回顾性 (RETROSPECTIVE)

While the concept is fairly ambitious and promising, Buka Entertainment’s experiment doesn’t really pay off. Battle Mages ends up as a bizarre mix of strategy and role-playing, lacking the depth of either genre or a strong story to boot. Its 20-hour campaign is forgettable, replete with fantasy races and well-trodden tropes. Especially for the paltry price it goes for these days (less than 30 cents during sales).

W¯¯ 往往微不足道的概念是相当雄心勃勃的承诺，布卡娱乐的实验并没有真正的回报。 最终，《 Battle Mages》将策略和角色扮演混为一谈，缺乏体裁的深度或缺乏丰富的故事背景。 它长达20小时的广告活动令人难以忘怀，充满了幻想比赛和颇为流行的比喻。 特别是对于这些天微不足道的价格(在销售过程中不到30美分)。

You start off as a graduate from the Imperial Battle Mage School (not the most creative name out there), tasked with a quest to uncover a dastardly plot. The worldbuilding isn’t unique by any means, there’s a crystal that gives life to the world and keeps the evil out, but one day it fails. This leads some nefarious individuals to devise ploys to destroy it for reasons unknown, possibly because there is no backstory in the first place. You’ll lead a battalion of troops from level to level, facing fanatic adversaries across thriving and desolate environments.

您从帝国战斗法师学校(不是最有创意的名字)的毕业生开始，任务是寻找一个阴暗的阴谋。 世界的建设绝不是唯一的，有一种水晶可以赋予世界生命并阻止邪恶，但是有一天它会失败。 这导致一些邪恶的人出于未知的原因设计策略来销毁它，这可能是因为最初没有任何背景故事。 您将带领一个营的一个级别到另一个级别，在繁华和荒凉的环境中面对狂热的对手。

Let your pixelated adventure unfold.

让您的像素冒险之旅展开。

剑法 (Sword and sorcery)

You start off by picking from one of four mage archetypes. While this decides what spells you can work with at the start, all that stands between you and the other spell trees is an experience grind. The spell trees in Battle Mages are perhaps the best component of the game. While they unlock over time as you gain experience, their novelty doesn’t die out over the span of the game. And yes, your main character gains experience from battles just like your troops. Good things both your army and your progress are carried forth from mission to mission. While I’d have liked a living flesh-and-blood protagonist on the field, Battle Mages lets you roam the battlefield as a floating spectre that’s tied to the camera.

您首先从四种法师原型中进行选择。 虽然这决定了您一开始可以使用的咒语，但您与其他咒语树之间的一切只是一种经验。 《 Battle Mages》中的咒语树也许是游戏中最好的部分。 尽管随着您获得经验，它们会随着时间的流逝而解锁，但它们的新颖性并不会在游戏的整个过程中消失。 是的，您的主角就像军队一样从战斗中获得经验。 你们的军队和您的进步都是在使命与使命之间进行的。 我本来会喜欢野外活泼的血肉主角，但《 Battle Mages》却可以让您在战场上漫游，就像漂浮在相机上的幽灵一样。

It gives you a bird’s eye view of the battlefield and lets you cast spells at will, provided you have the mana for it. The silent ghost is devoid of personality or dialogue, something that holds back the vision that Battle Mages had in the first place. Role-playing a ghost isn’t very interesting, truth be told. One neat touch is that mana depletes when you look at an area that isn’t in close proximity to your army, constraining your field of view. I’d have complained about the stingy mana, but the game solved that problem for me.

只要您有魔法值，它就可以让您鸟瞰战场，并随意施放咒语。 沉默的鬼魂缺乏个性或对话，这反而阻碍了《 Battle Mages 》最初的构想。 实话实说，扮演鬼魂不是很有趣。 整洁的一点是，当您看到不靠近您的军队的区域时，法术力会耗尽，这会限制您的视野。 我会抱怨法力man，但是游戏为我解决了这个问题。

Good thing there’s a bug that lets you use spells with zero mana.

好东西有个错误，可以让您使用法力为零的咒语。

Battle Mages doesn’t really flip the two genres on their heads when it comes to the shallow campaign. While Buka Entertainment promised missions that change based on choices, things I did rarely made a difference. You get to lead your troops through the game’s straightforward missions at a soul-crushingly slow pace, stopping for the occasional ambush or treasure chest guarded by enemies. It takes about five minutes for your troops to traverse the map in some missions, and that isn’t taking into account the pitiful caravan you will be expected to escort in a couple of stages. But the game does have the occasional surprise, like recruiting a demon. I found the difficulty punishing at the start, but it got easier as I accumulated a powerful and well-trained army over consecutive failures. Keep game saves handy, for enemy troops who were just passing by could whittle down your forces in an instant.

当涉及浅水战役时， Battle Mages并没有真正颠覆这两种类型。 虽然Buka Entertainment承诺使命会根据选择而改变，但我所做的事情很少改变。 您将以令人心碎的缓慢步伐带领您的部队完成游戏的直接任务，停下来进行偶尔的伏击或敌人守卫的宝藏。 在某些任务中，您的部队需要大约五分钟的时间才能穿越地图，而这并未考虑到您将需要在几个阶段中护送的可怜的大篷车。 但是游戏确实偶尔会有惊喜，例如招募恶魔。 我从一开始就发现了惩罚的困难，但是随着我在连续的失败中积累了一支强大而训练有素的军队，这变得更加容易。 保持游戏方便，对于刚刚路过的敌军可能会立即使您的部队减速。

The game soon becomes a drag, redeemed only by its battle system.

