I know what you are thinking. "Where the hell have you been you lazy little git?" and you know what - you're right. Just laziness. Still - What are you going to do? I'm here now - and I'm looking at The Horde.

Made by Games for Bob and published by Crystal Dynamics. Games for Bob also made Star Control II for the 3DO, something of an epic cult classic and Crystal Dynamics made some of the best games to appear on the 3DO. Samurai Shodown and Gex being the two I always remember from the Crystal stable.

So - what is The Horde? I dunno. Seriously? I dunno. It's hard to categorize. It's sort of a watered down god sim I guess, with an arcade bit. It's also a tribute to that very, very early 1990s games tradition of cramming the CD to the brim with needless badly acted full motion video clips. Usually, and of cause The Horde is no different, starring third rate actors who were sold on the idea of the future of interactive entertainment. Which of cause the 3DO was, that was until it wasn't. Circa 1996.

None the less, and cynicism aside, this game is pretty fun. You play the role of a gangly legged medieval chap called Chauncey, whose aim is to convert various regions of the Hordes world into delightful homesteads. This is achieved two fold, firstly: in the god-sim element of the game. By clearing rocky bits of the map, planting trees and sowing cows. By doing this you are clearing the area for more farmers to move in and earning money to pay taxes to the evil High Chancellor.

Does it work? Well, it's by no means Sim City  in terms of options and abilities but it is kind of fun and the cows are by far the best of cows in any game ever. The other part of this God mode is setting defenses – from the Horde. You defense-system selection list starts of pretty scabby with only a thin picket fence and your trusty broad sword to help you but as the game progresses, the defense options expand and the element of strategy flourishes. Not in a Command and Conquer sense but enough to make it interesting. 

After between two and four minutes of planning, planting and defense strategy the game switches to attack mode. Hordes of, well, Hordes trample across the game playing field and seek to eat your farmers and their farms, eat your cows and kill you. There is a healthy variety of Hordlings that come trampling across, some scamper and run-about a lot and get chopped down by one swing of the sword, others are big and cumbersome and smash through anything easily. To take these out without some heavy duty defenses takes are certain amount of skill. 

To spice the game up a litte more there is a random element - meteor strikes and the like to augment the game play by making it harder and the occasional limitation or warning, like don't hurt the forest. It all adds to the variety.

The variety in the defense systems, the variety in the number of Hordlings, the quality of the graphics and the overall attention to detail makes The Horde a great game.  It’s obviously been eclipsed since it was made and was probably bettered before it was made – but not on the 3DO.

And, wait for it, donning the might rose-tinted specs of 3DO-dom, the FMV is pretty fun too. There, I've said it. 

If I was to use a single word to describe The Horde that word would be ‘Solid’. It’s not big, it’s not all that clever  - but it’s good solid entertainment, that draws you and is very rewarding. …and the music ain’t bad either and the graphics and animation are very good. It’s a proper 32bit game! 


Add it to you 3DO collection today – I’d say it was medium rare! (Like my steaks!)


3DO Kid.

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