As a strategy game you have to discover foes, find areas to build to maintain an army. The goal of the game is to become the strongest of the great mages and the game is set in Ardania, which many Majesty players would be familiar with. It’s how you exploit the hex based map decides whether you dominate or don’t.

The game is quite complex, so newcomers to such games have to spend a lot of time to get used to the gameplay mechanics. You can create your own great wizard to lead your armies, with their own unique abilities depending on who you choose.

This is a Paradox game, so chances are that the tutorial is extremely lacking, and guess what? It is lacking in this game. So a lot of trial and error gameplay is required but aside from the high learning curve, there isn’t a lot of problems you could encounter while playing the game. It’s the initial learning period that counts a lot.

The three factions are: the Kingdoms of Man, the Beastmen, and the Undead, and as all of them have their own abilities and units. It will take a while to master each faction as you will learn something new each game, and get access to new units. Once you pick a faction, you can move their units in the map and strategically decide what to do, in case you find an area to build something or find a foe.

You can also recruit third-party units and generally you have to build on top of where these units are located to get them to fight for you.

It’s pretty straightforward really, and the AI can sometimes really pummel you if you aren’t careful. There are four resources in the game namely, mana, gold, food and research. You need this to maintain your army and also upgrade them. Your units earn experience during combat which enables them to learn new abilities and get perks.

The AI is mostly good, but can also make some questionable decisions. Research is really vital if you want to learn new things, but that should be pretty straightforward. There’s also a diplomacy system in the game, which isn’t that sophisticated.

The visuals are a mixed-bag. The game is pretty colourful but the textures seem low quality and the overall image suffers due to this. I really shouldn’t be talking about the visuals in a strategy game, but it could have been better. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Paradox games nowadays, and honestly they’ve always been about offering solid gameplay even though it takes a while to learn the gameplay mechanics for someone who is not familiar with the types of games they make.

Warlock: Master of the Arcane is well worth the money provided you have enough patience to see what the game has to offer before writing it off. The game can get pretty addictive at times and for $15, it’s a good value for money.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

In todays launch trailer, the University of Ardania’s most eccentric professor regales us with the glorious tale of King Rrat. A tale featuring exploration, expansion, exploitation, and fireball casting rat mages, of course.

Warlock: Master of the Arcane is a new fantasy strategy game from Paradox Interactive and Ino-Co Plus. Set in the universe from the “Majesty” series, you are challenged to build an empire of steel and magic and unite Ardania at the point of a wand.

Warlock: Master of the Arcane is released today, May 8th via retail and all major digital distribution platforms for a recommended retail price of $19.99.

Source: Press release.

Warlock: Master of the Arcane has a new website which you can check over here.

You can also check the beginners guide over here.

In the new trailer for Warlock: Master of the Arcane, war is inevitable with armies of giant turtles, beastmasters, elementals and vampires – each force backed up with the power of magic. Scaly sea serpents roam the coasts and ogres threaten civilization itself. But a wizard has other priorities, like becoming the one archmage to rule them all – the Warlock.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt.com for more news and updates.

In this strategy game, you are a mage and the goal is to become the ultimate Warlock and rule Ardania. The game is being published by Paradox Interactive for the PC.

Once upon a time, there was a group of mages – powerful sorcerers who used their great spells to control cities and tame the wilderness. But wizards are naturally interested in the betterment of all humanity, so one by one they came to the conclusion that the world’s problems could be solved if there was a single great mage – one warlock that could direct the affairs of all men and all other wizards.

Of course, the only way to settle who should rule this land was by a great test of magic. And armies and catapults, of course. The road to magical harmony is littered with the bones of those that would not listen and obey.

The game is scheduled for release in Q2 2012. Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Paradox Interactive and Ino-Co Plus today announced a closed beta for Warlock: Master of the Arcane.

Set in the Majesty series’ fantastical world of Ardania, players have to manage cities, muster armies and enlist the help of three unique races without neglecting their wizardly training- dedicated scholars will find that a new spell combinations or powerful enchantments can be as dangerous as an army.

To apply for a place in the beta, head over here.

Beta applications will be accepted from today (December 7th) until December 14th.

Paradox Interactive has announced a new game Warlock – Master of the Arcane, a turn-based strategy game set in the fantasy land of Ardania,whic some of you might know from the “Majesty” franchise. Warlock – Master of the Arcane has players taking on the role of the Great Mage and build an empire, giving  mages the ability to control armies and wield magic to wage war against one another, as they compete with other wizards for the title of Warlock.

“The great thing about Warlock is that it inherits the best elements from classic turn-based games and renovates them with a modern look and feel,” said Mattias Lilja, Producer at Paradox Interactive. “Partnering with Ino-Co Plus to bring this breath of fresh air to the genre is just icing on the cake, they’ve done well to bring the Majesty world to life in the past and we are confident they’ll deliver again.”

Here’s more info on the game by the developers:

Warlock – Master of the Arcane offers a wide range of military units –three different races, along with summons and wild creatures – as well as providing dozens of spells, from which players can discover powerful spell combinations to help attain victory over their adversaries. With epic battles to fight, and an innovative city management system, players must strike a balance between military might and magical prowess to remain the last mage standing.

Warlock – Master of the Arcane will release in Q2, 2012.