Overlord
Preview
This game shows you first-hand what corruption is!
by Marcus Mulkins
previewed on PC
"I Need A (Anti)Hero!"
Why, why, why, WHY, WHY, WHY must it be that "Absolute power corrupts absolutely?" Why must it be that when a person is given power over others, such that he is in control of their destiny, that he will invariably become a callous, self-serving SOB that tosses aside people's lives like they were used tissues? If you worked for Triumph Studios or Codemasters, apparently the answer is, "Because it's fun!" And being fun, using, abusing, and disposing of nameless NPC's is entertainment and therefore a good thing. And the more gruesome, the more comical the manner of demise, the more entertainment there is to be had.
The game is Overlord (due out in the summer of 2007), and in a subtle way, that's the first bit of evil the creators of the game throw the consumers' way. For those lacking in history, the actual name of the D-Day Normandy invasion was "Operation Overlord", and there are umpteen games already in existence that have "Overlord" in the title. But this game is not that Overlord. This Overlord is someone born to the job - literally - of being the Top Dog, the Big Boss, Head Honcho, the pick-the-label-of-your-choice ruler of a fantasy world. Trouble is, he appears on the scene with a major case of amnesia.
He is your epitome of the tabula rasa, a blank slate, and it is up to you to decide what kind of ruler he will be. Apparently, you are the successor of the last Overlord; how he came to be the last Overlord is never explained, nor how he ascended to the pinnacle of power as an evil tyrant before someone put him out of their misery. Whatever the reason, you are now in charge of the remnants of his seriously diminished country/nation/empire/whatever, and it will be your task to take control of everything you see. To aid you in your task you have as your main and ultimate resource The Minions, a species of imps that are deliberately reminiscent of the little mischief makers in the movie "Gremlins". These cute (in a warped sort of way) little buggers have decided that you are the reincarnation of the last Overlord, to whom they were completely and slavishly devoted. They will not hesitate (though they will grumble) to sacrifice their lives to satisfy your slightest whim. [Gee, it hard to find good help like that these days!] Unfortunately, from the point of view of your ethical choices, Minions are not replenished in the usual manner. In this game, you replenish and augment your little army by converting souls into Minions. That means that if you want more troops, somebody has got to die. If you're passive, settle for the demise of your opponents, but if you want to be proactive, you need to sacrifice the lives of people who haven't necessarily done you any wrong. Need a quick recruitment boost? Strap some TNT to some Minions and send them into a village square packed with peasants: lose a couple Minions, but gain a LOT more.
"He’s Not Evil; He’s Just Misunderstood!"
"Antihero protagonists always run the risk of alienating the audience," says Triumph Studios director Lennart Sas. "Not many people can identify with Xemublebub, the five-legged netherworld demon that eats roasted babies for breakfast. Overlord gradually eases the player into their role." Apparently, the solution to make the concept of pure evil appealing is humor. "The humor comes from the Minions doing all sorts of crazy stuff in the situations they find themselves in," says Sas. Rather than taking their inspiration from Evil protaganist games like Dungeon Keeper, the designers focused more on movies like Gremlins and Labyrinth.
