Myth: The Fallen Lords is Bungie's ambitious take on the strategy genre as a defining installment of 1990s fantasy gaming. It does not play out as a typical real-time strategy game, but rather real-time tactics. Myth forgoes structure building and micromanaging (i.e., Warcraft). Instead, the players must think about how to move their troops before attacking the enemy effectively. An example of tactics may include placing archers on elevated terrain or setting up satchel traps. This sense of gameplay is brilliant because this type of strategy requires critical thinking, patience, and care.
The story of Myth: TFL is gripping, taking significant influence from Glen Cook and JRR Tolkien. Ironically, however, Myth averts many familiar fantasy tropes and cliches. There are no elves, trolls, dragons, or even hobbits. Wizards are not even called wizards, but rather avatara!
Set in a fantasy world during a time of great despair, the Armies of the Dark, led by the eponymous Fallen Lords, are laying waste to the World of Men. When all seems lost, a new army called the Legion rises from the ashes and makes a desperate last stand against the Fallen. Myth takes the player through twenty-four scenarios plus a secret level. The Legion warriors often find themselves facing hordes upon hordes of monsters and undead. Even with every victory made, the atmosphere remains ever hopeless.
This Tolkienian-Cookian plot is more than enough to get a non-fantasy enthusiast intrigued by the World of Myth. For not only does an epic story unfold with each level, but we learn increasingly more about the lore behind this incredible fantasy. In my opinion, Myth: The Fallen Lords has some of the best writing I've seen in a video game.
The score by Martin O'Donnell is phenomenal and would even impress the likes of Howard Shore. Although the soundtrack itself is short, every track is practically a masterpiece in its own right. Many Halo fans would even recognize the tune of Siege of Madrigal!
The best part is how an unknown soldier describes The Great War's events while serving in the Legion. Voiced by Geoffry Charlton-Perrin, the Narrator sets the mood at each level by describing his circumstances with dreary detail. We grow attached to this Narrator as the story progresses to what seems like his doom. The tone and manner in which Charlton-Perrin voices the Narrator inarguably rivals more well-known narrators like Morgan Freeman and Ron Perlman.
Regrettably, this game has faded into obscurity with time, but it still holds up, unlike most games from the 90s. Even though the graphics are a little fuzzy by today's standards, the story and gameplay are top-notch, that they more than compensate. Anyone who enjoyed Halo or loves fantasy gaming should enjoy this masterpiece!
