The Genesis had its fair share of gems, some of them were obvious but others have been left more to the mists of obscurity. But just because a game has been forgotten or isn’t as well known as Sonic doesn’t mean it wasn’t an important game. Games that have had influence, games that are seriously engaging and games that show why the Genesis was the Mega Drive. Herzog Zwei fulfills these criteria.
Herzog Zwei is well loved by Genesis enthusiasts, it stands out as a title in the console’s library – providing an engrossing strategy experience that keeps an enjoyable pace and provides the player with plenty of options to complete any given scenario. The Genesis is not devoid of strategy games – it has a few including some of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series and especially Shining Force. But Herzog Zwei has more in kin with later Real Time Strategy games. Now, it differs enough that people will argue whether it is an RTS or not – but it is a definite inspiration to the medium.
It’s certainly not the first strategic game, not even the first in its own series. But it’s competent and memorable and has had a definite impact on the strategy medium. It’s been cited as a direct influence of Dune II and of course that game was super influential. But there’s a stark contrast between being influential and being good. Does Herzog Zwei hold up?
Certainly. Herzog Zwei still plays very well today, but it does have a learning curve. You control a transformable fighter – it changes between aircraft and humanoid robot. You can change at will, fire shots, and transport units. You have an energy gauge, besides your health, that represents fuel. When your fuel or “health” run out, you are destroyed and respawn immediately at your home base. You also have a limited capacity to your gun, that you also must refill – lots to keep track of. The enemy also has a transformable fighter, and issues its commands and transports its troops in the same way. You will clash with this fighter over the course of the scenarios.
Aside from your fighter, there are also a number of other units that you can buy and deploy. You can manufacture one unit at a time and each one has a role to play – defensive or offensive. Even the basic infantry is absolutely crucial. Commands cost money as well – and the fee is not always trivial at the inception of a battle. Commands can be issued when a unit is created – combining the price into a unit with a specific behaviour. To change the command a unit is issued, you need to pick it up with your fighter and buy a new behaviour. Generally, you will stick with what you issued at unit creation. But this is why cash management is absolutely necessary here. Your funds increase steadily with time, but prices can be high and you may suddenly need a specific unit.
Units themselves take time to manufacture – like a lot of RTS games. But since you can only manufacture one at a time you can’t just set your base to produce a load of units. You must build, then deploy a unit in order to build another. Across the map are a number of bases that you can capture – either neutral or occupied by the enemy. To capture a base, you need to send four infantry units into a base. When the four lights (of your colour) light up the base is added to your cause. Capturing bases lets you refuel at different points across the map – and maps are big enough to put a serious drain on your energy. Additionally, the more bases you own the more quickly your funds increase.
So you build your army, keep it supplied (both your robot fighter AND your units) and keep your bases well protected so that the enemy cannot steal them from you. There is a lot to do, and you must do most of it from your robot fighter. It’s your “cursor” and this particular cursor has further limitations imposed on it. I’m not going to mislead you here – Herzog Zwei is a game with a learning curve that’s not entirely friendly to new players (or at least those without the manual). Where modern RTS allow you to quickly survey revealed portions of a map and set multiple tasks at once, Herzog Zwei is a little more hands-on.
Some might call it clunky or clumsy or primitive. And well, yes, this is a formative entry into the genre. But I like the hands-on approach. Even though Herzog Zwei is so early, this approach sets it apart. And one thing I always push is that every game should not be alike. So what if Herzog Zwei takes a little practice? It is totally intuitive once you know what’s what. I will concede that while the Commands have descriptive graphics, they could have had much more plain names and that would have made it much more approachable to someone playing the game without a manual or list of commands.
Herzog Zwei features a number of maps and a number of difficulties. These maps feature different terrain and as such they will stress different strategies within your army building endeavors. This means there is plenty of material to enjoy here, and a split screen multiplayer mode to battle it out with a buddy.
That still begs the question, however, how much _more_ could Herzog Zwei amount to? A game that plays like this, perhaps streamlined a little, and that has a huge number of maps and terrain editors. An updated Herzog game that takes into consideration many of the things that make modern RTS fun while still retaining the spirit and execution of Zwei. Airmech looks strikingly similar to Zwei, and I’m going to have to check it out.
Aesthetically, Zwei is still kicking as well. The units are all recognizable, terrain is not muddled, and besides being clear everything looks great as well. And I would be remiss not to mention that the soundtrack is absolutely killer. Really, this game is a pleasure on many fronts, and the presentation is top notch especially for the console. Genesis music can kick arse too, and it is just so apparent here.
I’ve always loved Strategy Games, but my history is more in line with Conflict, Ogre Battle, Warcraft I&II, StarCraft, Fire Emblem and Shining Force. Herzog Zwei is a game I had long coveted the same way I coveted ToeJam & Earl. Being a Nintendo kid made it hard enough to find an avenue to play this game. Besides, my SEGA buddies weren’t very interested in this sort of game and it meant I wouldn’t play it until I bought my own Genesis years later. And even though I first played this years and years after it was recent it was still absolutely relevant. It appeals to me in so many ways, it just feels familiar and “right.”
Like most games on this site – this is not for everyone. It is not instant gratification, but the gratification is truly there if you put the time into it and let it engage you. If you’re a fan of strategy games – real time or turn-based or even of tactical elements in gaming in general then you owe it to yourself to give Herzog Zwei a spin.
Ah! So you finally got around to playing it.
I tried it months ago on mention and righto you are on the lack of instant gratification. I didn’t understand how the game worked just messing around with it for a few minutes. Maybe I’ll give this another try–serious try this time.
Well, I’ve played it off an on for a couple of years now, really :P. I’ve always wanted to write about it but it’s not an easy game to write about concisely.
Did I mention this one? I know I recommend it often but it’s such a deceptive game. Looks a lot like a shmup but then – not quite, ha ha. If you give it another go, keep a list of commands next to you for the first little bit or so and you’ll get the hang of it.
The game sounds really tight! (and not just the musekits lulz). I’ve never really seen it in action except on GamePro TV where the footage made it look like more of a straight shooter… didn’t you find?… like an overhead mech warrior game where you fly a jet instead of driving a walker. Years later, in the online world, I was confused to see it praised as a proto-RTS. It really is a game I need to try!
As for the tastes of Genesis owners… to say nothing of what might have actually been avaialable for rental… see my comments on your Soleil post. Because my Genny mates mostly played sports titles, brawlers, fighters and platformers I can’t even remember properly what you could rent in terms of broader variety.
I’d say the PS1 generation was the same story. If you had to base your vision of PS1 library on its most hyped games, or what most people actually played on it, you’d miss hella gems :/
I went back to look at Herzog Zwei footage on GamePRO TV and the clip in question may be just in S.W.A.T. where yes – it looks like more of a Thunder Force II styled game.
I guess this might have been my first exposure to the game as well, but I think learning it had strategic elements excited me more.
Definitely give it a spin, if only because it’s so unique amongst the library.
I’d say that’s pretty accurate about any console, really. The hidden gems are, well, hidden. My mates weren’t a complete wash for obscure stuff but we did play a lot of the obvious things as well.
Isn’t this the first time you played your own copy, though? You mentioned when you scored a copy. :p
I’ve had a copy for… a while now, I kind of forget. At least a year, can’t be bothered to see if I have a record thereof. But yeah, I’ve played my cart before. I guess I mentioned it once then never really talked about it again? Certainly a possibility.