Mysticism and Magic (Spellforce)

Spellforce: Shadow of the Phoenix
Developer: Phenomic
Released: 2004
Genre: Strategy RPG

For the longest time I had a curiosity about Spellforce. I will never know what drove me to the game especially because Warcraft and Age of Mythology is more than enough to scratch my strategy itch. I suppose I wanted to see how a strategy game made spell casting look fun.

Now it is 2018 and I am more convinced that the original Spellforce is not what I had imagined. It's a point a click strategy game where your mage character has to collect and implement different spells, while leveling up. The game mixes in strategy when you have to spawn workers to build buildings to fortify your city. At the heart of every city is hero monument where the source of magic is.

It's a nice concept, but I kept tripping over the clunky keyboard setup and the slowness of controlling my characters. In the end, I believe Phenomic wanted a magic heavy battle system that contended with other fantasy strategy games in the genre.

Fantasy and spell casting go hand in hand. Magic is like bacon on a great sandwich. The power of wizards, warlocks, and witches has always been rooted in the powers of spiritual or elemental forces. Spellforce imagines a world where spell casting is a part of life, but it is not completely fantasy. The ancient world practiced different kinds of magic as part of a religious obligation. The ancient Greeks believed that gods like Hermes and Aphrodite could perform acts. There is record of magicians who did signs and wonder like Pythagoras and Orpheus.

The Christian church was always in contrast to the magical beliefs of the pagan religions. They did not believe that humans could perform miracles by any source outside of their monotheistic god. In fact, to use any power outside of the God of Heaven, was seen as an act of the Devil. That is why we have such admonitions like:
"and the light of a lamp will not shine in you any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery."  Revelations 18:23

While the allure of magic in ancient times was powerful to Pagan cultures, the Christians boasted of a greater power. No better example in the Bible than Peter's dealings with Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8. Simon had heard that the disciples were giving the people the power of the Holy Spirit. When the sorcerer saw that people were getting baptized into a brand new power, he actually wanted to buy it from Peter. The reason he was so apt to get it was because the disciples had a power that was actually transforming lives. People were giving up their whole life to follow Jesus and it was the power of the Holy Spirit that was leading them.

So While magic is interesting to think about, especially the kind that lets you shoot fire from your hands, it did not have the transformation power that swept through the world like the Spirit of God.

Recommendation: Spellforce is not as polished as most triple AAA strategy games. It is an interesting mix of point and click and base building, but the gameplay is too slow for my liking.