Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic
Stand-alone expansion adding random maps and three new races.
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is a turn-based fantasy strategy game and the third entry in the Age of Wonders series, developed by Triumph Studios. It functions as a standalone expansion to Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne. The series itself is a spiritual successor to Master of Magic, combining strategic overworld management with tactical combat.
A heavily requested feature, random map generation was added in Shadow Magic, which helped keep its multiplayer community more active than that of The Wizard's Throne. Though it uses the same graphics engine as its predecessor, the expansion added new buildings and at least one new recruitable unit for every existing race, plus three entirely new races and new maps.
The core gameplay revolves around the player’s leader, the Wizard. Unlike in other series entries, Wizards in this game do not gain experience and are weaker in direct combat than hired Heroes. Players research spells from chosen elemental spheres, and spells have vastly longer range when cast from Wizard Towers—a defining feature of Age of Wonders II that returned less prominently in Age of Wonders 4. The game includes fifteen races, each with a good or evil alignment. The overworld features Civilization-style cities with unit and building production, along with gold and mana resources, dungeons, and other locations. Scenarios take place across three layers: the Surface, the Underground, and the Shadow World—the latter being new to this game. The campaign focuses on the titular Shadow Demons. This Shadow World later reappeared in Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms as the more hostile, dungeon-focused Umbral Abyss.
After official support ended with patch 1.3, the fan community continued development through an unofficial community patch. The franchise was re-released on Stardock’s Impulse service in September 2010, soon followed by GOG.com, GamersGate, and eventually Steam.
The editors of Computer Gaming World awarded Shadow Magic their 2003 "Strategy Game of the Year" prize, praising its "just one more turn" addictiveness. It was also a nominee for PC Gamer US's 2003 "Best Turn-Based Strategy Game" award, losing to Combat Mission: Afrika Korps.
The game was developed using Delphi 7, a version of the Delphi programming language.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic
- Developer
- Triumph Studios
- Publisher
- Gathering
- Director
- Lennart Sas
- Producer
- Chris Lacey
- Programmer
- Arno van Wingerden
- Writer
- Raymond Bingham / Josh Farley
- Composer
- Mason B. Fisher
- Series
- Age of Wonders
- Released
- NA · July 24, 2003 · EU · August 29, 2003
- Genre
- Turn-based strategy
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic is the third game in the Age of Wonders series, developed by Triumph Studios as a stand-alone expansion to Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne. The series is a spiritual successor to Master of Magic, featuring strategic overworld and tactical combat layers. Shadow Magic introduced random map generation, a feature much requested by fans, which helped retain a more active multiplayer community versus The Wizard's Throne predecessor. The graphical engine remained the same as that of The Wizard's Throne, but every race received new buildings and at least one new recruitable unit, along with three new races and new maps.
Reader's Guide
Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic holds significance as the third entry in the Age of Wonders series, expanding upon Age of Wonders II: The Wizard's Throne with new content and features. Its introduction of random map generation was a key addition that sustained a more active multiplayer community. The game's campaign focuses in part on its titular antagonist, the Shadow Demons, and adds a third playable layer, the Shadow World, which later returned in Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms as the Umbral Abyss. After official support ended with patch 1.3, the fan community continued development via a community patch. The franchise was re-released on Stardock's Impulse service in September 2010, followed by releases on GOG.com, GamersGate, and Steam. The game received the Computer Gaming World 2003 'Strategy Game of the Year' award and was a nominee for PC Gamer US's 2003 'Best Turn-Based Strategy Game' award. Its legacy includes influencing later entries in the series and maintaining a dedicated fan base.
Did You Know?
- Shadow Magic was developed using the Delphi programming language (Delphi 7).
- After official support ended with patch 1.3, the game was unofficially developed by the fan community via a community patch.
More in Fantasy video games 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced