PC Gamer - UK 2020-04)

Blizzardhasn’tdonea greatjobof

communicating what Warcraft III:

Reforged actually is. Initially, it sat

somewhere between remaster and

full-on remake. Not only was Blizzard

going to add heaps of

new art and modern

graphics wizardry, it

was going to go over

the campaigns again,

improving them,

tinkering with the pace,

and even bringing the

lore and story in line

with World of Warcraft.

There were going to be new

cutscenes, a new UI, and more. With

the exception of the graphics

improvements, Blizzard has walked

most of these changes back.

For the purists, this might be good

news. It’s still the Warcraft III you

remember, but it looks a bit nicer.

Impressively, two decades hasn’t

dulled it at all. It helps that real-time

strategy hasn’t made many leaps

since 2002. While it features most of

the traditional elements of the genre,

likebasebuilding,resourcegathering,

and maps shrouded in a fog of war,

it’s really driven by its heroes. These

super-charged units are fancy

specialists with powerful abilities that

can be upgraded as

they level up and then

augmented with items

purchased in shops or

dropped by enemies.

They’re RPG

characters, essentially,

around which you

build a small army.

Since you can only

select 12 units at a time, it’s all about

micro-managing small groups. Not

needing to worry about 100 faceless

warriors, you’ve got more time to pop

off healing spells, set up ambushes,

and build a specialised squad. Each of

the factions – Horde, Alliance,

Scourge, and Night Elves – has a

roster of unique and often exotic

units that can also be upgraded.

They’re not as powerful as the

heroes, but even the most basic units

have tricks up their sleeves.

REBUILDING

I’ve once again fallen down the rabbit

hole of obsessing over build orders,

taking hastily-written notes and –

something I didn’t do in 2002 –

watching lots of talented players

stream their experiments and battles.

I want to get good again. I need to do

my orc pals proud. With so many

factions, monsters, and troops, there

are countless ways to build your

forces, and that’s before you even

throw in mercenaries, which you can

recruit from neutral buildings, usually

after a fight. If you’ve already got a

build order that’s tried and tested,

you can hop right into Reforged with

it and not miss a beat.

These things don’t need changing.

The core of Warcraft III is as

gripping as it’s always been. The most

noticeable difference between the

original and Reforged is, of course, the

art and graphics. Unit models and

buildings in particular have benefited

from the upgrade. Your warriors are

now considerably more detailed and

have an aesthetic that mirrors the

style of later Blizzard games like

World of Warcraft and Heroes of the

Storm, though not completely.

Reforged still has its own look.

Character animations, on the

other hand, haven’t been given the

same attention, but what really

makes the units look a bit odd is their

low frame rate. Yes, you can enjoy

NEEDTOKNOW

WHATISIT?

A remasterofthe

classicRTS

EXPECTTOPAY

£25

DEVELOPER

BlizzardEntertainment

PUBLISHER

Blizzard Entertainment

REVIEWED ON

GTX 1080Ti, Intel

i7-8086K, 16GB RAM

MULTIPLAYER

Yes

LINK

playwarcraft3.com

It’s still the

Warcraft III

you remember,

but it looks

a bit nicer

T

his reborn RTS spins a yarn about a host of factions fighting

over the course of several campaigns, and then again in

multiplayer battles and skirmishes. But there’s also another

conflict: the one between 2002 and 2020. There’s the classic

original game with its elaborate faction design and clever

RPG flourishes, and then there’s the ‘Reforged’ part. It’s an attempt to

bring the game into the modern age, but one that feels half-hearted. This is

not the remaster that Warcraft III deserves.

RE-BORED

The classic RTS is back, but the WARCRAFT III: REFORGED remaster

doesn’t live up to its promise. By Fraser Brown

HISTORY LESSONFrom Wa rcra f t to WoW

INVASION OF

DRAENOR

Alliance enters the

k Portal and invades

heorc homeworld

ofDraenor.

HORDE ON HOLIDAY

Thrall gathers the

remaining orcs on

Azeroth and moves them

from Lordaeron

to Kalimdor.

EDGELORD ARTHAS

He fails, instead

becoming a bit of an

arsehole and picking up

a cursed sword. Arthas

then joins the Scourge.

BIG BREAKUP

The Alliance and Horde

split up, while the high

elves, now known as the

blood elves, leave the

Alliance and go bad.

WORLD OF

WARCRAFT

The Horde and Alliance

return to their persistent

state of war, while Arthas

plots away in Northrend.

man

cesto

ction

d.

LICH KING MK1

Naughty orc Ner’zhul is

transformed into the

first Lich King by the

Burning Legion. This is

bad news.

THE SCOURGE

ARRIVES

The Burning Legion

creates a plague of

undeath. Prince Arthas

tries to stop them.

KICKING OFF ON

KALIMDOR

The Horde and Alliance

team up to kick the

Burning Legion out of

Azeroth for good.

LICH

KING MK2

Sylvannus forges a

kingdom for the

Forsaken, while Arthas

becomes the Lich King.

Warcraft III: Reforged

REVIEW

HISTORY LESSO

FIRST

WAR

Theorcsarrivein

Azerothandpromptly

startkillinghumans.

They win.

Dar

th

SECOND

WAR

Thehumansform

allianceofotherrac

avengethedestruc

oftheir homeland