Warlocked

Warlocked is a real-time strategy video game developed by Bits Studios and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color in 2000. Choosing between "Humans" and "Beasts" factions, the player plays through twelve scenarios from each faction, gathering resources, building fortresses, and managing troops to defeat the opposing force.

Warlocked
Developer(s)Bits Studios
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Martin Wheeler
Programmer(s)Steven Clark
Composer(s)Jeroen Tel
Platform(s)Game Boy Color
Release
  • NA: July 24, 2000
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Music for Warlocked was composed by Jeroen Tel. Critical reception towards the game was positive, with some critics calling it the best Real-time strategy game for the handheld. It received "Best Game Boy Strategy" by IGN in 2000. Despite the accolades, sales were low. A sequel was planned for the Game Boy Advance titled Wizards but was cancelled.

Gameplay
Gameplay of Warlocked.

Warlocked is a real-time strategy game. Split between two campaigns between the "Humans" and "Beasts" factions, the player goes through their campaign to defeat the enemy.[1]

Development

Warlocked was developed by British company Bits Studios and published by Nintendo. The game was programmed by Steven Clark, with Martin Wheeler being the graphics artist and game designer. The music was composed by Jeroen Tel.[2] The game was showcased by Nintendo at the Kimpton Sir Francis Drake Hotel for games journalists to play.[3] It was released on the Game Boy Color exclusively in the United States July 24, 2000.[2]

Reception

Upon release of the game, Warlocked received a score of 86% on review aggregation website GameRankings.[4] Critics made comparisons to the game with the Warcraft and Command & Conquer franchises.[7][8] Justin Whirledge for Daily Radar called it the best real-time strategy games for the Game Boy Color.[11] Nintendojo's Schuyler Lystad considered it the best game he ever played on the system, giving the game a perfect score.[10] A reviewer for Nintendo Power thought it was a great introduction for people to the real-time strategy genre.[9]

Andy McNamara for Game Informer, while criticizing the game for its slow movement, gave praise to its gameplay.[6] Jeff Gerstmann for GameSpot was less positive, criticizing its control scheme and the difficulty of selecting and deselecting units. Gerstmann also believed that the game would be too simple and too much like Warcraft for RTS fans to play for long. Despite this, he called the game pretty good and commended it for overcoming the limitations of being on the Game Boy Color.[7] IGN named the game as the "Best Game Boy Strategy" game of 2000.[12]

Retrospective reviews were also positive. Digitally Downloaded's Matt Sainsbury gave praise towards its multiplayer.[13] Joshua Jankiewicz at Hardcore Gaming 101 considered it a feat from Bits Studios making a great Game Boy Color title.[2] In 2009, IGN listed the game as one they would like to see on a hypothetical Virtual Console platform for the Nintendo DSi, owing partially due to its real-time strategy interface.[14] While receiving positive reception, sales for the game were low.[12] In spite of sales, Bits Studios attempted to make a sequel to the game, titled Wizards. It was in development for the Game Boy Advance and was to feature four-player multiplayer and gaming modes such as capture the flag. Originally slated for release in 2002, it was cancelled due to the lack of a publisher.[14][15]

References
  1. Harris, Craig (June 30, 2000). "Warlocked". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  2. Jankiewicz, Joshua (July 10, 2016). "Warlocked". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  3. Harris, Craig (June 23, 2000). "The Nintendo Gathering". IGN. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  4. "GameRankings: Warlocked". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  5. Boyer, Crispin; Sewart, Greg; Smith, Shawn (October 2000). "Warlocked Review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 135. p. 190.
  6. McNamara, Andy (September 2000). "Reviews". Game Informer. No. 89. p. 85.
  7. Gerstmann, Jeff (May 17, 2006). "Warlocked Review". GameSpot. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  8. Harris, Craig (July 24, 2000). "Warlocked". IGN. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  9. "Now Playing". Nintendo Power. No. 134. July 2000. p. 118.
  10. Lystad, Schuyler. "Warlocked". Nintendojo. Archived from the original on May 7, 2003.
  11. Whirledge, Justin. "Warlocked". Daily Radar. Archived from the original on April 13, 2001.
  12. IGN staff (January 29, 2001). "IGN.com's Best of 2000 Awards - Game Boy". IGN. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
  13. Sainsbury, Matt (November 2, 2017). "Retro reflections Warlocked, the Game Boy Color's own Warcraft". Digitally Downloaded. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  14. Harris, Craig; Thomas, Lucas M. (August 17, 2009). "The DSi Virtual Console Wishlist: Game Boy Color". IGN. Archived from the original on August 17, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
  15. Harris, Craig (November 6, 2001). "From the Makers of Warlocked...d". IGN. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
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