So you get lengthy stretches where characters clearly go out of their way to avoid swearing, using awkward words like “heck” and “crap,” and others where characters let loose with incessant f-bombs. There are also strange shifts in tone, like some of the dialogue was written and recorded before any decision was made on what sort of age rating the game would aim for. But as far as your involvement is concerned, there aren't a lot of meaningful choices to make. Plot is further developed through dialogue that includes quiet, character-building moments alongside stereotypically epic conversations about gods and magic. You just need some time to figure out your place amidst all the initially bewildering references if this is your first visit to Eo. Thankfully, everything eventually rounds into a compelling story. But there is a lot of depth and background information to absorb.

Main plot points feel like typical fantasy fare, though, as they revolve around your semi-chosen one status as the child of a treasonous mage. Events here serve as a prequel to the earlier SpellForce games, so it is tough to get up to speed initially. The baroque plot carrying you through it all assumes some familiarity with the SpellForce franchise, as you are dropped right into the aftermath of the Mage Wars on the Dungeons & Dragons-ish world of Eo. You may finish off by taking all that you learned about the landscape while exploring, and build a base, constructing facilities to gather resources, and then whip up an army to hurl at foes who have been doing the same thing.

You may start off exploring a map as part of a small party of heroes, slaying the odd gang of goblins or undead or giant spiders and cracking open chests stuffed with weapons, armor, and the usual assortment of magical goodies. Opening missions serve as an extended tutorial, first giving you the basics on how role-playing works, then moving into base-building strategizing where you take the fight to foes on a larger scale. It also broadens the outlook of the stereotypical fantasy RPG, expanding the limited worldview of a handful of adventurers into the more expansive perspective of a general controlling an army. Though the end result is anything but unified, such a contrasting design keeps you from falling into a consistent routine. SpellForce III fits into the latter category, pairing role-playing and real-time-strategy elements. Some cross-genre games are blended like ingredients in a mixing bowl, while others let their two halves live side-by-side.

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