The story sounds almost like the second-cousin-twice-removed of "Planet of the Apes," with humans and humanoid beasts in a conflict millions of years after a planet-wide apocalypse. All that was left after the disaster was a sect of humans, a race of intelligent and bipedal beasts and some very violent wildlife to even out things out. As the humans start to rediscover long-lost technologies and fight their way back to power, the beasts are trying desperately to stop them, since humans were the ones who destroyed the world in the first place.

This scenario lends itself nicely to grand-scale warfare, and Savage: The Battle for Newerth definitely delivers, with multiplayer support for up to 64 players simultaneously. At times it feels very much like Battlefield 1942 in that regard. Where things get interesting and the genre-busting comes into play, though, is in the game’s two distinct modes of play: first-person shooter and real-time strategy.

Most players on the battlefield will find themselves in the FPS game mode, since only one person on your side can play the RTS role of "commander." Presuming you’re in the FPS mode, regardless of whether you play human or beast, you’re thrust into the battle with a melee and optional ranged weapon. Your job is to follow the commander’s orders, and when you have no orders, to set out and attack enemies at your will. I don’t have the personality type that typically likes to follow orders, but I found myself following the commander’s calls without hesitation, knowing full well that he/she could see the bigger picture. Maybe doing some gathering at that point really is more important than seeing how many enemies I can jump and gut within a minute.

As you make your way across the battlefield, you earn gold by slashing enemies, destroying their structures and generally making them wish they were never born. All the gold you earn is "taxed," meaning a percentage is given to the commander to help fund bigger and better operations. As a result, the more gold your team earns translates directly into more resources and technologies. So, in order to dominate the match, you need to go in with reckless abandon and leave nothing, and I mean nothing, behind. The best way to win is to destroy enemy buildings, which is a sure way to victory every time. Just remember that the enemy is trying to do the same thing to you.

The second game mode, the commander-only RTS, puts everything at your disposal. You are responsible for learning new technologies, sending out orders to your troops and strategically placing structures. The feel as commander is much like other RTS games, where you need to build, manage and promote your troops to victory. You can even give gold to troops who follow orders properly, although Machiavellian commanders will be disappointed that there’s no way to punish those who disobey. Those commanders will also be sure not to anger their soldiers, because troops can impeach a commander via an integrated voting system. Clearly you have to have to work well as a team, because without cooperation and proper communication, you’re doomed to fail.

Switching between game roles/modes is a snap, since the controls are familiar to the FPS and RTS genres. There are keys designated for purchasing upgrades, communicating with fellow soldiers and even directly talking to the commander in the FPS mode. You can also enter/exit structures, pull up your map for strategic attacks and do most anything else you can think of. The controls for commander are equally intuitive, with point-and-click orders and other traditional commands.

Where Savage breaks new ground in its genre combination, it fails to do so in its graphics. The graphics engine is decent and succeeds where it needs to, but it’s clear that the most attention went to its gameplay (which is a good thing). The levels are well-designed, and the real-time weather and time effects truly give you a sense that you’re in a changing world. But with a game that relies mostly on its FPS mode, the questionable animations aren’t exactly welcome. For example, regardless of your task, it’s always executed with the attack animation. That’s right, gathering supplies, building shelters and repairing damage are all done by smashing the object. God help you if you need to go talk to grandma. More animations for said tasks would have really benefited the game.

The sound in Savage: The Battle for Newerth effectively captures the various scenarios, with music that’s simply some of the best you’ll ever hear. It sets the mood perfectly and is also dynamic, changing on the fly to match the gameplay. For example, when you’re working on your base or gathering, there’s a peaceful musical score, whereas marching off to battle leads to heavier beats like war drummers fueling battle centuries ago.

Like the graphics, though, the strong FPS element in Savage would have benefited by a bit more attention to individual sounds. The most noticeable of these improvements would have been "meatier" sound effects for the weapons. It’s less than immersive when you’re hacking an army of beasts with what sounds like an aluminum spoon.

Sound and graphical snafus aside, though, Savage: The Battle for Newerth is still a groundbreaking release that defines an entirely new genre. If you’re largely into multiplayer games and are looking for something new, this very easily fills the void. It is strictly a multiplayer game, which may seem like a downer for some, but with countless hours of dynamic battle awaiting, and a $29.99 price tag, you just can’t go wrong with this title.

See more screens on the Savage: The Battle for Newerth media page