Dark Legions, The Download (2004 Strategy Game)

Strategy 3: The Dark Legions is a real-time strategy game that plays just like Warcraft3 and Age of Empires, maybe a little too similar. But what the heck, ain't Warcraft 3 and Age of Empires the best of their kind? Expect Strategy 3 to be a masterpiece, a champion in the freeware scene.

Gameplay is very similar to Warcraft 3 and AoE. Fans of these games will find the controls of Strategy 3 to be very familiar. Especially where Warcraft 3 is concerned, most of its concepts have been used here. Even the loading screen looks like the one in Warcraft2. While Strategy 3 won't score points for originality, the 'Warcrafish' gameplay already makes up for it.

The author has actually bothered to make this game 3D! It all depends on personal taste. I found the graphics to be good, clean and easy on the eyes, but some will comment that they are a little too dull and shabby. The details in this game are also commendable. Units really move and work. You can also see the progress of the buildings being worked on.

The sound is clear and good. There is a lack of music which I think could improve the game's atmosphere especially for an RTS like this.

While Strategy 3 is almost a flawless masterpiece (in freeware standards of course), the game is very buggy. Expect plenty of crashes during the game. The lack of a save feature makes things even worse. And pressing the Esc button will immediately exit the game without any prompting.

Summing it up, a must download.

The Dark Legions sets players on an epic quest of good against evil, as they command their hero and amass their army towards the ultimate battle. Players can train men-at-arms and archers in combat techniques, invest time in new technologies to sway the balance on the battlefield, or build huge siege engines of destruction, to bring walls crashing down. Take to the seas for naval combat, as players Admiral their fleets or conjure the ultimate magic spell to vanquish foes.

The game features realistic 3D environment, 18 unique units and 13 buildings, different terrain themes and weather, random game up to eight players.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

People who downloaded Dark Legions, The have also downloaded:
Dawn of Discovery, Dark Reign 2, Command & Conquer: Generals, East Front 2, Defender of the Crown: Heroes Live Forever, Dark Reign: Rise of the Shadowhand, Dark Planet: Battle for Natrolis, Defenders of Ardania