Nival's Amazing Experiment on the Road to Heroes 5

When you hear the word “Demiurges”, you will most likely have a nostalgic smile on your face, especially if you lived through the late 90s and early 2000s, because then every game from Nival Interactive was considered a real find. It was a period when studios often relied on creative passion and enthusiasm rather than solid budgets, and thanks to the burning eyes of developers, real masterpieces were often created. It was in this atmosphere that “Demiurges” was born in 2003 – a unique mix of turn-based strategy, RPG and collectible card game, like a mix of “Heroes of Might and Magic” and “Magic: The Gathering”. The game stood out from its competitors not only in the CIS, but also on the world market, surprising even the most sophisticated players with its originality. It was a time when hopes began to arise that domestic studios could compete with Western ones, and “Demiurges” became a vivid confirmation of this belief – stylish, high-quality, with a characteristic twist. Today I want to tell you about this unusual project and find out whether it has stood the test of time and whether it is interesting to play in 2024. And to top it off, I'll share a link to a build that's completely ready to run on modern systems, so you can immerse yourself in nostalgia with me without any dancing with tambourines.

❯ History of creation

In 1999, when the first two games from Nival Entertainment studio had already managed not only to enter the market, but also to gain popularity both in the CIS and in the West (of course, we are talking about “Allods”), in the midst of the development of their sequel, which would later be released under the name “Cursed Lands”, discussions of ideas for a new project of the studio began. Having developed three role-playing games in one universe, the team was striving for change and was looking for something new that would not only meet their own interests, but also have commercial potential.

“We turned our attention to the genre of turn-based strategies. Why exactly this genre? There are several reasons. First of all, it is always interesting to explore new territories, and Nival had not worked in this genre before, although many of us have been its staunch fans since time immemorial. Secondly, at that time, there had not been any turn-based strategies on the market for a long time that were worthy of any attention (well, except for HMM). To a certain extent, we were inspired by the classic Master of Magic and Master of Orion, real pearls of this genre. And lastly: at that time, Magic: The Gathering (MTG) became very popular in Nival, and immediately after E3 1999, several ideas were expressed about implementing some of the principles of this card game in our new project. What did we like so much about this opportunity to exchange cards? First of all, the player could now choose from a virtually unlimited number of combat options, select a strategy for specific enemies, no matter how inventive and cunning they were. “Freedom of choice becomes truly endless, and that’s what we love most about games, isn’t it?” – Andrey Emelyanenko, project manager.

The discussion of the concept of the future game, which lasted for more than six months, played a key role in the formation of the idea of ”Demiurges”. Only five people participated in the process: the future project manager Andrey Emelyanenko, designer Dmitry Devishev, lead programmer Evgeny Ivanov, lead artist Oleg Glazunov and CEO Sergey Orlovsky. It was Orlovsky who suggested at that meeting to be inspired by the principles of the card game

Magic: The Gathering

which eventually successfully fit into the gameplay of the future project. Only by the fall of 1999 was the game design finally formed, and already in December of the same year the team presented the first demo.

“When the question arose as to which universe to place our game in – science fiction or fantasy – we didn't have to hesitate for long. We immediately decided to do without unnecessary risk and not leave the fantasy environment we had chosen for several years. At the same time, we decided that for the purity of the genre, only magic should be used in combat (that is, no primitive clubs, swords, axes. Because that's barbarism),” – Andrey Emelyanenko, project manager.

According to the original idea, the player had to build various buildings on the map, which would allow research and purchase new spells that would make the player's deck stronger. And the sets themselves initially looked completely different. The fact is that Nival had long discussed the idea of multicolored decks, where players used spells from different schools of magic at the same time, but they encountered a problem: access to the necessary sources of mana was very often guarded by monsters, to defeat which in many cases this very mana was needed. It turned out to be a vicious circle that greatly destroyed the balance of the game. For this reason, the idea of allowing the player to use spells from different schools of magic had to be abandoned.

Each race was given a fixed set of spells, and mana was replenished automatically during the battle depending on the character's level or thanks to special spells. However, this decision made the development of factions predictable and boring, the strategic part lost its meaning, because players simply built the buildings they needed without going far from the castle, accumulated resources, researched spells and went to attack the opponent. There was no need to explore the map and capture other buildings. After much thought and testing, the developers decided that gamers would open the game world to gain experience, ether and resources, which are now suitable for all races. This made the gameplay much more interesting and balanced.

The Demiurges Development Team

In the summer of 2001, for the first time in the history of Russian game development, an international closed beta test was launched, which attracted many players from all over the world. Their attention was warmed by positive reviews in the press about the unusual product from Russian developers.

