King Arthur II Preview
Posted by
SpectralShock
on
We recently got the opportunity to have an extensive hands-on with the upcoming King Arthur II: The Role-playing Wargame. A sequel to the similarly named title from 2009 (minus the II), the game continues to evolve and refine the mechanics set forth by its predecessor. Fans of the original game will feel right at home with the game’s mix of RPG character development and real-time RTS battles. The series retains many of its unique features and further improves upon them, which is great news for the fans and potential newcomers alike.
The preview build which we had a chance to play though for a number of hours is the King Arthur II: Dead Legions prologue chapter, which is actually not included with the full build of the game and instead will be offered as a preorder incentive. As such, it’s difficult to judge the narrative or how it will actually play into the full game, but it’s a decently engaging tale none the less. Players find themselves in the role of Septimus Sulla, a member of the few remaining families from the Roman Empire that have stayed in medieval and magically infused Britannia. After the rest of the populace retreated back to Rome following an unsuccessful colonization of the land after many years, it is up to Sulla to not only reclaim his family’s glory, but also unite the remaining Roman families so that they may keep hold on their land in Britannia.
For a prologue, that is quite of a lot of narrative, and this hopefully means that the full game is quite expansive as well. With gameplay, players will undoubtedly find many similarities between this title and franchises like Total War and Heroes of Might and Magic. King Arthur II has two core gameplay elements, which will be familiar to fans of the original. In a global map view, players take control of a commander and his army. You are then able to roam around the map, completing various quests and battles as you choose. The map movement is based around a neat 4-turn style which represents the seasons of the year. During winter, no armies are able to move and this is also the only time to upgrade your castles with improvements. It’s an interesting balancing and pacing mechanic that works quite well for both RPG exploration and building up your castles. Players can also upgrade their units in a number of ways, and outfit the generals with various items gained from battles. The morality and faith aspects also make a return, though the effects of the latter are not immediately apparent in the preview we played.
These aspects work to create an addicting RPG experience. Beefing up units and earning new boosts for your general is engaging and strategic, with many combinations possible. Taking on quests on the world map means you’re able to expand your influence by participating in politics, earning respect with various families, or simply trying to force your way to victory. There are many opportunities and resulting consequences presented by the game, with everything from simple combat assignments to participating in the senate hearings. Indeed, the game fully utilizes an almost old-school (like a text adventure) yet extremely engaging conversation mechanic, letting the player actively make decisions by selecting from a variety of actions or things to say. It’s a system that’s fairly simple but works very well to keep you engaged and curious about the potential outcomes of your words and actions in a variety of vastly different situations.
The second large gameplay element in King Arhtur II is the strategy battles. These are indeed very familiar to those of Total War. Players begin the battle by positioning their units and planning their attacks in real time by maneuvering their formations and engaging in conflict. The action allows players to fully zoom to the battlefield and see the carnage, with some good detail and animations. It may not feel or look as polished as the recent Total War games, however there are a number of unique elements which offset these shortcomings. First off, maps have strategic points which, when captured, provide buffs to your army. Generals are also crucial, as they are fully capable of using magic to help the cause. Everything from raining down lightning to buffing your troops is fair game, and adds yet another mechanic to the battles. Because the game is set in a magical world, there are many types of units, including flying ones – and even though their presence in the preview build was limited, it’s yet another outcome-altering mechanic that’s unique for this sort of game.
King Arthur II supports DirectX11, which makes the game look quite good at times, though frame rate struggles a bit when there are a lot of units on screen. As mentioned before, the camera can be freely controlled during the RTS battles and zoomed in to see the carnage up close. The soundtrack and effects are minimal but they do the job, and on the other hand all of the texts are fully voiced, adding a lot of immersion to the experience.
Fans of the original King Arthur are surely in for a treat, as the game brings some nice changes and expands upon its core offerings. King Arthur II also has a good chance to attract fans of Total War and Might and Magic series with its battle mechanics and turn based exploration, while also offering the uniquely engaging text adventures. This RTS/RPG hybrid looks to be a deep yet accessible title and should be on the radar of all self-proclaimed strategists with an interest in role playing. King Arthur II – The Role-playing Wargame is set to release on PC in January 2012.