Age of Fear: The Undead King
- November 15, 2011
- Leslaw Sliwko
- 58h median play time
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Get on itch.io Store"Age of Fear: The Undead King" is a turn-based strategy game with RPG elements, where players lead a party of heroes and creatures in battles against undead forces. The game features a detailed physics-based combat system, character development, and Steam Workshop integration for mods. This Gold edition includes additional content and improvements based on community feedback since its initial 2011 release.
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Reviews
- Engaging tactical combat that requires strategic planning and unit management.
- Interesting storylines with two distinct campaigns (good and evil) that provide replayability.
- Active developer support with regular updates and responsiveness to player feedback.
- Graphics and sound design are basic and may not appeal to players seeking high production values.
- The user interface can be cumbersome and unintuitive, making navigation and management tedious.
- Some players may find the combat mechanics repetitive and lacking in depth, leading to a feeling of monotony.
- story232 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally viewed as mediocre, with many reviewers noting its generic "good versus evil" theme and lack of depth. While some players appreciate the engaging character progression and the unique feel of the necromancer campaign, others criticize the writing quality and the linearity of the narrative, which often relies on text rather than dynamic storytelling. Overall, the story serves as a backdrop to the tactical gameplay, providing context for battles but lacking the complexity and intrigue that some players desire.
“Playing the necromancer campaign at the moment - good story and great 'feel' - really feels like being a necromancer, animating the corpses of fallen enemies and raising an army of undead.”
“The more you play, the more the two campaigns included in this game capture you with their story, which is full of old-time tropes that remind me of Pip and Merlin (an old adventure book series from that time).”
“It's a charming, deep strategy game with some grind but an intriguing tale, pleasant music and artwork, and it has eaten a lot of my time outfitting my merry band and trying to get through a mission with more of a positive K/D ratio.”
“The storyline is the most boring generic story you have ever heard, and even though they read it to you, you will find yourself thinking of other things.”
“The story is... in my opinion, lackluster at best, though I found the necromancer story to be both my favorite and also the weaker of the two stories by the end.”
“There's a story, but it's only text and it's pretty thin.”
- graphics84 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as basic and functional, with a tabletop-style aesthetic that some players find charming, while others consider it mediocre and dated. Many reviews note that the visuals range from low-quality backdrops to decent unit designs, but they do not detract significantly from the overall gameplay experience. Overall, the graphics are not the main selling point of the game, appealing more to those who prioritize gameplay mechanics over visual fidelity.
“Lovely graphics and the update services are wonderful.”
“Graphics are simple yet beautifully designed, and the developers' effort and passion can be felt within.”
“The visuals are simple but effective; different units are easily recognizable, and although the animations are pretty basic, they get the job done.”
“The graphics and sound are bad.”
“There are downsides like not being able to zoom in and out with your mouse wheel and the presentation, graphics, and sound design are straight out poor.”
“The voiceovers and graphics are dated.”
- gameplay78 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its engaging tactical mechanics and unique gridless combat system, reminiscent of classic tabletop games. However, many criticize it for being overly simplistic and linear, often devolving into repetitive battles without strategic depth or environmental interaction. While the core mechanics and customization options are appreciated, the overall execution lacks polish and variety, leading to a somewhat stale experience for some players.
“Still, the gameplay is great and is really in a niche of its own as I have never found a game similar to it that I enjoyed as much as AOF.”
“Nice indie turn-based tactical game, the amount of units and ways to improve them is impressive; if you can look past the presentation, you will find that the core mechanics are more than engaging enough to enjoy the game.”
“After playing for a few hours, I'd say I recommend this game. While the graphics are hand-drawn and thus don't look as high quality as what you'd typically expect of most modern games, its gameplay compensates for that failing by providing a fairly enjoyable tactical RPG experience.”
“Overall, I don't recommend it because it frankly isn't worth the price of $25.00 USD: the combat revolves purely around attacking the enemy until they are dead, there are no mechanics that add strategic depth to the game, you are barely able to interact with the environment, and each battle has the same objective and devolves into the same stale war of attrition as you are constantly outnumbered and are forced to play defensively in order to overcome the stacked odds.”
