Preview by: William Abner

I have to admit, the first thought that popped into my head when I started playing the preview build of Warlock: Master of the Arcane was: is this even legal?

The game looks and in many ways feels exactly like what you would expect out of a well-made Civilization V mod with fantasy units and lore replacing the historical figures of the original. The interface is mostly the same. The graphics tile layout looks the same. The way the city boundaries shape and contort as they expand looks the same. It’s absolutely stunning just how much was apparently “borrowed” from the design of Civ V when constructing Warlock.

While this may make the people at 2K and Firaxis think to themselves, “Come on, really?” as a turn based strategy gamer, it’s an easy oddity to get past. Who wouldn’t want a new fantasy backdrop to play a game that’s based on the Civilization V design? In a nutshell, that’s precisely what developer Ino-Co Plus is shooting for with this one.

If you have played Civ V you will easily be able to jump right in. The preview build was not polished, as there was a lot of placeholder artwork and other unfinished areas left for the developer to smooth out but if you know Civ, you can play Warlock. That’s not to say the games are identical. There’s the obvious fantasy angle that warlock takes. You pick your leader from a preset group of icons, each with their own advantages such as Researcher, Scholar, Looter, and so on and some even come with unique spells. You can create your own leader if you wish, and pick their bonuses, which is a nice touch.

There are three playable factions from which to choose: Monsters, Undead, and Humans. Inside each of those main factions are various races. The Monsters, for instance can field early tier creatures such as goblin archers, gnome settlers, and ratmen scouts. Each unit has certain advantages and weaknesses and earns rank as they battle enemy units or wandering monsters, much like in Civ.

Quests also pop up from time to time, asking you to build a certain structure or kill a particular enemy unit on the map. When you wander into enemy territory you are greeted with a pop up message from the leader of the faction basically saying, “Hey I see you guys!” Diplomacy looks a little light as Warlock comes off as more “wargame” than a game where one can win via diplomacy. The options when talking to a rival consist of a non-aggression pact or a declaration of war, and that’s about it.