Life as a Lich

This game is by Adrao, whom I know from Hero or Villain. I associate this author with complex mechanics-focused games that let you try out interesting systems.

This game was both more ambitious but less polished, even unfinished, then the last one I played.

For one, it is the sequel to two unrelated games, one a fantasy game, and one a game set in modern Tokyo. You can import a character from either one of these games. The differences between the two are slight; you end up in an underground cavern with a skeleton protecting you, and you explore your base while dealing with otherworldly creatures. In the Tokyo version, I made a surface cult and there was an alien/elemental attack on Japan, while in the fantasy I didn't see a surface cult option.

There also is a way to make a new character for both, but the stories feel a bit incomplete. The Tokyo one is short but leads into the cave pretty well, while the Fantasy one just jumps from being a weak spellcaster to a very strong one.

The incompleteness isn't just inferred; there are notes throughout the work saying that the game is incomplete, mostly saying that the author might expand one storyline later. The most notable part is the epilogue, which is blank, saying the author might add one at some point to link into another game.

Gameplay itself was hard to get into the rhythm of but improved over time. I played on easy mode, having learned from past games that this author likes to provide real challenge. At first, rats ate all my stuff, so I made ghouls to stop the rats. I had a big army mining and making weapons, when a dwarf came and overwhelmed me. It turns out I needed unassigned monsters to fight random visitors. There is an attack power level based on you, your spells, and your unassigned minions. If it's higher than the enemy you win, otherwise game over.

So I started over and focused on making tons of guys. My health and will were continously depleted because my cult was making ghouls, but that gave me a big army and I found spells to replenish myself. I thought I had a strict time limit, so moved fast (the game kept saying I needed to make a portal whenever there was a lunar occurrence of some kind and I missed 3 or so before I finally made one). But it turned out I had enough time to research 2 mega-spells (Death Knight and Banish) before the end happened.

I made my army big. Too big. By the end I was riding my dracolich, summoning demon allies, fighting alongside 2000 rat zombies with my army of skeletons and zombies led by a fully armed and armored Death Knight against alien invaders. My attack power, due to my careful planning, was over 600. The alien overlord had 30.

So, I won! Using the ring of time and harvesting elementals for my ascension.

Near the end I had ran out of most story-based options and was just in a cycle of learning what I could until I ran out of useful options there, so I just cranked out studying for my big spells.

If someone wants a simulator for manipulating a necromantic army as a lich, this game works well. I just wonder why it was released with gaps in the story?