“The gameplay is touted as 'deep and complex' but it's frankly completely vacuous and solely involves you mindlessly attacking the enemy until they are dead — it's essentially a race to see who can do damage faster and more efficiently.”
“The gameplay is very linear: just a series of battles.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the variety of choices, hidden units, and the ability to create custom campaigns, others find the open-world mode tedious and lacking in depth. Many users report spending significant time in auto-pilot mode, suggesting that the game may not justify its price tag due to limited engaging content. Overall, the potential for replayability exists, but it is hampered by repetitive mechanics and a rough execution.
“This is a game with good replay value.”
“There are some options to be made and a lot of hidden units and levels, so it has some replayability, aside from different difficulties.”
“Lots and lots of choices, which makes replayability rather high.”
“Therefore, the game doesn't have much replay value outside of playing with the various factions' units in the open-world mode, but even that is tedious since you have to manually level up each unit to see their full class tree (if they even have one) and complement of skills.”
“Although I have 77 hours on record, about two-thirds of it was spent playing the open-world mode on auto-pilot while doing something else just to see what it had to offer before I reviewed the game in full. However, I still think that the game is extremely rough around the edges, doesn't have much replay value, and definitely isn't worth its base price.”
“May be the replay value is not very high, but in this case, I don't mind.”
- music16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as atmospheric and fitting for the game's setting, with some reviewers noting its charm and ability to enhance the mood during battles. While opinions vary, many find the music pleasant and well-composed, though not particularly memorable or epic. Overall, it serves its purpose in complementing the gameplay, despite the game's other shortcomings.
“It's a charming, deep strategy game with some grind but an intriguing tale, pleasant music and artwork, and it has eaten a lot of my time outfitting my merry band and trying to get through a mission with more of a positive k/d ratio.”
“The primitive but often authentic sounding medieval music, which changes nicely to fit the mood.”
“Beyond the lackluster combat, which is the crux of the game, the graphics, music, and voice acting, story, writing, and characters are all very mediocre and completely forgettable while the UI is utterly horrendous and feels extremely amateur.”
“The music is composed of atmospheric sounds that fit the terrain in which the battle is taking place.”
“The graphics are basic but the sound and music fit the mood very well.”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviews on the humor aspect of the game are mixed; while some players appreciate the dry humor and character banter, others find it lacking and unhelpful to the overall experience. Many highlight the amusing interactions between factions and characters, particularly enjoying the humor in the storylines, though the absence of voice acting means players must read text to appreciate the jokes. Overall, the humor is seen as a hit or miss, with some elements resonating well while others fall flat.
“Each faction has their own good and funny story and conversations.”
“The campaign(s) seem relatively lengthy and well made with a dab of dry humor, nifty illustrations, and surprisingly decent voice acting.”
“Fun game, love the story and the humor between the hero and the horse.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and cumbersome, primarily due to the manual leveling of units and a poorly designed user interface that complicates unit management and equipment handling. The lack of replay value and the repetitive nature of certain game elements further detract from the overall experience.
“The game doesn't have much replay value outside of playing with the various factions' units in the open-world mode, but even that is tedious since you have to manually level up each unit to see their full class tree (if they even have one) and complement of skills.”
“The UI is atrocious: the unit management is cumbersome because you have to use a horizontal scroll bar to view your entire army. The shop and your inventory are combined into one, which is extremely confusing and makes equipment management a tedious chore. You can only load a save from the main menu, which means that you have to quit out of a game each time you want to reload, and there is a general lack of polish.”
“Some of the pawns' sayings get tedious, as they respond every time you activate them.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is enhanced by a carefully composed soundtrack that features atmospheric sounds tailored to the specific terrain of each battle, creating an immersive experience for players.
“The music is composed of atmospheric sounds that fit the terrain in which the battle is taking place.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is often compared unfavorably to Fire Emblem, with reviewers noting that while the combat mechanics are superior, the writing and depth of character development fall short.
“Somewhat like Fire Emblem with better combat and worse writing/character development.”
