Kings and Heroes

I look back at my time in Kings and Heroes with a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, I applaud the design of the huge, seamless open-world and its rewarding dungeon system, but on the other hand, the lack of polish for what is supposed to be a fully released game is disappointing. There's a lot of fun to be had here, but you'll need to head into the game with realistic expectations.

53%Game Brain Score

graphics, gameplay

optimization, stability

51% User Score Based on 1,074 reviews

Critic Score 60%Based on 1 reviews

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About

Kings and Heroes is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing shooter game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Industry Games and was released on November 16, 2017. It received neutral reviews from both critics and players.

Kings and Heroes is a fantasy open-world RPG featuring single-player, co-op, and massively multiplayer modes, allowing up to 8 players to explore dungeons and a vibrant town. Choose from 6 races and 5 distinct classes, customize characters, and engage in ingenious gameplay with excellent graphics. However, it suffers from poor optimization, frequent bugs, and heavy grinding.

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51%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,074 reviews

graphics62 positive mentions

optimization44 negative mentions

Great potential with engaging dungeon crawling mechanics.
Active developer support and frequent updates.
Fun gameplay with a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic RPGs.

Game is riddled with bugs and performance issues.
Lack of content and repetitive gameplay.
Abandoned by developers, leaving players feeling scammed.