游戏很快就变成了阻力，只能通过其战斗系统来赎回。

即使是死者也没有看到战争的结束 (Even the dead have yet to see the end of war)

The game promises tactical engagements and strategic encounters, but I found Battle Mages’ battles to be a game of numbers. Bigger sticks and bigger armies win at the end of the day. The occasional healing spell or lightning storm helps. You can speed or slow down the game on the fly, letting you micromanage your troops and spells if needed, making combat satisfying. The rock-papers-scissors tussle between forces is a joy to watch. Until it becomes a chore. Troops in Battle Mages consist of squads of a fixed number of units, not unlike Praetorians. Each squad has an inventory system, letting them carry weapons and artifacts of power.

该游戏保证了战术交战和战略性相遇，但我发现《 Battle Mages》的战斗是一场数字游戏。 更大的棍棒和更大的军队在一天结束时获胜。 偶尔的治疗法术或闪电风暴会有所帮助。 您可以随时随地加快或减慢游戏速度，让您在需要时对部队和法术进行微管理，使战斗令人满意。 势力之间的剪刀石头布的争斗令人赏心悦目。 直到成为家务。 战斗法师中的部队由固定数量的单位组成，与普雷托里安人不同。 每个小队都有一个清单系统，让他们携带武器和力量文物。

Speaking of which, your troops level up as they face foes that range from humans to trolls and skeletal hordes. Some missions are merciless with the quantity of decaying and devious enemies they throw at your men, be it in ambushes, enemy camps, or head-on assaults. Monster dens litter the vibrant yet desolate landscapes of Battle Mages’ scenarios. Clearing them is key to filling your coffers and training your troops.

说到这些，您的部队在面对从人类到巨魔和骨骼部落的敌人时会不断升级。 有些任务无情地对待他们的敌人，无论是在伏击，敌方营地还是正面进攻时，都会向您的士兵投掷大量腐朽和狡猾的敌人。 Monster dens散落着Battle Mages场景中充满活力但荒凉的风景。 清除它们是填满金库和训练部队的关键。

There’s no resource-gathering at play here, the gold you pillage from enemy camps and footsoldiers will suffice.

这里没有任何资源收集活动，您从敌方营地和步兵那里掠夺的黄金就足够了。

Your troops can then be upgraded at the towns that are scattered across most missions. That’s where you’ll be filling missing members in existing squads and recruiting new squads of all kinds. You can turn petty swordsmen into killer paladins, for instance. Troops range from run-of-the-mill swordsmen and archers to battle mages who are effectively frail but potent artillery units. But be warned, their populations recover at an injured snail’s pace.

然后，您的部队可以在分散在大多数任务中的城镇进行升级。 在这里，您将填补现有班子中缺少的成员并招募各种新班子。 例如，您可以将小剑客变成杀手圣骑士。 部队的范围从普通的剑客和弓箭手到战斗的法师，这些法师实际上是脆弱而强大的炮兵部队。 但请注意，他们的种群以蜗牛受伤的速度恢复。

It’s a pit stop that is necessary but frustrating.

这是一个进站，是必要的，但令人沮丧。

像素化圣骑士 (Pixelated paladins)

Let’s talk about the visuals. True, few games that are over a decade old have aged well in terms of their graphical prowess but Battle Mages’ pixelated units are a nightmare in 2020. Even by 2003 standards, most animations and special effects are lacking. The landscapes on the other hand are diverse and lend the game a sense of place, from snowy peaks to dark woods and undead cemeteries. While troops and locations look decent from afar, the camera lets you zoom in to see the pixelated chinks in their armor.

让我们谈谈视觉效果。 的确，就图形能力而言，已经有十年以上历史的游戏很少老化，但是2020年，Battle Mages的像素化单元是一场噩梦。即使按照2003年的标准，大多数动画和特效也缺乏。 另一方面，从白雪皑皑的山峰到黑暗的树林和不死的墓地，景观千差万别，使游戏具有一定的地方感。 尽管远处的部队和位置看起来不错，但相机可让您放大以查看其装甲中像素化的矮人。

A couple of bugs here and there can cause a hitch, but none of the glitches impede the flow of the game. The audio is nothing to write home about, with forgettable orchestral scores that would have fit in any fantasy game. The cutscenes are also poorly done, with mediocre performances and finicky camera angles. But the ones that pop up between missions are solid in comparison, with crisp black-and-white images and top-notch voice acting. The narrative is bog-standard for the setting, you’re better off ignoring the random names that pop up between missions.

到处都有一些错误可能会引起麻烦，但是没有任何故障可以阻止游戏的进行。 音频没什么可写的，管弦乐乐谱令人难忘，适合任何幻想游戏。 过场动画也表现不佳，表现平平，镜头角度也很挑剔。 但是相比之下，任务之间弹出的图像是可靠的，具有清晰的黑白图像和一流的声音表现。 叙述是该设置的标准内容，您最好忽略任务之间弹出的随机名称。

I’d recommend this game only to die-hard fans of unpolished RTS games that place a heavy emphasis on grinding and leveling up. If you have the patience to handle the nonexistent plot and the slow pace, Battle Mages just might lead you towards old-school battles and satisfying troop evolutions. It might be cheap, but a better question is whether it’s worth your time. Nostalgia or lack thereof might seal the deal for you.

我只向不精打细算的RTS游戏的忠实拥护者推荐这款游戏，而RTS游戏则非常注重打磨和升级。 如果您有足够的耐心来应对不存在的情节和缓慢的步伐，那么《 Battle Mages》可能会引导您走向老式的战斗并满足部队的发展需求。 它可能很便宜，但是一个更好的问题是它是否值得您花时间。 怀旧或缺乏怀念可能会帮您达成交易。

It’s a neat idea, but it is one that could have been executed much better.

这是一个很好的主意，但它可以执行得更好。