Majesty: Fantasy Kingdom Sim (Sniper)
Genre: Real-time Strategy
Developer: HeroCraft Ltd
Publisher: HeroCraft Ltd

Graphics
Unlike most other portions of this Android adaptation of Majesty, not a single sprite was lifted from the original PC version. Rather, the mediocre artwork from said PC version has been replaced by positively beautiful hand-drawn, well-animated visuals-- visuals that perfectly straddle the line between fitting the charming and witty mission writing, while also avoiding the common pitfall of going stylistically over the top.

Sound
Kevin Manthei's wonderful, whimsy-filled yet dramatic fantasy soundtrack from the original title was migrated almost in its entirety to this Android adaptation, and it is still a memorable collection of melodies, even if it doesn't reach the levels of similar works, such as Glenn Stafford's efforts on Warcraft II. Sound effects are ample, clear, and comprehensible-- as much as anyone could ask or expect.

Gameplay
Majesty bills itself as a "Fantasy Kingdom Sim", but in reality it's just a real-time strategy game where the player doesn't need to micromanage units-- in fact, the player can't; units are "motivated" to pursue whichever goals towards which the player deems fit to offer a bounty. The control scheme and user interface work well on touch screen-based Android devices, although the stages are all perhaps a bit too similar.

Overall
Majesty is a mixed bag; on the positive side, the title is absolutely beautiful, and sounds great as well. The "real-time strategy lite" formula makes playable what would otherwise be an off-limits genre for touch-based phones. On the negative side, the stages are a bit flat and mundane in their design. Still, Majesty is one of the most ambitious and well-executed titles on Android.

Sniper's verdict: