If HOMMV is the reinvented prog-rock beast of the fantasy genre, then Hammers Of Fate can be likened to an instrument upgrade. What's more, one with overhead cymbals, kick drums and double-necked guitars that, despite being superfluous and bordering on the ridiculous, actually fit the theme so well you kind of wish they'd been there from the beginning.
For instance, generic dwarf-type folks are now part of the festivities, adding an overall look that's not too far removed from World Of Warcraft, with beards, booming voices and a stunted love for mountainous and snowy terrain. In short, it's as exaggerated and as clichéd as ever.
Advertisement:
As well as the obligatory new units and whatnot, the most obvious additions to the game are a random map generator and in-game entities called caravans, which basically enable you to transfer military units between towns. Not a massive feature in the grand scheme of things, but very useful once you start to control multiple settlements.
Considering the original game only came out a couple of months back, obviously when it comes to the fundamentals, the developers haven't had an awful lot of time to make many changes. Indeed, in many ways, it feels as if you're starting from scratch with a campaign that literally sends you back to base camp. In my case, having just reached HOMMV's end-game, I'd rather have waited a bit longer and received a bit more. Led Zep this isn't, but then thankfully, it's not Marillion either.
