Rewind – Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal

Released in 1996, Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal dramatically changed the world of Warcraft.  Built as an expansion, the game required the player to own the original Warcraft II in order to play.  Interesting the game is credited as being made by Cyberlore Studios.  Back in the day, there were a few expansions to Blizzard games that were farmed out to outside studios.  This process has long since stopped and Blizzard keeps their precious properties only in house now.  As such, it is unclear how much of the game is based off Blizzard’s request or how much was a novel idea from Cyberlore.

Regardless, this is the game where a more substantial narrative begins to take hold.  There are many specific characters from both the Horde and Alliance who play very prominent roles in the story arc that you play through.  While the original Warcraft: Orcs and Humans as well as Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness were fun to play, the setting was kept extremely basic and generic.  Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal is really where a lot of the lore of the Warcraft universe was built which would continue to permeate through future games until the present time.

A fun aspect of this new focus on narrative is that specific heroes are a bigger part of the game.  There are many levels in which specific heroes can be controlled.  These are units that look similar to other units but still have something changed to make them appear and sound unique.  These units are also more powerful than their regular counterparts.  Looking back, it is clear that this was an introductory step to what would become a more substantial hero system in Warcraft III.

From a gameplay standpoint, the game really does fit the role of an expansion rather than a whole new game as the way the game is played is pretty much the same.  It is nice that things do not always have to be dedicated to naval combat/transport anymore.  There are missions which make use of these units and associated structures but the variation in level design is appreciated.  Likewise, the cinematic cutscenes are similar in appearance and quality compared to the prior Warcraft release.

So, while the overall gameplay adds little that is revolutionary.  The marked advancements in storytelling found in Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal would laid the foundations for all future Warcraft games.