Fantasy General

Fantasy General
Developer(s) Strategic Simulations
Publisher(s) Strategic Simulations
Mindscape
Engine Panzer General
Platform(s) MS-DOS, Windows, macOS, Linux
Release 1996
Genre(s) Turn-based strategy
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer

Fantasy General is a hex-based fantasy game published by Strategic Simulations in 1996.[1] Its structure was taken from the computer wargame Panzer General with some modifications to the base system.[2] It was the second in the Five Star General series. It allows gaming against other human players by email. It was published on GOG.com in May 2015 with support for Windows, macOS, and Linux after GOG Ltd acquired the copyright to the title.[3]

Overview

Fantasy General is a turn-based game situated in a high fantasy world. The player can play either a single scenario against a computer or human opponent or a campaign. There are two sides, Good and Evil, each with unique units, though they share unit equivalents.

In campaign mode, the player selects one of four heroes and sets out to defeat the Shadowlord and his four generals, evil counterparts to the heroes. It concludes with the liberation of four continents and final defeat of the Shadowlord at the Fire Isle.

Gameplay is based on a traditional hex map, with a wide variety of units available. Fantasy General is an operational-level game. Unlike Panzer General, where units represent battalion-size groups, Fantasy General units approximate squads, with most units consisting of fifteen soldiers, though some (e.g. heroes, mechanical forces) represent single entities.

Units

There are four unit categories: Mortal, Magical, Beast and Mechanical. Non-mortal units are usually stronger, but cannot be upgraded and will eventually become obsolete as the player researches new units.

In Campaign mode, the player allocates gold toward researching new grades of units. Units range in grade from 0 to 5, though not all categories of units have a unit available for every grade. Mechanical units, for example, are only available in grades 0, 1, 3, and 5.

Units are further divided into classes. The classes are Heavy Infantry, Light Infantry, Skirmishers, Cavalry, Light Cavalry, Archers, Bombardiers, Sky Hunters, Siege Engines, and Spell Casters. There are Mortal units available from grades 0 to 5 for every class. Other unit categories vary, though every category has Heavy Infantry, Cavalry, and Sky Hunter units available.

Music

The soundtrack to Fantasy General was composed by Rick Rhodes and Danny Pelfrey and featured soprano Marisa Lenhardt. The game's music featured original settings of Strife is O'er, the Dies Irae, the Easter sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, Dona Nobis Pacem and two works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Komm, süßer Tod, komm selge Ruh and Wir essen und leben.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGW[4]
PC Gamer (US)78%[5]
PC Magazine[6]
Computer Games Strategy Plus[7]
Next Generation[8]
PC GamesB[9]

Fantasy General sold at least 50,000 units by September 1997.[10]

Computer Gaming World praised the game's pacing and AI, stating it challenged the player to think intelligently unlike other strategy games. They also praised the game's performance given how smoothly it ran. They did, however, also criticize the instability on Windows 95, simplified magic system, and lack of scenario descriptions but overall rated the game as equal or more to its predecessor.[11] A reviewer for Next Generation commented that typical war simulation fans would likely be turned off by the game's unhistorical setting, lighthearted atmosphere, and lack of challenge, but that its solid sense of fun would make it entertaining for those willing to try something different.[8]

Fantasy General was a finalist for the Computer Game Developers Conference's 1996 "Best Strategy/War Game" Spotlight Award,[12] but lost the prize to Command & Conquer: Red Alert.[13] It was a runner-up for Computer Gaming World's 1995 "Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Command & Conquer and Heroes of Might and Magic (tie). The editors called Fantasy General "addictive and deep enough to be the true heir to Panzer General's throne", and noted that it "could have won had the competition not been so strong."[14]

References

  1. ↑ Ryan, Michael E. (July 1996), "Fantasy General", PC Magazine, 15 (13): 472
  2. ↑ IGN Staff (January 4, 2001), PC Retroview: Fantasy General, retrieved 2015-12-20.
  3. ↑ "Release: Pacific General + Fantasy General". GOG.com. 5 May 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  4. ↑ Chin, Elliott (June 1996). "PanzerArmee Fantasy". Computer Gaming World (143): 178, 180.
  5. ↑ Trotter, William R. (June 1996). "Fantasy General". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on March 12, 2000.
  6. ↑ Ryan, Michael E. (July 1996). "Same Thing We Do Every Night: Try to Take Over the World; Fantasy General". PC Magazine. 13 (15): 472.
  7. ↑ Udell, Scott (1996). "Fantasy General". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005.
  8. 1 2 "Fantasy General". Next Generation. No. 20. Imagine Media. August 1996. p. 96.
  9. ↑ Withers, John P. (June 1996). "Fantasy General". PC Games. Archived from the original on October 18, 1996.
  10. ↑ MacDonald, T. Liam (September 23, 1997). "Panzer General II Preview". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 18, 2001.
  11. ↑ Chin, Elliot (June 1996). "PanzerArmee Fantasy: The General's Back, Waving a Magic Wand". Computer Gaming World. Ziff-Davis. pp. 178, 180. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  12. ↑ Staff (April 15, 1997). "And the Nominees Are..." Next Generation. Archived from the original on June 5, 1997.
  13. ↑ "Spotlight Awards Winners Announced for Best Computer Games of 1996" (Press release). Santa Clara, California: Game Developers Conference. April 28, 1997. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011.
  14. ↑ Staff (June 1996). "The Computer Gaming World 1996 Premier Awards". Computer Gaming World (143): 55, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 67.
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