Akella is insistent that you see Disciples III as an adult game. Its world is darker and grittier than what you would find in the world’s most popular RPG, World of Warcraft. And it’s not “cartoonish” like its rival in fantasy turn-based strategy, Heroes of Might and Magic. No, this is a game with shadows, portents and elves that are more dangerous than the tree-huggers of other RPGs.

The insistence is rather unnecessary. Even though it has been half a decade since the last chapter in Disciples II, the series itself is familiar to most gamers. Disciples III keeps the lion’s share of the gameplay but makes small changes along the way, trying to breathe new life into a fading franchise.

Some of the big changes are in how it looks. Disciples III is three dimensional and rich in the dull greys and golds of royalty. The interface and in game documentation are much improved. Upgrading your heroes with new items changes how they look on screen. After battles end, you will get a complete report on how far you have progressed to the next level and who was doing the most damage.

The most dramatic change is in the battle screen itself. Disciples has traditionally used grids that separated front and rear ranks, but little else to make a battle look like a battle. Akella is now moving to a hex grid system, so the battles unfold like mini-war games with units running around to flank weak characters or isolate the vulnerable from attack. In a nod to the fantasy setting, some battle maps will have power nodes that can be used to increase the abilities of any character standing on them. Magic nodes, for example, will give a wizard greater destructive power.