Warlock 2: The Exiled Reviews
Warlock 2 is an incredible well crafted game that is easy to bury hours into. Like any other good strategy game it can take some time to find the right strategy that will suit your play style, but that process of discovery is what makes these games so enticing.
A player can be defeated quickly, especially when using a higher difficulty setting and seeding the map with more monsters, and there's a feeling of challenge that other similar titles fail to deliver.
Island-hopping in a fantasy world felt new to me, and this builds upon the already engaging strategy that exits in Warlock. The Exiled gives the series something akin to a true campaign mode, and I'm eager to give it a try with different Great Mages, different leader perks, and different factions. I do hope that in further updates — the original Warlock received a number of expansions — Ino-Co crafts some truly interesting factions. But even if the developer doesn't, I trust the mod community to come up with some spectacular homebrewed content. Even giant turtle killers. Score: 82/100 Warlock 2: The Exiled is out now for PC. The publisher provided GamesBeat with a Steam Early Access code for the purposes of this review.
A TBS with a sense of humor doesn't come along every day. Don't mistake light-hearted for light-headed, however - "Warlock 2: The Exiled" is a solid, if limited, game. It can provide hours of fun in an attractive package without overwhelming the player with detail.
Warlock II might take place in a silly universe where narrators like to impersonate Sean Connery and kingdoms are ruled by regal rats or chatting skeletons, but Ino-Co has taken its construction very seriously. It's exactly what a sequel should be, keeping the spirit of the original but improving every aspect.
Warlock 2 is definitely a step in the right direction – it takes everything that was good about the first game, and refines it a bit, while also leaving the original experience intact. I wish they'd done more to make this seem like a proper sequel, over the "Warlock 1 done right" vibe that I get from it at times, but seeing as in this is a digital only release it's possible their budget wasn't amazing.
Warlock 2: The Exiled is a solid war-focused 4X strategy game with fantastic presentation. For newcomers to the series, it's accessible but with a depth to the strategy that's going to take you a few playthroughs to master. To fans of the first game, whether it's worth buying depends upon how much you are looking for a new and unique way to play games in this genre. If the new Exiled mode sounds intriguing then the game has a lot to offer with the potential of user created campaigns to follow. If, however, you prefer the more traditional game mode then there's not a great deal new here to tempt you.
An entertaining and efficient strategy game that improves on its predecessor—just not all that much.
Warlock 2 is an interesting game. Fulfilling quests and establishing a foothold in new worlds is satisfying but the city-building side of the title is disappointingly limited and holds you back more often than it makes things interesting. However, if you want a strategy with a greater sense of progress and purpose, or just an interesting alternative to Sid Meier's output, it's well worth a look.
Warlock 2 is a strong sequel that deftly builds on the solid foundation of its predecessor. Unfortunately, not all of its ideas are fully realized.
Warlock II: The Exiled is a game that stands on the shoulders of its predecessor rather than blazing a trail, but that's okay. What Ino-Co have given us here is an incredibly solid, hex-based strategy title that provides a great entry point to the series (and the genre, to be honest), with enough here to keep fans engaged for several thousand turns.
Despite offering very little in new ideas or revolutionary gameplay, Warlock II is a decent game. There are only a few things that drag it down such as the minor technical hiccups and the confusing story, but the solid gameplay and decent visuals just about salvage the experience. If you liked the first game or need something to scratch that Civilisation itch then this will make you very happy indeed – just don't say I didn't warn you about the giant turtles.
Warlock 2 offers a lot of options for a fantasy strategy fan, and the Exiled Mode is fun the first time, but there's something missing in the formula to make it a truly memorable game.
Warlock 2 is a smart and appropriately chaotic strategy game which really feels as though it has an identity of its own, rather than being made up of borrowed parts (er, other than its own).