A tactical mix of fantasy, technology and some Dawn of War inspiration

Mar 28, 2012 22:31 GMT  ·  By

On first seeing Confrontation in action I could only think about the many moments of fun that I had with Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, and I wondered whether the new game created by the developers at Cyanide and published by Focus Home Interactive can deliver the level of quality and enjoyment.

The structure of Confrontation is pretty simple, with the player getting control of four heroes with very different powers, who need to confront hordes of enemies, combining their powers to take out threats quickly while also looking for chests and weapon racks to augment their capabilities.

So far Confrontation and even the first map of the game bring to mind the introductory map of the original Dawn of War II, all desert-covered and ruined buildings leading to a mysterious and dangerous foe.

The world of Confrontation is called Aarklash and it seems to be dominated by mysticism and a reliance on the elements, with a couple of boardgames already out based on it.

The player controls heroes from the Griffin kingdom, who are battling the Scorpion faction, and the entire campaign is based on behind enemy lines missions, with the four main characters set to uncover the source of dangerous new enemies that are appearing on the battlefield.

The game is pretty difficult at the moment, much more than Dawn of War II was in its initial missions, and keeping tabs of the various characters in order to best use their powers is crucial to success.

As the mission progresses, experience is gathered, which increases both core characteristics and unlocks new skills, increasing the complexity level when it comes to later engagements.

Thankfully, there’s a Pause button which I found crucial because it gives me the time to coordinate the moves of the four heroes and to queue up their skills and their attacks.

Confrontation might lack the polish of the higher profile Dawn of War II, but the core concept is engaging and I am interested in seeing more of the game.