Myth: The Fallen Lords

Myth: The Fallen Lords arrived in 1997 with an idea that sounded almost heretical at the time: a real-time strategy game with no resource gathering and no base building. The player is given a fixed squad at the start of each mission and has to make do with it, because no reinforcements are coming. The dark fantasy premise, about a world already losing its war against undead lords, is told mostly through the terse notes of an ordinary soldier between missions, and that restraint works better than a lavish cutscene ever could.

The battlefield is a fully three-dimensional terrain over which detailed two-dimensional characters move, and terrain is what decides everything. Archers on high ground shoot farther, aiming is harder down in a valley, rain reduces the effectiveness of firebombs, and snow slows down marching. On top of that, physics governs everything: a dwarf's explosive charge can be thrown downhill and it really does roll down, explosions throw around bodies and severed limbs, and shooting into the middle of a melee genuinely kills your own men. Orders work with formations, retreat, and unit facing, so one well-executed flanking maneuver is worth more than twice the numbers. The campaign is unforgiving, because every fallen veteran is irreplaceable and the next mission simply does without them.

The atmosphere is raw, filthy, and dark. The combination of muddy battlefields, fog, and muted music makes Myth one of the least romantic fantasy games of its time, underlined further by the sheer amount of blood on screen. At the time it was a critically acclaimed title, and its internet multiplayer resonated even more strongly, played competitively for years after release. Its influence is felt anywhere strategy gives up economy in favor of pure tactics. Today the game is kept alive by community projects and open-source versions of the engine, which keep it playable, and its emphasis on terrain and physics feels fresher than more than a few newer titles. Anyone who can get used to treating soldiers as a scarce resource will get one of the most tense campaigns of its era.