“Demiurges” is everything you would expect from a turn-based strategy game, plus over 300 spells for board game-style duels with magic cards and a huge number of individual combat tactics, as well as options for capturing territories and resources to acquire new spells,” wrote Igromania, urging gamers to buy the recently released project.

In November 2001, Etherlords went on sale and showed excellent results, becoming Nival Entertainment's most profitable game at the time. The success of this strategy demonstrated that the studio was capable of creating more than just role-playing games. It was thanks to this that, a few years later, Ubisoft would entrust Nival with the development of Heroes of Might and Magic V, which would draw many ideas from its successful predecessor.

❯ Plot

The game world features four completely different sides of the conflict, which differ greatly both visually and tactically. In addition, each faction embodies a certain type of magical ether and has unique spells. The Vitals control the plant world, fighting with the help of giant insects and natural magic. The Chaots, who wield fire, rely on hordes of orcs and rats, enhancing their potential with destructive attack magic. The Kinetes, who control the elements of air and water, rely on squads of winged aviaks and water lamias. The Synthets are a technomagic race that combines advanced technology with necromancy. These races differ not only stylistically, but also in their spells and summoned creatures, as well as combat abilities and passive skills, due to which the tactical pattern of battle will differ from faction to faction.

According to the plot, once every thousand years, these races fight for survival in a world engulfed by the “Time of Changes.” The Lords (the strongest rulers of each of them) must go to the Temple of Time and challenge the White Lord, and the winner of this battle will become the Lord of the world.
When you start Etherlords, the first thing that strikes you is the aesthetics. It’s a wonderful symbiosis of fantasy and science fiction, where you control a hero in a strange world full of magic and high technology. Imagine if Orson Scott Card and J. R. R. Tolkien joined forces to create something crazy. It’s this sense of intertwining genres and styles that permeates Etherlords.

❯ Gameplay

If you are a fan of Heroes of Might and Magic or Disciples, then you will feel right at home in Demiurges! The gameplay of each game starts with a strategic stage, when you travel around the world map (unlike Heroes and its clones, the global map is made in full 3D with the ability to rotate the camera), collect resources and artifacts, and capture buildings, fight monsters and enemy heroes. As soon as the battle begins, the game immediately goes into the tactical stage. It is at this moment that it appears before you in a completely different key than Heroes, turning into a full-fledged CCG. The success of the battle depends on how you pumped up your hero and what cards of creatures and spells you selected for him. Here, it is not enough to collect a deck of the strongest high-level cards. It is necessary to think through the combinations, because it is in conjunction with another that any seemingly useless and weak card can sparkle with new colors. And if the game will forgive you for your mistakes on low difficulties, then it is the correct selection of cards for your deck and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the race that will allow you to win on the highest difficulty, as well as in duels with real players!

Traveling around the global map, you will not only fight monsters and other heroes, accumulating experience and leveling up, but also visit various buildings where you can purchase new, increasingly powerful spells, as well as runes that enhance them. As a result, each game turns into a tense struggle for control over the territory – the more space under your power, the wider the choice of available spells and the more advantages in battle. It is in your interests to assemble a powerful deck as quickly as possible, opening new spells and summoning various creatures. All this will allow you to experiment and develop unique tactics and strategies that can lead you to victory!

Each battle begins with your hero facing an enemy leader or a monster leader, but neither of them can directly attack or defend themselves. Instead, they summon various creatures that take on the brunt of the fighting, using their physical strength and magical power. The hero helps by casting buffing spells on them or weakening them on enemies. In addition, you can deal direct damage with spells such as “reality destruction”, “mind blow”, “hurricane”, etc. Each action requires ether – an analogue of mana from other games, which is automatically restored with each turn or with the help of special abilities.

Even at the concept discussion stage, the main principle of the future game was chosen to be “Highly Combinatory Combat System”, the main idea of which was the fact that each new spell of the player acquires a new, deeper meaning and can lead to a completely different result in combination with other actions. That is, any of your actions together with a well-assembled deck and a timely used card can provide a grandiose effect that can tip the scales in battle in your favor. That is why battles require strategic thinking and a tactical approach, because every mistake can cost the life of a character, and a correctly selected deck coupled with an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of your race, together with honed tactics will allow you to defeat any opponent, even one that is superior in level.

A clear example of an incorrectly chosen deck for your opponent.

As soon as you launch the game, you will immediately find several available game modes that will give you a different approach to entertaining the player. A scenario is a prepared map, the main goal of which is almost always the destruction of the enemy castle. Only the circumstances and the races available for the game, as well as the number of your opponents, differ.
The campaign offers you to study the game's plot by completing various missions, united by both a logical and a script thread. I won't lie, saying that the plot is captivating and does not let go until the very end, forcing the player, approaching the climax, to remain in suspense and, full of excitement, to want to quickly reach the denouement. It is made intriguingly enough to maintain your interest until the very end, increasingly increasing both the complexity and the degree of events occurring on the screen.

