Review: Overlord (X360)

Evil Pikmin? ...So what? It is a whole lot of fun being an Overlord.

For: At last a chance to be bad; minions are a lot of fun; lots of British humour
Against: Gets repetitive later on; controls with multiple minion types is fiddly

Having been a fan of Pikmin on the GameCube, I recognised the inspiration for Overlord the moment I fired up the demo. Pikmin was a great game, and using it as the basis of a "Dungeon Keeper" style role reversal was inspired. It works a treat and provides us with something that is both familiar but also completely different.

The fantasy role-switch to anti-hero allows lots of opportunities for playing with the fantasy genre - for example, nasty hobbits, vindictive elves, and aggressive sheep. The environments, characters and missions are all recognisable clichés injected with satire and humour.

The graphics are good with a commendable attention to detail. The character animations, particularly of the minions, are superb with some unique environment interactions. Look out for the items the minions collect and use for weapons and armour - especially when you encounter the zombies.

If I have one criticism of Overlord, it is that the button mapping and controls sometimes let down the otherwise enjoyable gameplay. Once you are used to it, it is not bad, but you may find that the controls result in you failing several times verses the later bosses.

Overlord is a welcome change of pace from driving and shooting games, and is a worthy purchase for the gameplay and humour alone.

8/10