I was very eager to try out the Empire of Magic beta, and I was not disappointed. The journey begins near the deserted city of Ishapur, a city besieged by the undead. The way you control your units and engage in combat will most likely remind you of 3DO's Heroes of Might and Magic series. During the 2D portion of the game, units take turns and use their action points to move or attack opponents. Combat occurs in a 3D isometric view where players assign a command for each unit, according to their abilities and action points. Units of the same type can be grouped as a single unit for movement in the 2D view.

Right from the beginning of the game you will notice the diversity of your units and foes. To help you better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the units, you are given a unit encyclopaedia with detailed unit descriptions. An entry will be added each time you battle a new enemy.