Kingdom Wars
- April 1, 2013
- Reverie World Studios
- 36h median play time
Get on Steam"Kingdom Wars" is a real-time strategy game set in a fantasy world with humans, elves, and orcs. Players build and manage their own kingdom, gather resources, and train armies to fight in battles against AI or other players. The game features a single-player campaign, multiplayer modes, and a detailed graphics engine for immersive gameplay.
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of kingdom management and real-time combat, providing a fun and engaging experience.
- There is a diverse range of races and classes available, allowing for various tactics and strategies in battle.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and have made significant improvements to the game over time.
- The graphics are dated and may not meet the expectations of modern gamers.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, particularly with AI pathfinding and unit controls.
- The free-to-play model has led to frustrations with microtransactions and a perceived pay-to-win aspect.
- gameplay79 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its strategic depth and mechanics, while others criticize its slow pace, bugs, and pay-to-win elements. Many find the core gameplay enjoyable and addictive, particularly in terms of city management and army customization, but the overall experience is marred by performance issues, clunky controls, and a lack of polish. Despite its flaws, the game offers a variety of gameplay elements that can be engaging for those willing to invest time into it.
“The gameplay is fun, building a castle and marching your army on others is just an overall great experience.”
“The graphics are decent, but the gameplay is really fun, allowing you to control your units and defend your town however you want.”
“The core gameplay is sheer fun, despite the issues that have haunted this game.”
“The gameplay is horrible with the UI not even updated to look crisp, as well as the texture of the overall game, and gameplay just isn't right. If you want a good game like this, just go with Total War; it's got a massive scale of army and more dynamic features to it.”
“The gameplay is buggy, the pathfinding on units is atrociously bad. They can easily get themselves killed, so you can't really command them to go one way and then quickly manage other units elsewhere, since they'll likely get themselves killed with their own poor pathfinding.”
“Ok, it comes down to for PvP who has the most elite units. It doesn't matter how many units you have at a city when a player attacks; the computer decides out of your 150 unit-type army which 50 are going to defend while the other 100 different unit types can do nothing as a group of 50 elite units destroy your 40 hours of gameplay.”
- graphics75 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 28 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received largely negative feedback, with many users describing them as outdated, clunky, and reminiscent of early 2000s titles. While some players noted that the visuals can be decent or even beautiful at times, the overall consensus is that the graphics are a significant drawback, often detracting from the gameplay experience. Despite occasional updates aimed at improvement, many still find the graphics to be a major issue, with complaints about poor textures, glitches, and a lack of polish.
“The graphics, performance, and the gameplay itself have gradually improved over time, with updates coming out frequently enough for a game you only pay for once.”
“I’ve only been playing for a short while but it seems like a fun game and it has beautiful graphics.”
“Better than average graphics considering the size and scope of the game.”
“The graphics are dated, the script isn't great, and it just appears to be something from the early 2000s, if not older.”
“The graphics are so poor you sometimes can't pick out smaller units from the terrain.”
“Graphics are severely dated, sound works about half the time and the game itself runs super slow (dx9 running at 23 fps on gtx 760).”
- story66 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as having an interesting lore and engaging quests that keep players occupied, though some feel the main narrative is incomplete and lacks clarity in quest objectives. While the campaign offers a mix of single-player and multiplayer experiences, players often encounter issues with quest explanations and game mechanics, leading to frustration. Overall, the story provides a decent backdrop for gameplay, but its execution and integration with the quest system leave room for improvement.
“There is still a small campaign story and NPC towns; you can easily raid NPCs for gold to keep attack protection up and just play solo there in a form of pseudo-singleplayer as long as you want.”
“There's an rather involved lore in the game, and it's often very nicely attached to the characters you interact with while playing the main quest line.”
“As you go through the main quest of your faction, you're tasked with defending your homeland, your kingdom, and waging war against the two other factions in the game, and often also your own.”
“However, it does have a story, but they never finished it; instead, they went and made a second Kingdom Wars, which they actually did finish.”
“The quest system is also very poor at explaining what you need to do.”
“I enjoyed my time with the game, but with no real challenge and a weak storyline that actually may not have an ending, it's hard to say 'yes' or 'no' to the game.”
- stability25 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly hinder gameplay. Common complaints include poor pathfinding, frequent freezes, and unresponsive quests, leading many players to deem the game unplayable or a frustrating experience. Overall, the consensus is that the game suffers from severe stability problems that detract from its potential enjoyment.
“Honestly, just about any other strategy game is preferable to this buggy mess of a game.”
“The game is terribly buggy, some units walk across the sky in sieges, some walk over mountains and the pathfinding is not that great.”
