New Overlord: Dark Legend screenshots and saucy information

8:11 PM on 08.20.2008   |   Jim Sterling

13 comments

I could barely contain my joy when I announced that Codemasters was bringing more Overlord to us, and it's good to see that Wii fans will be able to enjoy this darkly comic IP thanks to Dark Legend, a game which puts players in the clanking boots of a younger Overlord getting to grips with his power. 

It looks like the graphics could stand to improve, as Nintendo has proven that the Wii is capable of far better than this, but hopefully Codemasters can utilize the Wii to its fullest and make a very intuitive "evil Pikmin" style experience. I'm still loving the use of waggle to throttle your minions. That's the kind of motion control I can fully support. The story also seems to be in keeping with the series' tongue-in-cheek humor, with a slightly adorable side to the Overlord's backstory:

The lead character is in a Cinderella scenario with his elder and rather unpleasant brother and sister. He is the forgotten child while his father is away, and his wicked twin siblings are plotting to take over the kingdom with their own perverse alliances with elves and dwarves. The story game also introduces wicked witches, gingerbread men and Lil’ Red Riding Hood, the seeming sweet girl with a lupine side to her personality.

Seems to go against the established tale of the first game (which I won't spoil) but I'm willing to run with it. Either way, here's hoping that Dark Legend is just as good as the original PC/360/PS3 game. Also, hit the jump for a full fact sheet from Codies.

Designed and developed exclusively for Wii, Overlord Dark Legend is a brand new action adventure steeped in fairy tale lore with sinister, satirical twists. Set in a time before the original game (Overlord, 2007), players step into the role of a new younger Overlord and revel in command of the most vicious, yet lovable little critters in gaming – the Minions.

Forming a unique rampaging army, the Minions are a slavish and loyal horde of gremlin-esque critters predisposed to violence. No matter: they’re always ready and willing to follow even the most suicidal order, whether it's raiding villages for kicks and giggles or hurling themselves at enemies in the face of kamikaze odds in the beautifully rendered game world. With a story and characters that poke playful fun at fantasy cliché, our trainee tyrant will be able to take his growing pains out on the local fairy tale inhabitants as he protects his castle and lands.

Seize the Power: Donning the armour of the Overlord, players become commander-in-chief of a fighting, thieving and pillaging horde of crazed minions (with hundreds more waiting in reserve) – a force quite unlike any other. Send out your minions to crush rock giants, gnomes, halflings, elves, dwarves, peasants and more. Become a new Overlord, conquer realms and grow your castle from dilapidated ruins to glorious expression of your absolute power

Pillage and destroy with the Wii Remote: Controlling the minions is slick and devastating, requiring a flick of the Wii Remote to send the raucous rabble into battle. Whether you’re swishing the remote to sweep the horde into battle or pointing it to direct magic spells and fireballs at enemies, the Wii Remote becomes the perfect extension of the Overlord’s despotic will.

Throttle Your Minions: Individual Minions can be plucked from the horde, held by the neck and then, by vigorously shaking the Wii Remote, throttled! This stirs up the volatile lifeforce within them and they become a manic minion missile. With a now-explosive body, the insane little critter can be guided into enemies with hilarious, if rather fatal, consequences for both parties.

A twisted fairy tale: With a rich, tongue-in-cheek story written by award-winning games author Rhianna Pratchett, this exclusive Overlord adventure for Wii tells a new and twisted fairy tale. The lead character is in a Cinderella scenario with his elder and rather unpleasant brother and sister. He is the forgotten child while his father is away, and his wicked twin siblings are plotting to take over the kingdom with their own perverse alliances with elves and dwarves. The story game also introduces wicked witches, gingerbread men and Lil’ Red Riding Hood, the seeming sweet girl with a lupine side to her personality.

Meet the Minions: The Brown Minions are the fighters and the strongest minions in general combat. Red Minions are fire throwers and act like archers by hurling blazing fireballs as a long range attack. Green Minions are the Assassins and love to use stealth attacks. Blue Minions are the smartest of the minions and have healing powers and can resurrect their fallen minion comrades and bring them back into the fight.