Every year we get some new game that promises to blend genres or break out of them altogether. “It’s a hardcore first-person shooter/strategy/roleplaying game with elements of adventure and puzzle solving!” the box might proclaim. Usually what we get is a practically unplayable mess that at best provides a mediocre experience of each genre without the cohesion of a one-genre game. Game genres, as much as we might hate how they stereotype games, are around because certain things just work better on their own.
Spellforce might start to change all that. Portrayed as a real-time strategy roleplaying game, it deftly weaves traditional strategy and the storytelling and character advancement of a roleplaying game into a totally unique experience. While the game lacks a bit of polish, developers Phenomic should be applauded for attempting – and succeeding – where many other “innovative” games fail.