“I have played the game for quite a few hours, spent around $60 on in-game crowns, and the moment I got to a quest with any large amount of things going on the game FPS drops to 0, and freezes making the game unplayable.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is characterized by slow and tedious gameplay, requiring players to repetitively farm the same areas for resources and currency, which can lead to a monotonous experience. While some players find enjoyment in managing troops and establishing work camps for offline resource gathering, the overall consensus is that the extensive grinding can be overwhelming and frustrating, particularly due to issues with unit management and the reliance on microtransactions.
“Instead, I reinstalled it and found it's nothing but slow, tedious gameplay or microtransactions.”
“Overall, I’d say this game would fall amongst the better of its category, although this game is from the multiplayer side of things a very tedious and long grind even with the starting packs.”
“So yeah, have fun farming for hundreds of hours just to get anywhere in this game.”
- monetization8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing the presence of microtransactions that can lead to a pay-to-win scenario, particularly in PvP. While some appreciate the game's core experience, they feel that the reliance on microtransactions detracts from overall enjoyment, especially when significant gameplay time is required to progress without spending money. However, recent changes have eliminated microtransactions, potentially improving the game's balance and fairness.
“With a game this amazing, you'd think that it would use microtransactions so players could pay-to-win.”
“As such, there are no longer microtransactions possible, removing any pay-to-win aspect the game could possibly have had.”
“Price $20 with microtransactions.”
“Instead, I reinstalled it and found it's nothing but slow, tedious gameplay or microtransactions.”
“So like 35 hours and you'll have to use microtransactions.”
“On the PvP side, I wouldn't recommend it since it has an in-game store that breaks the balance. People can buy a chest and become a pain right away. It boosts players since you need a resource called crowns, which you can get from quests and other means, but you can also acquire a lot by making in-game purchases.”
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally criticized for being repetitive and monotonous, often failing to enhance the experience, with players suggesting it can become tedious over time. While some appreciate the unique soundtrack associated with specific elements, like the orc's theme, many recommend turning off the in-game music in favor of personal playlists to avoid boredom. Overall, the music is seen as lacking variety and engagement, despite some effort put into its creation.
“I love the orc's soundtrack, and the lore is very unique.”
“They put a lot of effort into the music, lore, and landscape.”
“Music-wise, I would not applaud in any case. The music has the feel for the setting, but it seems to drag on and on with the same simple tune, only to randomly change once you engage in combat or go to a different city.”
“The combat noises follow a similar suit to the voices and the music, as the sounds repeat frequently and almost to a definable rhythm.”
“The game has its nice shiny bits; just don’t be afraid to turn off the music, dim the in-game sound a bit, and crack your music player to something that won’t either bug you or put you to sleep.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has seen gradual improvements through frequent updates, enhancing graphics and gameplay performance. However, some users report significant performance issues, such as lag spikes and freezing on the Steam version, which can detract from the overall experience. The choice of region and traits also significantly impacts strategy performance.
“The graphics, performance, and the gameplay itself have gradually improved over time, with updates coming out frequently enough for a game you only pay for once.”
“New units, new buildings, better performance, vassals, and unit balancing (and that's just the tip of the iceberg).”
“The Steam version is reported to have second-long freezes which lead to an unplayable performance.”
“Performance issues: lag spikes during gameplay further detract from the overall enjoyment, making it a less-than-smooth experience.”
“Either way, your choice of region and traits will play an immense factor in the performance of your strategies.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game offers some replayability through diverse factions and play styles, with each faction providing around 30+ hours of quest content and additional replayable missions. However, some players feel that the overall replay value is lacking compared to other titles, and the quest lines may not be engaging enough to encourage multiple playthroughs.
“Each faction has a very generous quest line which I estimate to be around 30+ hours worth per side, not counting replayable missions.”
“Each have their own strengths and defenses, which means a variety of different play styles, thus giving the game replay value if you ever wish to restart.”
“There is still a lot to do to make the game more playable for a larger audience, but the developers are active or at least seem to be active.”
“Each faction has a very generous quest line, which I estimate to be around 30+ hours worth per side, not counting replayable missions.”
“While each character has their own strengths and defenses, the overall lack of variety in missions limits the game's replay value.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is highly praised for its immersive atmosphere, with players noting it as one of the most atmospheric real-time strategy games they have experienced.
“One of the most atmospheric RTS games I've played, and I've played a lot.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by absurd situations, such as players engaging in fights only to disconnect, creating a comedic and frustrating experience. This blend of unexpected interactions adds a unique, albeit chaotic, layer to the gameplay.
“The humor in this game is top-notch, with hilarious dialogue and unexpected situations that keep you laughing.”
“I love how the game incorporates funny characters and absurd scenarios that make every playthrough entertaining.”
“The witty one-liners and playful banter between characters add a delightful layer of humor to the gameplay.”
