Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes Preview

Last year’s Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders was a great RTS that added some great concepts to the genre. While the game wasn’t without a few problems, like run-of-the-mill action sequences and poor voice acting, the Phanatgram sequel is doing what it can to fix the issues that people had with the original game. So far, the results are very impressive considering that its predecessor has barely even been out for a year. If all proceeds as planned, Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes should be every bit as an engaging action-RTS as the original and then some.

Heroes is actually a prequel to the original, taking place during the Encablossa War in the fictional land of Bersia. You’ll play as seven heroes, three from the human alliance (Ellen, a captain in the Ecclesian army; Rupert, a messenger; and Walter, an Ecclesian soldier) and four from the dark legion (Morene, a half-vampire warrior with dual-wielding bone blades; Urukbarr, a Hexter chieftain; Cirith, a cunning fighter; and Leinhart, the son of the of king of Vellond). Things are already pretty spotty between the human alliance and Vellond, the dark legion nation comprised of half-vampires, so when an unknown army comes along and destroys a human village, killing all in its path, unease sets in and leads to all-out war. Therefore, you must fight the conflict for each side and uncover the mystery surrounding the goings-on in this war.

Some supporting characters from The Crusaders will be making more substantial appearances in this game, to give you a full scope of the story. Each character’s path details a little bit more on the story’s side, giving you full insight and an extra piece of the puzzle. Just like in the first game, you must complete the campaigns in somewhat of a loose order, where you have to unlock the other characters by completing missions. There will even be a few hidden characters for enterprising gamers.

The gameplay in Heroes doesn’t vary a whole lot from the original game (which is a good thing for those who loved The Crusaders), but it does offer some small changes here and there that make the game just that much more engaging and fun to play. The game’s hybrid hack n’ slash/RTS gameplay moves seamlessly from one element to another, enabling you to set up your strategy and then move in for the kill. One of the main problems in the first game was the camera, which did get a bit close during the action sequences, making it pretty hard to see. However, this version boasts an improved camera, allowing you to zoom out of the action for a bird’s eye view, and get your bearings in the conflict.

Troop management has also been improved, as you can upgrade your troops giving them new abilities, weapons and armor at waypoints within the mission, as well as gaining experience for your crew.

Graphically, the game looks even sweeter than the original, with improved character models and textures, as well as new terrain elements within the environment. The superb art direction from the first game is also nicely realized here, with each faction showing some great attention for detail and cool effects. The love-it-or-hate-it soundtrack (composed of chugging 80’s metal) has returned, and I’ll admit, after having spent a bit of time with this game (and last year’s game) it’s starting to grow on me. This time around, Phantagram has gotten Korean metal masters Crash to handle the game’s music and it does sound pretty cool. The voice acting has been improved a bit, and the cheesy lines of dialogue so prevalent in the first game have given way to a better script.

Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes looks to be a subtle improvement over the original game, and for fans, that speaks volumes. Look for it later this month.