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The sequel to Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders hits just a year later. Though that game wasn’t a stellar performance in retail, it must have sold well enough to warrant a sequel from Phantagram. A year later, here we are with Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes, a game that is only slightly better than its predecessor but engaging nonetheless.
In Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes, you’ll be introduced to the different races—the elves, humans, orcs, and vampires—who often fight and engage in conflicts over the world of Bersia. After the defeat of the Dark Legion and the eventual rise to power by the humans, the vampires and elves united to try to have the power for themselves. The game’s story isn’t particularly good but is often mistakenly funny because the translation is so poor. I guess if you were trying to actually follow the story it would be more annoying than funny though.
The game’s gameplay is pretty similar to last year’s The Crusaders. The game features seven campaigns, and you can play as any of the races. There are some new characters and units in the game this year. Some of the characters, particularly the leaders for the races, are the same as they were in The Crusaders. The campaigns have different storylines although they are intertwined in the game. The game doesn’t have much a tutorial and throws you into action pretty quickly. Essentially, you’ll control a main unit and four additional units. The strategy is handled on the minimap, and here is where you’ll direct forces and such.
If that management aspect isn’t so exciting for you, you can always take control over the character itself. The battles are pretty hectic, with plenty on enemies on screen at the same time all trying to get some glory. The character has a weak and strong strike and can form combos, though the combat system is pretty basic and button mashing may not be avoided when you’re swarmed with enemies. The game lets you customize the troops for battle, since they earn points and gold as they fight. The different races have different jobs, and you’ll be able to upgrade a troop to a certain position if he meets the requirements. The game includes a number of different units, which is welcome. Aside from the points, you can use gold to purchase armor or weapons for your current troops, or create new units.
The game supports online multiplayer for up to six players. The game lets you have free for alls or engage in a more strategically oriented battle. This takes place in a number of battlefields that aren’t as complex as they were on single player but satisfactory nonetheless. Perhaps the best part of the online multiplayer is that it rewards you for playing by giving you experience points as you play, allowing you to upgrade your online units.
Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes has pretty good graphics. The different battle areas are massive and heavily populated with rivers, forests and the like. You won’t see much of it at one time though since the game has a pretty heavy fog of war that may be masking some limitations in the engine. The diverse characters are detailed and animate well. The units move very well, also.
The game’s soundtrack is compromised of drums and guitars that don’t really fit the game all that well, and may be disliked if you aren’t into hardcore metal. The voice acting in the game is pretty weak and uninspired, and you’ll often hear repetitive commands when fighting. The game includes the old Korean voice track which is recommended since the performances sound more passionate, though I can’t really be sure. The sound effects are well done, though.
Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes is pretty much the same game as last year’s The Crusaders. Though the game has been released so soon after its predecessor, the gameplay is still solid and the addition of online modes and the new campaigns are welcomed. Despite not being totally new, the game is still fun which is the most important quality. -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Oct 23, 2005
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