graphics
162 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
55%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the art style and vibrant colors, particularly in character and town designs. However, numerous reports highlight significant issues such as graphical glitches, poor optimization, and a lack of polish, leading to a frustrating experience for some users. While some find the visuals appealing and reminiscent of classic MMORPGs, others criticize them as outdated or inconsistent, suggesting that further improvements are needed as the game develops.
- “There is great artwork on the main town, and the character art is awesome.”
- “Love the artwork and rich colors.”
- “Graphics and effects surprised me positively, and the artwork is downright impressive in some areas.”
- “I cranked up the graphics to the max and they still look like 2006!”
- “From there I tried 4 more times booting up the game, and it ended up 'fatal error'ing me 4 more times, during the best case of which I played 3 minutes with incredibly blurring textures coming right out of a PS1 game (all graphical options set to ultra) and getting one-shotted by the second mob in a randomly generated 'easy' difficulty dungeon.”
- “Extremely poor optimization (I highly recommend playing on the worst possible graphic quality to have a minimum FPS going).”
gameplay
150 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
63%
8%
The gameplay of this game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its depth, mechanics, and potential, while others criticize its repetitiveness, clunky controls, and lack of polish. Many users noted that the game offers enjoyable mechanics and a variety of classes, but also highlighted significant balance issues and performance problems. Overall, while the core gameplay is seen as fun and engaging, it is hampered by bugs and a lack of updates, leading to a divided player experience.
- “For an alpha, the gameplay is pretty good.”
- “The gameplay is insane, the dungeons are balanced and deep.”
- “Gameplay - 9/10 - to some it may feel repetitive, but to me it's really enjoyable, actually having to aim your skills, play your abilities correctly and choose your path through the dungeon, with a plethora of bosses throughout said dungeons.”
- “Still haven't completely figured out the combat mechanics - why sometimes my champion dwarf kills with a few hits and others I'm stuck in a repetitive slug fest.”
- “The gameplay is highly repetitive and mind numbing.”
- “I'm not entirely sure how people can spend 50 hours in a game where there are NPCs still named 'default NPC name', and the gameplay is horribly unoptimized.”
optimization
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
50%
34%
The game's optimization has received largely negative feedback, with many players reporting significant performance issues, bugs, and stuttering, particularly in open-world areas. While some users noted that it runs smoothly on lower-end rigs, the consensus is that the game requires major optimizations and improvements to be truly enjoyable. As it is currently in early access, players express hope for future updates to address these concerns, but many recommend waiting until optimization issues are resolved before diving in.
- “It's optimized well; you really can run it even on the most outdated rig you can find.”
- “Great game, also runs on basically everything, because it is incredibly well optimized.”
- “The game is already quite optimized with decent frame rates overall, but at the moment it suffers from minor stutter when you change zones in the open world.”
- “It's just too unoptimized, buggy, and sluggish to recommend.”
- “Stay away from this unoptimized piece of garbage; it is so buggy that they didn't even fix a problem before they released it; you can't enter a dungeon.”
- “This game is a buggy, unoptimized mess.”
stability
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly hinder gameplay. While some players acknowledge its potential and enjoy the concept, many express frustration over the lack of updates and optimization, deeming it virtually unplayable in its current state. Overall, the consensus is that while it may be fun, the game's stability issues are a major drawback, especially for those who are sensitive to such problems.
- “Really promising concept but it's still too buggy for play and hasn't had any updates in over half a year.”
- “It looks great, but buggy as hell, virtually unplayable in its current state.”
- “This game is a buggy, unoptimized mess.”
story
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
74%
13%
The game's story and questing elements are currently minimal and often confusing, with many players expressing a desire for clearer objectives and more engaging narratives. While the dungeon-crawling gameplay is immersive and enjoyable, the lack of a coherent storyline and structured quests detracts from the overall experience. Players hope for future updates to enhance the quest system and introduce more meaningful content.
- “Make a group of up to 8 players and join in fantastic missions against fearsome bosses, changing your strategies each time until you become a memorable hero; this is what happens in 'Kings and Heroes', a first-person game set in a fantasy universe.”
- “If there was some sort of story or quest to follow, this could be the greatest game on Steam.”
- “Pros: runs well, very easy to get immersed in, going on quests means you have to look around a bit and figure out where to go, so it's not just mindless follow the dots, and strategy is required to progress in the dungeons.”
- “There was promise, but a small team with no clear goals spent all of their time going down rabbit holes instead of building the basic infrastructure and story.”
- “And to the people saying that the questing is very meaningful must be blind because all the quests I have gotten so far are all go here and kill x amount of mobs type quests or go get this package and run it back to me type quests.”
- “Nobody to talk to, few things to do, no story to follow; I don't see the point.”
monetization
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
12%
75%
The monetization strategy of the game has been heavily criticized, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to the developer's apparent abandonment of the game in favor of pursuing new, potentially more profitable projects. While the game is a buy-to-play title without subscriptions or microtransactions, players feel cheated and express dissatisfaction over the lack of ongoing support and development. Overall, the sentiment reflects a distrust in the developer's commitment to their current titles, leading to calls for refunds and warnings against future purchases.
- “This game is a buy-to-play title without subscriptions, microtransactions, or loot boxes!”
- “I got the game for about 5 dollars on the winter sale, and there's no additional in-game purchases or monthly fee like other MMOs.”
- “If you like the idea of supporting a company other than Blizzard that hasn't sold you out to in-game purchases, think of it as a Kickstarter fund, knowing that it's a small contribution to a game company that is actually trying to make a game you want to play.”
- “Coupled with the lack of any work on the game in over a year, this does not give a feeling that the game dev did anything but a cash grab at Christmas for a low price.”
- “They have proven they are willing to abandon work on a current title to jump to a new, cash grab, flavor-of-the-month bandwagon title, leaving their previous players and supporters out in the cold.”
- “Developer abandoned the game in order to do a cash grab with another title.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and repetitive, often exacerbated by slow NPC interactions that feel like unnecessary busy work. While some appreciate the immersive dungeon grinding experience, the overall interface and mechanics are criticized for being poorly designed and frustratingly slow, detracting from the enjoyment of gameplay.
- “Adding the NPC 'to teach me' is completely moot and just wastes people's time with needless tedious 'busy work' that was phased out of mainstream games for a reason.”
- “It appears to be developed as an afterthought, and while NPCs do have handy search features or drop downs to list only things usable by you, every other aspect of the interface feels slow and tedious.”
- “Slow and tedious takes us to the second major complaint I have.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
22%
21%
The music in the game is generally praised as top-notch and enjoyable, with some users noting its resemblance to remixes from classic Might and Magic tracks. While the soundtrack is nice to listen to, there are mentions of repetitive audio elements. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
- “On the upside, the world is gorgeous, and the music is top notch.”
- “Audio - 8/10 - sounds can get a bit repetitive, but the soundtrack is still nice to listen to.”
- “The graphics are good, gameplay is fun, music is good, and all in all, for an early access game, it is pretty solid.”
- “The music sounds a lot like remixes from old Might and Magic music, which I just noticed.”
- “The music sounds a lot like remixes from old Might and Magic music, which I just noticed.”
- “(specifically the login music)”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the fortune teller's amusing complaints when players reroll too often, adding a lighthearted touch to the experience. Reviewers express hope that the humor will be further developed in future updates, noting that the current build already contains entertaining elements reminiscent of a blend between a top-down D&D action RPG and World of Warcraft. Overall, players find the humor to be a strong and enjoyable aspect of the game.
- “It's pretty damn funny.”
- “Game design lies somewhere between a top-down DnD action-RPG and WoW... there are hints of humor in its current build that I hope are expanded in coming updates.”
- “It's funny because the fortune teller complains every now and then if you reroll too many times, but this should (and hopefully, will) be changed into a point-buy system.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Reviewers indicate that while the game shows potential for increased replayability, it currently requires significant improvements and may not reach a more enjoyable state for at least a year.
- “However, it's going to be at least a year until it's in a somewhat more playable state.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its engaging environments, particularly the contrasting vibes of the northern and southern mountain regions. Players enjoy the lively setting of the tavern, where they can observe others, enhancing the overall immersive experience.
- “The atmosphere in the game is cool; sitting in the tavern and watching other players run around is nice.”
- “The mountain regions in the north have a distinctly different atmosphere compared to the southern mountains.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is praised for its potential, combining elements from first-person and Diablo-style dungeon crawlers, along with a stylish art style and a free-moving combat system. The class and character designs draw inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons, suggesting a rich foundation for future growth and success. Overall, reviewers see promise in the character development aspects, likening it to a "diamond in the rough."
- “The character development is rich and engaging, allowing players to truly shape their heroes and experience a deep sense of progression.”
- “The class and character design are inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, providing a unique and immersive experience that enhances the overall gameplay.”
- “The combination of first-person and Diablo-style dungeon crawling creates a dynamic environment where character growth feels rewarding and impactful.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the game lacks emotional engagement, with players feeling no compelling draw or connection that motivates them to continue playing. This absence of emotional investment is highlighted as a significant flaw.