Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes
- June 24, 2020
- Phantagram
- 51h median play time
"Kingdom Under Fire: Heroes" is a fantasy hack and slash game with action strategy elements, featuring a good plot and outstanding soundtrack. Command hundreds of soldiers, utilize spells, golems, and catapults in over 50 campaign missions, and earn experience to train and equip your troops. Play in single-player mode or challenge other gamers online, but beware of occasional bugs.
PC
Windows
Xbox
Reviews
- The game combines RTS and hack-and-slash mechanics, providing a unique and engaging gameplay experience.
- The story and characters are well-developed, offering a nostalgic and immersive experience for fans of the original Xbox title.
- The game has high replay value, allowing players to revisit missions with different characters and strategies.
- The PC port suffers from numerous bugs, including game-breaking issues with saving and pathfinding, making it frustrating to play.
- Controls are clunky and not well-optimized for keyboard and mouse, leading to a less enjoyable experience compared to using a controller.
- Some missions have significant difficulty spikes, which can be frustrating for new players and may require online guides to overcome.
- story101 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of the game is praised for its depth and character development, with multiple campaigns that enrich the narrative and provide different perspectives on the overarching plot. Players appreciate the nostalgic elements and the lore, although some find the story's complexity can lead to confusion. However, technical issues and mission difficulties can detract from the experience, with some players expressing frustration over glitches that hinder progress.
“I fell in love with the story and its characters.”
“The story is just as amazing as I remembered it - extremely nostalgic.”
“One thing that I really have to give the game credit for is its implementation of multiple campaigns, each with its own viewpoint, playstyle, and story, enriching the overall narrative.”
“How about a bizarre story with lots of lore you'll never learn about.”
“I still want to play this game if only for the story, but if it gets any worse then this game is just unplayable.”
“With all of that out of the way, buy this game at your own risk. If you enjoyed Crusaders, then you might want to pick this up too if you're interested in the story and multiple side characters, or if you're a nostalgia freak like me that just wants the game. Be aware that it isn't exactly the same as you experienced it before on Xbox; it's like the scratched-up hand-me-down version of the disc that your relative or your local game shop gave you, and some things just don't work when they previously did.”
- gameplay27 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally praised for its addictive and flexible mechanics, allowing players to optimize their troops and characters effectively. While some users note that the mechanics may not be very deep and the game suffers from significant bugs, the overall experience is described as enjoyable, especially for fans of tactical and hack-and-slash genres. The game successfully expands on its predecessor's gameplay, offering a mix of fun battlefield mechanics and engaging character interactions, despite some technical issues.
“Amazing battlefield mechanics, so much fun keeps you on your toes.”
“Gameplay is amazingly addictive and very fun; there's a lot this game has to offer and there really needs to be more like it.”
“It's great tactical gameplay that allows you to get involved with the action rather than just viewing it from a top-down perspective.”
“The mechanics aren't very deep, admittedly.”
“Without patience anymore so I'll make it quick: lots of game-breaking bugs and glitches, awful soundtrack, and terrible gameplay.”
“I can tell you that if you try to determine what's going on in the battlefield without using your mini-map 80% of your strategic gameplay time, you won't be able to even tell what is going on 30 meters past you because of the dumb vision fog that's intended to have the original Xbox have the game run on at least 30 fps.”
- music26 mentions
- 46 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many praising the heavy metal soundtrack as a perfect fit for the gameplay, enhancing the fast-paced combat experience. Reviewers have described the soundtrack as "amazing" and "legendary," often highlighting its ability to evoke nostalgia and excitement. However, some critiques mention that the voice acting and certain musical elements feel out of place, but overall, the soundtrack stands out as a highlight of the game.
“The soundtrack is absolutely frigging awesome.”
“The heavy metal soundtrack is just boss and suits the game so well.”
“Amazing soundtrack, gameplay still holds up.”
“Without patience anymore so I'll make it quick: lots of game-breaking bugs and glitches, awful soundtrack, and terrible gameplay.”
“The voice acting is terrible and the OST is straight out of place for a game like this.”
“- The music was composed by a starved high-school band and a rejected composer who were paid with 5 loaves of bread and were ordered to try and do their best.”
- stability16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting numerous game-breaking bugs, glitches, and crashes that significantly hinder gameplay. Many reviewers note that the port from older consoles to PC has introduced additional issues, making the game nearly unplayable at times. Despite its nostalgic value, the overwhelming presence of technical problems leads most players to recommend against it until substantial fixes are implemented.
“The AI glitches alone all but ruin the game.”
“This could be a great game, but the terrible pathing and bugs from the port made an already difficult and buggy game completely unplayable.”
“As much as I love this game and the feeling of nostalgia it brings, I would not recommend this game simply due to the fact that it has way too many bugs and glitches at the moment.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated, with many reviewers noting that they resemble visuals from over a decade ago. While some players appreciate the nostalgic charm and find the gameplay enjoyable enough to overlook the graphics, others express disappointment over the lack of enhancements in the remastered version. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics may not meet modern standards, the gameplay experience can still be engaging.
“Kingdom Under Fire was made before its time; I just wish we could get a graphics makeover or a remastered version. It's a 10/10 for me.”
“This game came out in 2004, so the graphics are dated for those that care, but this port does a great job enhancing the graphics.”
“Honestly, it feels amazing playing this game from my childhood in better graphics.”
“Not worth it, bugged, annoying, with exactly the same graphics and no improvements from the previous game.”
“Be warned not only is it unstable (changing keybinds cause the game to freeze when trying to load. unless it's key's the game recognises) but the garish, awful graphics, made for TV resolution, make it hard to play also.”
“Graphics look like they would have been dated 15 years ago.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game offers significantly higher replayability compared to its predecessor, with features like custom games and the ability to replay campaign missions enhancing the experience. Additionally, the potential for mods further extends its longevity, providing players with virtually limitless replay value.
“Best thing about this game is the replay value.”
“This game has way more replay value since you have custom games to play on, and can replay the campaign missions once you beat that character.”
“This one certainly has more replay value over the first, although both are somewhat required to understand the story completely.”
“-Heroes has way more replay value since you have custom games to play on, and can replay the campaign missions once you beat that character.”
“Mods in this game would increase the longevity of it and make it have an infinite amount of replay value!”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is inconsistent; while it runs smoothly on lower-end hardware and during intense gameplay, users report occasional crashes, input lag, and bugs. Despite these issues, some players find charm in the voice acting and note that it performs well at 1920x1080 resolution on PC.
“The game does have some questionable voice acting (which is the charming part, in my opinion) and some bugs, but other than that, it runs smoothly on PC at 1920x1080 resolution.”
“I am currently playing the game on a non-gaming laptop, and the game runs smoothly without issue. It performs well during heavy combat and troop movements, so that is great.”
“The optimization is a joke; there are frequent crashes without reason, and sometimes there's significant input lag.”
“The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
“I experience constant frame drops and stuttering, which ruins the overall experience.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unengaging, which significantly detracts from the overall experience. Many feel that until improvements are made, the game becomes either unplayable or excessively monotonous.
“I like the concept of directing squadrons and then engaging in direct combat, but it's just kind of tedious.”
“Until this is fixed, the game is unplayable or unbearably tedious.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express strong emotional reactions to the game, with one reviewer feeling deeply disappointed and frustrated, even to the point of wanting to cry, highlighting the negative impact of the game's quality on their experience.
“I want to cry.”
