King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame
- November 24, 2009
- NeocoreGames
- 18h median play time
It's a grand strategy game that dares to veer off the beaten track, which brings with it a host of great gameplay, mixed with some annoying and unhelpful quirks. Recommended for fans of the Total War series.
Get on Steam"King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame" is a strategy game set in a mythical version of medieval Britain. As Arthur, you'll build Camelot, recruit famous heroes like Lancelot and Merlin, and fight in real-time battles against human and supernatural enemies. Your heroes' strengths and weaknesses will impact the outcome of battles, making unit composition and management crucial.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of RPG elements and strategy, allowing players to make moral choices that affect gameplay.
- The story and lore are engaging, particularly for fans of Arthurian legend, with interesting quests and character interactions.
- The tactical battles can be enjoyable, especially when utilizing magic and hero abilities, providing a different experience from traditional Total War games.
- The game is plagued by frequent crashes and technical issues, particularly on modern systems, making it nearly unplayable for many users.
- The AI can be unbalanced, often overwhelming players with superior numbers and abilities, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The controls and camera mechanics are clunky, which can detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- story196 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The game's story is a captivating retelling of Arthurian legend, featuring a mix of engaging text-based quests and strategic gameplay that allows players to make impactful choices. While the narrative is praised for its depth and immersive atmosphere, some players note that technical issues and a linear progression can detract from the overall experience. The combination of RPG elements and a choose-your-own-adventure style enhances replayability, making it a standout aspect of the game despite its flaws.
“If you're into Arthurian legend, then this game will draw you into its story, which involves unlocking heroes and powers that can assist you on the battlefield.”
“The story is engaging, the combat is exciting and fun, and the art direction really brings the Arthurian legend to life.”
“The game therefore heavily hinges on its story, which luckily is mostly enjoyable.”
“King Arthur lore fans, be careful as the story is very inaccurate.”
“Some of the story missions become a wall of text and a type of 'choose your own adventure' book, where a wrong decision can alter the outcome and hurt you in an upcoming battle.”
“Not even close, the difficulty of this game's missions swings at random from stupidly easy to nigh impossible, with no regard to the game's difficulty setting or even the description of its missions.”
- gameplay53 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame" is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of strategy and RPG mechanics that some players find engaging and rich in depth, particularly praising its progression and morality systems. However, many users report significant issues such as crashes, unresponsive controls, and a lack of polish compared to similar titles like Total War, leading to a frustrating experience for some. Overall, while the game offers unique elements and enjoyable moments, it is marred by technical problems and inconsistent mechanics.
“Great story and fun gameplay.”
“King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame has a lot of depth, and you really come to appreciate it as the game progresses, adding more and more mechanics along the way.”
“An interesting and oft-overlooked gem, it offers a unique take on total war-style gameplay, both in the campaign and in the battles.”
“So bad... crashes randomly, keyboard stops responding in the middle of battles, tutorial completely useless, outdated gameplay, graphics, etc... just don't.”
“It's a rather bad gameplay experience.”
“Gameplay just isn't fun.”
- graphics40 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful art style and rich atmosphere, while others highlight significant issues such as graphic problems, runtime errors, and outdated visuals. Some players appreciate the detailed graphics and variety in unit customization, but note that the overall graphical experience could benefit from updates. Despite these criticisms, the unique artwork and immersive visuals contribute positively to the game's appeal.
“Great visuals, atmosphere, story, sounds and music.”
“Graphically, the game is quite beautiful and there is a nice variety of units and hero customization.”
“Detailed graphics, very nice music, and well drawn pictures add to King Arthur on top of the gameplay.”
“So bad... crashes randomly, keyboard stops responding in the middle of battles, tutorial completely useless, outdated gameplay, graphics, etc... just don't.”
“Battle concept almost entirely identical to Total War, but all aspects (controls/battle depth/graphics) worse than RTW, which was released years before this game.”
“See you can play it on very low graphics settings but who wants to do that.”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent crashes and freezes, particularly during critical moments like end turns. While some players find enjoyment in the gameplay, the persistent glitches and unresponsive interface detract from the overall experience, leading to a consensus that the game lacks polish and reliability.
“Crashes and freezes too much.”
“While I find myself wanting to like this game, as it does have some very fun moments, the overall lackluster polish that is the glitches and crashes ruins the game for me.”
“Do not buy this buggy crashing piece of software.”
- music16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The music in the game is frequently praised for its captivating quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, complementing the visuals and story effectively. While some reviewers noted that the music can be a bit repetitive, it is generally well-adapted to the game's mood and contributes significantly to the immersive experience. Overall, the combination of music and graphics creates a rich fantasy atmosphere that players find memorable.
“Great visuals, atmosphere, story, sounds, and music.”
“The music is captivating as well.”
“Detailed graphics, very nice music, and well-drawn pictures add to King Arthur on top of the gameplay.”
“Another high point is the music, a bit repetitive, but quite adapted to the mood of the game.”
- atmosphere8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is consistently praised for its stunning visuals, beautiful art style, and immersive music, creating a rich fantasy environment. While the story is considered engaging, some players note that the gameplay can be challenging and occasionally marred by bugs. Overall, the combination of graphics, sound, and narrative contributes to a captivating experience with high replayability.
“Great visuals, atmosphere, story, sounds, and music.”
“Rich atmosphere (graphics and music), known but interesting story, fun to play, although some battles are quite tough, great replayability.”
“Nice graphics, beautiful art style, half decent plot, good music, and great fantasy atmosphere.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features a robust morality and religion system that significantly enhances replayability, allowing players to explore different roles and choices, such as being a good or bad character. Coupled with a rich atmosphere and engaging gameplay, it offers a well-rounded experience that encourages multiple playthroughs. Overall, players find the game enjoyable and worth revisiting due to its varied outcomes and challenges.
“The morality/religion system offers real trade-offs and greatly increases replayability.”
“The morality system adds nice replay value to the game, as you can replay the game and take on a different role as the good guy or bad guy... or maybe a bit in between.”
“Rich atmosphere (graphics and music), known but interesting story, fun to play, although some battles are quite tough, great replayability.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the humor in the game is both clever and impactful, often drawing comparisons to more recent titles by Creative Assembly, suggesting that this game executed its comedic elements earlier and more effectively.
“The funny thing looking back at it now, a lot of the formula Creative Assembly is using now with Warhammer, this did much earlier and with greater effect.”
