Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim Hands-On Preview

Being royalty isn’t as easy as it might sound in this amusing real-time strategy sequel
It’d be nice to think that real heroes exist, wouldn’t it? And I’m not talking about the Armed Forces or the average Joe who tripped a fleeing bank robber, but the big, burly, bona fide heroes of legend, for whom saving buxom maidens from towers and vanquishing foul beasts wasn’t a once-in-a-lifetime adventure but a daily errand. Of course, such men (or women, though they tend to leave the imprisoned maidens to rot) don’t exist in real life. Nor do they exist in Majesty 2, a real-time strategy game where every great deed comes with an even greater price tag.
Majesty 2 is the sequel to the popular 2000 game Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim. That considerable gap between games is due to a cancelled sequelby Cyberlore Studios, after which Paradox acquired the property in 2007 and handed it to Russian developer 1C:Ino-Co. During my time with an early portion of the Campaign and several quick missions, it’s clear that 1C:Ino-Co has kept the original’s sense of humour intact, while updating the (now) drab 2D graphics with colourful landscapes and detailed character models.
The plot for Majesty 2 is introduced in an illustrated storybook manner, with narration from a hilarious Sean Connery sound-alike. It’s been 500 years since Ardania was unified, and with the realm’s major enemies conquered, King Leonard is worried that his peaceful rule will be chronicled as, well, a bit boring. In an effort to spice up his reputation, Leonard does what any sensible ruler would do, summoning the world’s most powerful demon so that he might gain prestige from defeating it – only for the demon to kill him and take his throne. Oh, the irony!
This is where you and your majestic cursor come in. As the last of the royal bloodline, you are expected to restore order to the lands, delivering peace to your loyal but rarely grateful subjects, who are not exactly easily pleased. But nothing in Majesty 2 is ever as straightforward as it seems. Want to fill your kingdom with every amenity imaginable? Then be prepared for the sewer pipes that consequently pop up around your densest regions, and the giant rats that crawl out from them to attack your structures. Want an elite force of Ardania’s finest heroes defending your people? Be aware that if too many heroes die, they tend to exit their graves and revolt against the living.
For the initial stages of the campaign Majesty 2 is deceptively simple. The intuitive interface doesn’t stray far from other modern RTS games, and the campaign contains its own tutorials rather than treating them as a separate mode; a nice approach, as your kingdom actually benefits from these building exercises. Structures such as markets and trading posts expand your grasp over the countryside, while building Guilds attracts a variety of hero units, from rangers, clerics and warriors to Elves and Dwarves. The option to speed up the time scale, helping you set up your initial structures “faster” may make the initial stages of the campaign seem easy, but once bears, wolves, the undead and massive ogres begin attacking your kingdom at regular intervals, there’s suddenly a lot to keep this rightful heir on his toes.
By far the most immediately unique thing about Majesty 2 is the way in which yo