Gaming

Warcraft 3: Reforged review – a horde of problems


Warcraft 3: Reforged – not what was promised (pic: Blizzard Entertainment)

Blizzard create a remaster of their seminal real-time strategy game but many of the new features they promised are strangely missing.

Back in 2002, Warcraft wasn’t known as anything but a real-time strategy series; a trilogy of games that were heavily influenced by Command & Conquer but which never went any further after the whole genre fell out of favour with mainstream gamers. There had been an attempt, in the late nineties, to expand the Warcraft franchise with a hand-drawn graphic adventure, the plot of which was partially repurposed for Warcraft 3, but until World Of Warcraft in 2004 strategy games were all Warcraft was really known for.

As one of the last great games of the real-time strategy (RTS) golden age, Warcraft 3 is notable enough in its own right but it’s also the game that helped popularise the MOBA genre, which makes it extremely relevant today. Its built-in map editor led to the creation of many Tower Defense style mods and maps, with Defense Of The Ancients (itself influenced by the Aeon Of Strife map for Starcraft) leading directly to League Of Legends and Dota 2 – still amongst the most popular video games in the world today.

Whether Blizzard ever intends to make a Warcraft 4 is a mystery, but it seems unlikely in the short term. They have been on a bit of a nostalgia drive for Warcraft lately, following the release of World Of Warcraft Classic, but we’re a little surprised they didn’t remaster Warcraft 2 first, as that was the one that really put the franchise, and Blizzard themselves, on the map. Since it only used 2D sprites that would’ve been a lot of work though and the one thing Warcraft 3: Reforged makes clear is that Blizzard don’t have that kind of patience when it comes to a remaster like this.

Reforged wasn’t available for review before release, but you’ve probably already seen it in the news as the latest target of fan anger and complaints. Except in this case it’s largely justified. Not only does Reforged not do half the things Blizzard said it would when they first announced it but the whole thing is a sloppy, bug-filled mess. The original game underneath is still highly enjoyable but it’s debatable whether the new version offers any genuine improvement in terms of visuals or gameplay.

Given how long it’s been since the genre was popular there’ll no doubt be many, especially console gamers, who don’t even know what a real-time strategy game is. It’s certainly strange to think that turn-based games are now much more popular, as originally the real-time concept was seen as a way to modernise strategy games and make them more widely appealing.

Warcraft 3’s main additions to the formula were hero units with unique abilities, that can be levelled up like a role-playing game. This in turn limited the number of units you can control at once to just 12, which is very different to the massive armies fielded by most other RTS games. The game also introduced computer-controlled ‘creeps’ which attack any faction – another important building block for the creation of the MOBA genre.

There’s no doubting that Warcraft 3 is an important game that deserves to be remastered, and which remains very playable today, but Reforged is not a convincing celebration of its legacy. Originally it was going to feature various story retcons and new cut scenes to bring it into line with modern World Of Warcaft, but somewhere along the way those plans were abandoned. Some of the maps have been altered anyway though, to match locations that are in World Of Warcraft, and most of the art assets are new.

Warcraft 3: Reforged – it should’ve waited for the 20th anniversary (pic: Blizzard Entertainment)

Although the backdrops look barely altered, characters are now much more detailed, and look closer to the World Of WarCraft art style. But they’re also harder to make out in a scrum of other units and in larger battles you waste precious milliseconds trying to work out who’s who. The interface certainly doesn’t help in this regard, as despite promises that it would be updated it’s almost exactly the same as in 2002 and feels horribly inefficient today.

And then there’s the bugs, with a frequently stuttering frame rate, matchmaking issues, and difficulties creating new games – or even just logging in. There are crash bugs, numerous graphical glitches, missing subtitles, and the cut scenes that once promised to be the most exciting new element look cheap and poorly choreographed. There’s also a lengthy list of missing features that were in the 2002 original but are now mysteriously absent, including automated tournaments, clans, ladders, and custom campaigns.

A slightly revamped version of the map editor is still included, but Blizzard has made it clear that anything created using it belongs to them – obviously not wanting to help create another new genre, only never to benefit from it themselves.

If this had been a straight remaster like the one for Starcraft – which didn’t really do anything beyond add some quality of life improvements and increase the resolution – it wouldn’t have upset anyone. But Reforged is more than a remaster and yet not thorough enough to be considered a remake, which means that whichever approach you would’ve preferred you won’t be satisfied. And that’s before you consider the appalling state of the game at launch.

Reforged has clearly been rushed out before it was finished, but what on earth Blizzard was in a hurry for is a mystery. The game’s 18 years old and its anniversary isn’t till July, so whatever their reasons are it’s certainly not been worth all the bad publicity. With a suitable number of patches, Reforged can no doubt be hammered into shape but at the moment it’s not in a state that will be appreciated by either new or old fans.



Warcraft 3: Reforged review summary

In Short: An inexplicably careless remaster, where none of the changes are unequivocally for the better and the experience is brought down further by numerous bugs and missing features.

Pros: Warcraft 3 is still a great game and its fascinating to see how its new ideas went on to spawn an entire genre. The campaigns are all still enjoyable and the new visuals look good in close-up.

Cons: Far too many bugs at launch and many missing features from both the original and those promised when the remaster was announced. Outdated interface and restrictive map editor terms.

Score: 6/10

Formats: PC
Price: £24.99
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Release Date: 28th January 2020
Age Rating: 12

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