Being bad will soon feel ever so good again as Codemasters today confirmed that the Minions will return this summer, complete with a new master, in Overlord II, Triumph Studios’ sequel to the 1 million+ selling, delightfully despotic, twisted fantasy action adventure.
Taking the ‘be evil or really evil’ theme to terrific new heights of tyranny, gamers were today introduced to the new Overlord and his powers of destruction and domination in the first Overlord II gameplay video.
In Overlord II, the new Overlord and a more powerful Minions horde take on the Glorious Empire, an advanced Romanesque nation, in a truly epic yet familiarly warped adventure. Ever since the events at the end of Overlord: Raising Hell, the Overlord has been absent from the world and, without his firm grip on the kingdom, the lands have being conquered by the Glorious Empire. On the surface, the Glorious Empire is a civilisation driven by righteous politicians and supported with a mighty military force. However, in practice the Empire is decadent, corrupt and dangerous. And if there's one thing the Glorious Empire hates, it's magic and magical beings.
As the game opens, the Empire’s Inquisition is on the hunt for anyone who has magical resonance. In the Arctic wastelands, where Yetis roam, lies the snowy town of Nordberg. Here a young lad is singled out by the Inquisition and accused of possessing a magical force (what with him having strange glowing eyes and everything). However, as he is led off, the Empire guards come under attack from a band of strange little leathery, big-eared, yellow-eyed beasts: it’s the Minions! With a rousing cry of “Master” the devilishly charming critters carry the boy off – they’ve found their new Overlord.
After some years of intensive Minion training, players will step into the now-adult sized boots of the Overlord. Initially it’s a rag-tag band of Minions under his command but off they go, looting, destroying and laying waste to the lands around Nordberg, scoring victories where they can, before setting sights on the lands at the very heart of the Empire.
As the Overlord’s powers grow, the secrets of the Empire, and those of his own origins, will be revealed and then it’s time to go Minion maximus on the Empire’s collective ass. Players will be able to choose how to wield the Overlord’s evil forces. Do they plunder and pillage across the lands, burn cities on a whim in wild acts of destruction? Or do they follow a path of domination, enslaving towns and exerting their will upon the people? Only true despots will be able to make the ultimate choice between being a ‘destructive’ or a ‘dominating’ dark lord.
“Overlord II empowers players to enact their evil will in either a dominating or destructive way,” explains Lennart Sas, Creative Director, Triumph Studios. “Play as a ‘dominating’ Overlord and villages and people will fall under your command with rewards and benefits coming over time as you have them do your bidding. Follow a ‘destructive' route and you’ll become a demonic Lord of chaos, obliterating anything that stands in your way. For example, if you need to take a boat from one area to the next, are you evil enough to trigger global warming, melt the ice caps, so that you create your own private sea to sail across? Well, are you? It’ll be fun finding out.”
Prepare to face the Glorious Empire in Overlord II – the game that puts the laughter into slaughter – coming this summer for the PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games For Windows.