A Game of Dwarves is a fantasy city-building management sim in the same vein as old Bullfrog classics like Dungeon Keeper and Theme Hospital. In AGoD, you administer a clan of dwarves on a grand quest to rediscover ancient secrets of the old civilization and defeat a group of evil mages along the way. The game is developed by Swedish ZEAL Game Studio, who are quickly proving themselves aA Game of Dwarves is a fantasy city-building management sim in the same vein as old Bullfrog classics like Dungeon Keeper and Theme Hospital. In AGoD, you administer a clan of dwarves on a grand quest to rediscover ancient secrets of the old civilization and defeat a group of evil mages along the way. The game is developed by Swedish ZEAL Game Studio, who are quickly proving themselves a force to be reckoned with in the PC gaming industry with solid releases like this year's Starvoid and 2011's acclaimed arcade puzzler Dwarfs?!
Although AGoD may, at a glance, bring to mind Bay 12's cerebral masterpiece Dwarf Fortress, allow me to begin by dispelling that notion: AGoD is not DF with graphics. There simply is no comparison to be made between the two, other than the fact that both games have dwarves in them. If you buy into AGoD expecting the depth, breadth, and weight of DF, expect to be hugely disappointed. If, however, you can recognize the true inspiration behind AGoD and you enjoyed those old Bullfrog classics as much as I, strap on that mining helmet and get ready for a real treat.
So I've established that AGoD has dwarves in it. If you don't know what dwarves are by now, then you've probably been living under a rock for the past decade (or over a rock, as the case may be). Dwarves are short, stout, frequently grumpy creatures who live underground and enjoy mining the earth for shiny things. They love digging, they love hoarding gold, they love building grand structures, and they love to fight. Your task, as Prince, is to tend to your clan as they go about their daily lives doing all of these things.
Digging and fighting isn't all dwarves are about, though. There are several job classes your dwarves can be assigned to, including workers to harvest food, builders to craft furniture, and scholars to research new technologies. You begin each level with a predetermined number of rotund candidates, and it's up to you to decide who needs to do what. Orders are given indirectly, meaning that when you place a new table, a craftsman dwarf will eventually make his way over and build it for you. Some dwarves will do things autonomously: Fighters will hone their skills on practice dummies (if you've built any for them), and workers will harvest food and replant crops without needing direct orders to do so. All administration by the player is handled at a macro level, although you can teleport dwarves directly to their destination should the need arise. This allows the player to focus his energies more on the exploration and discovery aspects of the game. Each map is rife with procedurally-generated mineral goodness, and the only way you can find the shiniest stuff is to search for it. Along with the gold and stone staples, your dwarves will eventually discover more rare elements that can be sold at high prices or used to craft advanced furniture and structures to ensure your clan's survival in the dangerous depths.
The dangers of digging too far beneath the earth are well-documented throughout fantasy literature. Orcs, goblins, gnomes, and evil moles await the poor unsuspecting digger dwarf at every turn, and you'll want a decent squad of warrior dwarves to keep everyone safe. From hammer-wielding shieldbreakers to bare-knuckled berserkers to dynamite-tossing grenadiers, there are plenty of roles your fighters can specialize in. In stark contrast to all this variety, combat in AGoD is unfortunately a rather uninspiring affair and occurs too infrequently to satisfy a player seeking lots of action in his dwarf game. Monsters dwell in predetermined areas that are clearly marked on each map with question marks, mitigating any real sense of imminent danger. The traps that can be researched and constructed throughout your citadel, while nifty in theory, feel a little half-baked in practice and often don't warrant the trouble you have to go through to make them. The developer has already stated that these things will be addressed in future updates, but for now it's far more efficient to just use your military units.
Speaking of the developer, ZEAL is definitely trying to live up to their name. They are extremely active in the community, and we've already seen a patch and a hotfix with a much-requested game feature thrown in for good measure. As a rule, I don't rate games on potential; but the eagerness and enthusiasm for AGoD exhibited by ZEAL thus far is borderline unprecedented, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this title. I would love to see it attain the cult status of its predecessors, but only time will tell. And for $10, I'm more than happy to participate!… Expand
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