Warhammer: Dark Omen - Available from GOG
I originally bought Warhammer: Dark Omen in the summer of 1998. I played a demo copy via a magazine cover disc, which was a common means of promotion and marketing back then. Although I was at that point, unfamiliar with the Warhammer Universe, I found this game to be an excellent point of entry. The story did an excellent job of introducing players to “The Old World”, the political and power structure and major characters. I instantly liked both the aesthetic and the lore. Warhammer: Dark Omen was also the first real-time tactical wargame that I played and I spent numerous hours playing through the campaign. Overall, the game was a critical success, particularly on PC, but it struggled commercially upon its initial release and didn’t quite find the audience that it deserved. However, it has achieved status as a “cult classic” among gamers, leading to a recent re-release on GOG in late 2025.
I originally bought Warhammer: Dark Omen in the summer of 1998. I played a demo copy via a magazine cover disc, which was a common means of promotion and marketing back then. Although I was at that point, unfamiliar with the Warhammer Universe, I found this game to be an excellent point of entry. The story did an excellent job of introducing players to “The Old World”, the political and power structure and major characters. I instantly liked both the aesthetic and the lore. Warhammer: Dark Omen was also the first real-time tactical wargame that I played and I spent numerous hours playing through the campaign. Overall, the game was a critical success, particularly on PC, but it struggled commercially upon its initial release and didn’t quite find the audience that it deserved. However, it has achieved status as a “cult classic” among gamers, leading to a recent re-release on GOG in late 2025.
Technically, Warhammer: Dark Omen is a sequel to Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat, although it is not at all necessary to have played the first game. Warhammer: Dark Omen provides a variety of battles that are played in real time. The Warhammer fantasy setting affords players a mixture of medieval warfare with fantasy elements. Hence players deploy units prior to a battle based upon what enemy units they can see and the anticipation of reinforcements. To win you must kill or rout all enemy units. If your forces are similarly routed or destroyed the battle is lost. while losing if all their units are killed/routed from the battlefield. Units include infantry, archers, cavalry and cannon along with more exotic forces such as Dwarf Warriors, Mercenary Ogres and various Wizards. Losses can be replaced (purchased) between battles and units can use magic items to use to help them in battle.
The game maps are 3D with units depicted via animated sprites. The player can issue various commands to units throughout battles, instructing them to move, engage specific enemies or use a magical item. It is important to move the in-game camera around the map and examine the terrain from multiple angles both prior and during the battles. Line of sight is extremely important especially for archers and cannon. The enemy attacks in waves and can sometimes set ambushes. Therefore it is important to zoom the view out from time to time and take stock of the battlefield. If a friendly unit is completely wiped out in a battle it is absent from the rest of the campaign. Therefore, battles need to be fought strategically and not rushed and it is prudent to ensure that your core units are not lost. However, throughout the main story, additional guest units may join you for a while and subsequently leave.
The main story that drives the campaign in Warhammer: Dark Omen is fairly straightforward. Due to an alignment of planets, a powerful supernatural entity, The Dread King, has returned to the world and raised an undead army. Morgan Bernhardt, commander of the “Grudgebringer” mercenaries is tasked by Emperor Karl Franz in investigating and eliminating this threat to The Empire. As the “Grudgebringer” mercenaries journey south they fight various battles in key locations, often with local allies. There are a handful of cutscenes during the course of the story with the majority of the dialogue being delivered by animated talking heads in portraits frames, set against a background reflecting the current location. It is all relatively low key, as you’d expect from a game of this age but the voice acting is solid. There is also a very atmospheric soundtrack by Mark Knight. It should also be noted that this game is hard. You cannot vary the difficulty which is taxing at times.
Last year, Warhammer: Dark Omen received over 15,000 votes on the GOG Dreamlist, leading to an official re-release with 4K and widescreen support in December 2025. It should be noted that the game may require some fine tuning to run how you like it on your PC. There is an excellent guide to this process over at Dark Omen Fansite Portal. All things considered this 28 year old game runs well thanks to GOG and I for one am very pleased to see it make a return. It is not just a case of nostalgia, although that is a factor. Warhammer: Dark Omen is a good real-time tactical wargame that is accessible and compelling. Unlike modern games it is not cluttered with an excess of systems and mechanics, instead focusing on providing straightforward battle scenarios where the player succeeds through thinking and measured action, rather than bluffing their way through. Sometimes less is indeed more.
