The Horde

About

The Horde casts you as Chauncey, a peasant turned reluctant hero tasked with fending off hordes of gluttonous creatures. You start with a sword and a village, upgrading defenses and resources as you repel seasonal waves of enemies with distinct behaviors. Success hinges on balancing protection of crops, villagers, and livestock while earning rewards to fuel future battles. The King’s favor rises with your victories but so does the High Chancellor’s wrath, pushing the difficulty higher with each win. The game stood out for its use of full-motion video in certain versions, featuring actors like Kirk Cameron, though later ports simplified this to slideshows. It launched on 3DO in 1994 before hitting DOS, Saturn, and others. Its music by Burke Trieschmann earned a Computer Gaming World award, and the game initially shipped bundled with hardware to showcase MPEG playback. A quirky mix of medieval fantasy and early 90s tech experimentation, it’s a relic of strategy gaming’s more eclectic era.

Storyline

You are Chauncey, a serving lad who saves his monarch from choking on his meal. The King rewards you with his magical sword, Grimthwacker, and a village, and the mission to go forth and prosper by felling waves of Hordlings, who are bent on eating everything in the province. The better you get at defending villagers, crops, and cows from Hordlings, the better equipped you become. Success wins you further favor from the King, along with bigger challenges and more enmity from the evil High Chancellor. There are several types of Hordlings, each with their peculiar style of picking through the edibles under your care. Success is measured by how many villagers and crops survive each season's gluttonous attacks.