Etherlords
| Etherlords | |
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| Developer(s) | Nival Interactive |
| Publisher(s) | Fishtank Interactive, DreamCatcher Games, Strategy First |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | November 12, 2001 |
| Genre(s) | Card battle, turn-based strategy, turn-based tactics |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Etherlords (Russian: Демиурги) is a fantasy turn-based strategy and card-dueling series for the PC, by Russian developer Nival Interactive. The first game was published November 12, 2001 by Fishtank Interactive. Prior to worldwide release it was released in Russia (November 9, 2001) as Demiurges (Russian: Демиурги). It was followed two years later by a sequel, Etherlords II, which was published in Europe by DreamCatcher Games and in North America by Strategy First. Nival has stated that a third game isn't out of the question, but so far nothing has been announced.
The game features a card-based dueling system that borrows heavily from Magic: The Gathering. While the game can be played in a pure dueling mode, the major appeal of Etherlords stems from the scenario mode which utilizes a strategy/adventure map, similar to the one used in Heroes of Might and Magic. Nival later became the developer of HOMM 5.
The world is governed by a force known as ether and it is wielded by the representatives of chaos, kinetics, synthesis, and vitality. The leaders of the four factions vie with each other for supremacy, with the ultimate goal of transcending into the fabled White Lord, the master of all ether.
In Etherlords I, you may select between two campaigns: Kinet/Vital or Chaot/Synthet. Some of the maps are shared between the two campaigns, and you simply assume the role of whichever faction you selected. The final mission is one such mission. It also requires that you break with your allies and choose a single faction, and therefore a single avatar, to face the White Lord. The White Lord himself, being a master of all ether, uses spells from multiple schools. Notably he uses a deck that is heavy on Synthet spells, augmented by top picks from the other schools. Upon defeating the White Lord, the victor ascends and becomes the new White Lord.
In Etherlords II, Diamanda mysteriously returns from the mists of legend. She was mentioned in passing at the end of the Kinet/Vital campaign in Etherlords I. A Kinet hero who was captured by the Synthets for experimentation, she appears now as a hybrid Kinet/Synthet spreading the Pale Plague, a sinister disease which drains beings of their energy. You begin the game as either the Vitals or Chaots, and in a twist, each of these factions' campaigns leads to the campaigns of their enemies—so the campaigns are effectively a choice between Vitals/Synthets or Chaots/Kinets. After completing the main campaigns, you then play as Diamanda. Here you discover that the force behind the Pale Plague is actually the reigning White Lord, who wishes to remain in power for eternity and can only do so by inflicting the world with the Pale Plague. Diamanda was resurrected as a mindless slave for this purpose, but she eventually recovers her sense of self and makes the ultimate sacrifice to stop the White Lord's plans.
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