SpellForce
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 SpellForce
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| Developer(s) | Phenomic Game Development[1] |
| Publisher(s) | Encore, Inc. (The Order of Dawn) JoWood productions[2] (The Breath of Winter, Shadow of the Phoenix (Europe), Gold Edition) |
| Version | 1.52 |
| Platform(s) | Windows XP, 98, 2000, ME |
| Release date |  2003-12-16 (The Order of Dawn)2004-06-25 (The Breath of Winter) |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy, RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | PEGI: 12+ ESRB: T |
| Media | DVD (1) or CD (2) (both same features) |
| System requirements | Pentium III 1 GHz CPU, 256MB RAM, 3D-Graphic card with 32 MB RAM, CD-ROM, DirectX9.0a or higher, 2 GB free fixed disk storage |
| Input methods | Keyboard, mouse |
SpellForce is a combination Real-time strategy and RPG game created by German game developers Phenomic.
The original game SpellForce: The Order of Dawn was followed by two expansions: SpellForce: The Breath of Winter (2004) and SpellForce: Shadow of the Phoenix (2005).
Gold Edition includes the first 2 games in the series, while Platinum Edition includes all 3 games.
A sequel, SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars was released in 2006.
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[edit] Gameplay
SpellForce focuses on the RPG elements of controlling an avatar, and on many levels the RTS elements of leading an army as well. The player begins by creating hero, called an avatar, and then selecting which character properties they want their avatar to begin with. Throughout the game, the player is lead though the main storyline, although there are also plenty of side-quests, that when successfully completed, usually grant experience and/or item rewards.
[edit] The Circle
The Circle, was the grouping of the 13 most powerful mages, from the corners of the world, that gathered together to explore and study magic. During their studies together, they vastly expanded their already considerable powers, and learnt to master the Allfire (known as Archfire in SpellForce2). This granted the Circle Mages immortality.
In their lust for power, they came across a book, left by the old gods, that taught about a ritual known as the Convocation.
[edit] The Convocation
SpellForce - The Order of Dawn, begins a few years after the Convocation. The Convocation was a ritual that would supposedly grant immense power. However something went wrong, and the world was left fractured, broken, and scattered. The only parts of the world that survived the Convocation, were those that were protected by magical towers that held the power of Aonir-the Star God.
[edit] Runes
The Circle, in all their power, commissioned Runestones, stones that encased the souls of warriors, who would be both immortal and bound to the will of their master. With the power of the Runestones, the Circle Mages could summon vast armies in a very short time and with little effort. Any Deaths would be meaningless as they could simply be re-summoned.
[edit] Story of The Order of Dawn
The story starts with the retired Circle servant Tahira, who reluctantly agrees to help a soldier find his lost companions and complete their objective, to find a powerful Runestone rumored to be somewhere nearby.
She finds the Runestone, rescues the missing soldiers, and hands over the Runestone to the soldiers who, unbeknownst to her, were serving Rohen Tahir, the last known surviving Circle Mage.
Rohen arrives, and takes the Runestone, finds an altar and summons the Runewarrior, who is both the protagonist, and the player's avatar in the game. He gives the Rune-Warrior his own Runestone, thereby freeing him from his slavery, and asks him to follow a scout to the nearby city where orders will be awaiting him. He then leaves the avatar and travels to the Wildland Pass, after receiving news that "creatures of black steel" are breaking through. The last thing Rohen says is "It has begun already"
The scout leads the avatar into an ambush from another, unknown mage. After freezing the avatar in ice, the mage talks about how Rohen is walking into a trap and refers to him as an "old fool", and tells the scout to kill the avatar, and deliver his secret message, locked with the spell that only a circle mage could break, before leaving. The scout however fails to kill the avatar, and the avatar begins his quest to save Rohen from his fate.
The avatar has many adventures along the way, but eventually he meets up with Rohen before any harm has come to him, however, Rohen, surprised to learn that another Circle Mage has survived, gives the avatar a book about the Convocation and tells him to deliver it, saying that only the power of the Phoenix Stone is enough to stop a Circle Mage.
Rohen then unlocks the chest, only to find it was trapped, both are left frozen, and the unknown Circle Mage kills Rohen, and tells the avatar to return to the Order of the Dawn to tell them of Rohen's death.
The avatar returns to the Order, and then begins his quest for the Phoenix Stone, and eventually finds this powerful artifact in ruins of Mulandir
The avatar is about to return with the Stone to the Order of the Dawn, when in an attempt to help the avatar, the army of the Order attacks the army of the unknown Circle Mage, and breach his line, the Order of the Dawn however, being almost destroyed in the process. The avatar uses this opportunity and pushes onwards towards the Circle Mage.
He however walks into a trap, and has the Phoenix Stone stolen from him. He continues his desperate pursuit of the Circle Mage, eventually fighting his way to the Circle Mage, who at last is revealed to be none other than a young version of Rohen himself, intent on attempting the Convocation again, sure that this time it will work for him. Rohen thanks the avatar for his hard work, and then, using the power of the Phoenix Stone, walks into a time-gate, that sends Rohen back into the past, years before the Convocation. We see an illustration of how time passes, with Rohen growing to be his mature self again, and we see him just before the Convocation, muttering to himself how his younger self, about to perform the Convocation, doesn't know what he is doing, and how he himself was a fool, which still refers to his younger version.
[edit] External links
- official website of phenomic
- official website of jowood
- official website
- Spellforce at MobyGames
- Spellforce (Gold Edition) at MobyGames
- SpellForce (Platinum Edition) at MobyGames
- SpellForce: The Breath of Winter at MobyGames
- SpellForce: Shadow of the Phoenix at MobyGames
- Chinese SpellForce press release
- Chinese SpellForce Platinum Edition press release