Old fashioned fact: Since the game features 4 different races with unique decks and approaches to combat, the developers quickly realized that not every gamer would be able to play through the game four times to try out all the mechanics and look at the story from all sides. Therefore, it was decided to unite like-minded races into alliances (Chaots + Synthets and Vitals + Kinetes) and allow players to play for each side in two different campaigns.

And if the first two modes are immediately clear to the fans of “Heroes”, then the third mode – Duel – will allow you to hone your combat skills and choose the perfect deck that suits your style of play. Here, no one will distract you with the strategic component of the gameplay – these are just battles according to the rules you set, in which you can either immerse yourself for long hours or while away 15 minutes during a work break.

Old fashioned fact: In the latest patch of the game (1.07) we added a hot-seat mode for duels! Now you can build your deck and fight with your friends, playing on one computer, which was not available at the release!

Although I played “Demiurges” at the time of release or soon after it, now, launching the project again, I was pleasantly surprised, remembering that it was released in the distant 2001 – it has been preserved too well! For the early 2000s, its graphics looked very impressive, and although these days its visuals clearly lack relevance, it cannot be denied that it does not seem old-fashioned at all. The project's designers were able to convey a unique atmosphere, where magic and technology merge together, creating a unique style that is still pleasing to the eye. I am sure that even modern gamers will have no problems adapting to its graphics, and this is perhaps the best compliment to the game, which celebrated its 23rd anniversary. An additional success, as it seems to me, was the beautiful volumetric graphics of the surrounding world and the battlefield, which, unlike many early projects in “honest 3D”, looks nice and cozy. And, looking at it, you immediately understand how the authors learned their lessons and honed their skills five years before the release of Heroes of Might and Magic V.

The game allows you to not only rotate the camera, but also use zoom.

❯ Sound accompaniment

The soundtrack in the game deserves special attention. The music fits perfectly into the magical fantasy world, creating a sense of epicness and immersing the player in what is happening. It is sweet and unobtrusive, while not trying to pull the blanket over itself, but only supports the general atmosphere. However, sometimes, listening to these melodies and sounds, I can’t get rid of the feeling that they seem very familiar and so native to me. Perhaps this is due to their use in other projects of the Nival Interactive studio, for example, in Cursed Lands, released shortly before Etherlords, or in Operation Silent Storm, released two years later. By the way, if you want to plunge into memories of the “Operation”, you can read a nostalgic article and download the build with the game

at this link

❯ Launching the game

Sometimes, when I launch projects like Etherlords, I feel like I'm going back to the good old days, when I could completely immerse myself in a new project without thinking about problems, work, and a long list of household chores. There was a whole world ahead, full of unknown adventures and fairy-tale universes, and each launch brought something new. Now, when I turn on these games again, I manage to briefly deceive my subconscious, recreating those warm, cozy moments that remained in the past, like behind the stern of a ship sailing on the waves of time.

As always, I want to share a piece of this past with you. On the channel “Oldfazhnyy Gamer” I posted two builds of Demiurges: one of them is a completely ready-to-run version that you can simply download and play right away, and the other one has an installer and detailed instructions for self-installation. As a bonus added an issue of Game EXE magazine September 2001, where you can read reviews of classic games of the time, such as Max Payne, Diablo II, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, as well as a large interview with the developers of Demiurges. In addition, you will find a special issue of “Strana Igr” dedicated exclusively to this game, in which you can get acquainted with the developers, descriptions of factions, spells and game objects, as well as study tips on how to pass.

I hope my efforts can awaken warm memories and nostalgia in your heart.

❯ Conclusion

A modern gamer may ask in bewilderment: “What's so special about this game?” But for those who got to know it in the early 2000s, it means much more than just a game. “Demiurges” is a project that from the very beginning sought to expand the usual gaming framework, offering gamers something truly new, and this is where its unique charm lies. Even after almost a quarter of a century, it has virtually no analogues, and the gameplay remains interesting and exciting. That's why it is one of those rare games that you can return to again and again. Of course, it has its shortcomings, but, in my opinion, they are not so significant against the background of all the advantages it has! Therefore, if you want to plunge into nostalgia or try something unusual, “Demiurges” will be an excellent choice!

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I've been playing games for over 25 years and remember them exactly like this: soulful and addictive, with exciting mechanics and interactivity, without in-game currency and attempts to be anything but a game. In my Telegram channel, you'll find not only game reviews, but also current news and thoughts on gamedev. Join the oldfag community!