Imagine ruling your own kingdom full of heroes, wizards, marauding monsters, and spells. This simulation allows you to create and manage a fantasy medieval kingdom. Your goal is to lead the land of Ardania by carefully building an economically viable kingdom, protecting your people from villains, and guiding your heroes to victory.
There are different ways to play the game -- you can opt to embark on one of 19 epic quests with predefined scenarios, each rated at different difficulty levels, or choose Freestyle Scenarios.
As the ruler of the kingdom, a player must strategically construct buildings, recruit and reward heroes, and protect their henchmen (including the very important Tax Collectors, palace guards, and peasants). As players advance in the game, they learn that simply constructing buildings, for example, is not enough. They must be upgraded and refined, protected, and repaired when they inevitably amass some damage.
Strategy is very crucial to the game, and players must think of all angles. Striking a balance is all-important, and considering and valuing all levels of the kingdom is crucial as well. For example, buildings should be placed strategically. If they are spaced too far apart, they are harder to defend and Tax Collectors (so crucial to the economics of the kingdom) will take longer to complete their rounds and thus are left too vulnerable. There are 30 different unique buildings, or guilds, that can be constructed, and each has its own strategic benefits. Libraries, for example, are required for developing and researching different spells and skills.
Players must recruit heroes and attempt to guide them by placing incentives in the form of "Reward Flags" throughout the kingdom. Some reality is interjected here, because though most heroes are intelligent, they do have minds of their own and are motivated by different goals and desires. Special artificial intelligence allows heroes to make their own decisions! A good ruler must learn about the behavioral differences between his/her heroes. There are 16 different hero classes altogether, each with their own temperament. For example, Warriors of Discord are not as bright as Wizards; Rogues are loyal only to their desire for wealth, whereas Paladins are less likely to be swayed by large amounts of gold. Heroes' skill levels increase the more experiences they have, and their skills can be improved and refined by taking part in tournaments (archery, magic, etc.) in the fairgrounds, or by purchasing upgrades. Rulers (or sovereigns) must attempt to influence their heroes to either explore or attack by setting Reward Flags that offer user-defined values for the rewards of gold.
Beware of monsters and villains that include giant rats, skeletons, trolls, menacing Rock Golems, and fire-breathing dragons. There are over 30 different kinds of monsters all set on destroying and ravaging the kingdom's inhabitants, and each with distinct characteristics.
Marketplaces are the main cash cows of the kingdom and must be protected accordingly. Spells, potions, and assorted magic play a big part in the kingdom. Heroes can cast spells and will make the decisions to do so on their own, but the ruler is empowered with the ability to cast sovereign spells -- for a price in gold, of course. Heroes can even be resurrected from the dead with specific spells.
Freestyle Scenarios allow players to build and play random situations, or create their own customized scenarios.
Multiplayer options add new dimensions to this simulation. For example, one player's heroes, blinded by greed, can end up responding to another player's Reward Flags, or show their disloyalty by spending money in other players' buildings. Up to 4 kingdoms can occupy a map. Each player starts with their own palace. Multiplayer options include modem to modem, LAN, or Internet through the MSN Gaming Zone.
Depending on the difficulty of the scenario selected, there are quite a few details to attend to. Players learn to weigh and balance different factors in order to safeguard their community and build a viable and lucrative kingdom. Testers had great fun working through the different scenarios and especially enjoyed watching their subjects do their own thing, then devising plans and incentives that would help influence their heroes to do what they wanted them to do! They also liked the fact that once a quest is complete (i.e., victorious conditions have been achieved), they could continue playing the game, exploring, building, and conquering.
Parents should be aware that there is some animated violence in this title, and that Majesty revolves around themes like magic and resurrection.
