray could be what bridges that gap.
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