It's fun being the bad guy. A lot of people who get a chance in games with moral choices go to the dark side in Mass Effect or Fallout. There are some titles completely designed around this idea such as Dungeons and Overlord, though their degree of success can be debated. Hoard embraces this role though as you play the part of a dragon who spews fire and collects gold and princesses every chance you get. I picked this particular title up off of Steam fairly cheaply awhile back and have enjoyed it for the most part.
Graphics - 7:
This is not a pretty game. The top-down graphics do a good job of showing you everything you need to see, but the world itself is fairly dull and lifeless unless there are a lot of moving units active on the map at once. It looks like some sort of an old board game as you soar around the countryside looking to cause trouble. That said, at times there can be several things happening at once on the map and I never experienced any glitches or slowdown.
Sound & Music - 5:
Not a real big fan of the music to be honest. It does not fit the game very well, much like I felt Record of Agarest War's metal music was a bad fit with its medieval fantasy setting, the music in this game seems out of place as well. The sound effects are simple, but effective. To be honest though, this is a game you can just as easily play with the music turned down and something else playing on your computer in the background.
Gameplay - 8:
Your dragon handles pretty well once you get the hang of things. Blazing knights and thieves, burning down towns and terrorizing princesses is a lot of fun and the controls work well. Getting around the game's menus is easy enough as well.
Intangibles - 8:
The multiplayer is a lot of fun, and there are enough varied objectives to give you something to do as you move from map to map. If you are a fan of achievements, there are a ton of them if you are playing this game through steam. Adding to it is a leaderboard that I will never be at the top of, but for fans of the game it gives them some definite goals to try and attain.
Overall - 7:
This game is a lot of fun in quick, short bursts. It would be perfect on a handheld. The graphics, sound and music do disappoint, but they don't actually take anything away from the gameplay itself. That said, once you play it for awhile, there might not be a lot left to do outside of the multiplayer. I played this game very heavily at first, but scarcely since. The same can be said of my son, who seemed to enjoy the premise for awhile, but after about a week hasn't touched it.
