After eight arduous years of waiting, Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief because Paradox Interactive has picked up the license and developers 1C and Ino-Co are staying faithful to the original. I got a chance to preview the pre-alpha build and I’m generally admiring the direction where the game is heading albeit there are some rough patches. In keeping true to the original and attempting to innovate, both 1C and Ino-Co are taking on a monumental feat and have made a game that builds upon its predecessor.

From the onset you will notice a graphical overhaul. Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim is not two-dimensional like its forebear and instead incorporates some pretty nice visual effects here and there. The graphics are impressive and everything is so smooth and pretty. However, do not expect Majesty 2 to strain your system in any way whatsoever. One commendable thing that I found is how everything in the game is so proportional to the landscape. In some real time strategy games you have disproportional units running around (Dawn of War comes to mind), but in Majesty 2 you’ll notice the gargantuan ogres, about the size of small mountains, towering over your feeble soldiers or you’ll notice your archers boldly manning towers several feet in the air—and it’s the small things like that that add to the experience. Cascades of waterfalls abound and the environments are lush and green and set up the mood as vibrant and full of wonderful, happy, hues.

One of my favorite things about playing the early build of this game was the sound. The sound deserves some praise because it truly is top-notch, both quality and quantity wise. Amidst intense managing and shuffling around you will come to enjoy and revel in the sound due to a synergy of Medieval and Fantasy music that forms an exciting blend of adventure, action, and suspenseful music (especially true in the heat of battle). The original Majesty was reveled for having a great score and it looks like Majesty 2 will also share that familiar aspect and will surely not disappoint.