Royal Bounty HD
- August 9, 2015
- iosoftware
- 14h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io StoreRoyal Bounty HD is a turn-based strategy game with adventure elements. Players traverse various landscapes, battling enemies and completing quests to earn rewards. The game features intuitive gameplay, strategic combat, and a charming art style, making it an engaging experience for fans of the genre.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Nostalgic experience for fans of the original King's Bounty and Heroes of Might and Magic series, with charming graphics and music.
- Offers a variety of quests and a large map to explore, providing a sense of adventure and discovery.
- Affordable price point for the amount of content and gameplay time it offers.
- Gameplay can feel unbalanced, with enemies becoming overwhelmingly strong too quickly, leading to frustrating experiences.
- Lacks polish and has numerous bugs, including broken achievements and issues with game mechanics.
- The combat system is considered primitive and monotonous, which may detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- graphics19 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the well-drawn adventure map and nostalgic retro art style, while others criticize the choppy animations and unresponsive controls. Upgraded graphics in titles like Royal Bounty HD are noted for their increased detail compared to predecessors, generating excitement for future releases. Overall, while some players appreciate the artistic direction, others find the graphics lacking in comparison to classic titles like Heroes of Might and Magic III.
“I absolutely loved the adventure map graphics; they are well drawn.”
“Royal Bounty HD also has significantly upgraded graphics from its Palm Kingdoms predecessors; everything appears about four times bigger and more detailed. From the looks of things, these new graphics will be used for the upcoming Palm Kingdoms 3, which I'm very excited about!”
“The art style is nostalgic; it’s not fancy graphics, it's old school art (retro), and it simply works.”
“To be honest, this game cannot compare to HOMM3 in terms of graphics, music, or gameplay.”
“It's a cool concept, but the game is clunky, controls are unresponsive, the dialogue is abysmal, graphics and animations are choppy, and it feels like it has a pretty big learning curve.”
“HOMM2 graphics are old school.”
- story18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The story in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging and filled with a variety of quests, while others criticize it as uninspired or poorly written. It features a sprawling single-player adventure with a focus on exploration and quest completion, but opinions vary on its memorability and depth. Overall, the narrative offers a blend of interesting elements and some lackluster execution.
“Fun and interesting story.”
“It focuses more specifically on a sprawling single player adventure, and even sports a creative storyline.”
“Royal Bounty is an epic story about a knight's adventures in a magical world full of mysteries and legends.”
“The story feels like it was copy-pasted from some random generator or written by a 13-year-old.”
“In the English version at least, a lot of the quests and tips are poorly written.”
“The story is blah.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
Overall, the gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it simplistic and stiff, reminiscent of older titles like Heroes of Might and Magic. While the game features charming graphics and music, many users noted a lack of depth and variety, as well as a need for better tutorials and help screens to enhance the player experience. Additionally, the difficulty levels vary, with some players appreciating the challenge while others felt certain mechanics, like enemy scaling, detracted from immersion.
“Has the same simplistic gameplay and charming graphics and music.”
“+gameplay: everything is very close to Heroes 3, so I list notable changes.”
“Despite being an OCD player who has to find and do everything, I was able to polish the game off in about 2 days (roughly 14 hours of gameplay).”
“I can understand that and at the very least there probably should have been a nice shortcuts/help screen (accessible via the main menu) implemented that tells players all the keys (e.g., Ctrl + & - to zoom) and some of the core basics (e.g., what all the days, hero stats, map objects & movement mechanics are, etc.).”
“Ripoff of HOMM 2/3 without the castles and dumbed down gameplay.”
- music4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many praising the outstanding soundwork and great original soundtrack (OST) choice. While some comparisons to older titles like HOMM3 highlight a lack of depth in gameplay, the music remains a standout feature that enhances the overall experience.
“The graphics and music are good, but the gameplay is a little bit stiff.”
“Amazing soundwork; I guess it's the biggest plus of the game. Great OST choice, absolutely love it.”
“To be honest, this game cannot compare to HOMM3 in terms of graphics, music, or gameplay.”
“Has the same simplistic gameplay and charming graphics and music.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that while grinding can become repetitive by chapter 3, the game introduces engaging elements in later chapters, such as hire-able ghosts and unique challenges. However, some find the grinding tedious and unfun, even when exploiting game mechanics to progress. Overall, the experience of grinding varies, with some players appreciating the challenge while others feel it detracts from enjoyment.
“By chapter 3, things may start to feel a bit repetitive and grindy; however, iosoftware came up with some interesting ways to keep things engaging. Chapter 4 is filled with hireable ghosts and all the best units in the game trying to stop you (phoenixes, black dragons, thors (titans), cyclops, etc.), while in chapter 5, your hero is separated from his army and has to explore a huge Arabian-style city on his own, trying to get help from the locals in the buildup to the big final boss fight.”
“After some grinding, I was able to get a pretty serious playthrough of this game, albeit by exploiting a significant loophole.”
“It just isn't fun; it's tedious.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a stark contrast in replayability, with some games offering virtually none, while others, like Heroes of Might and Magic III and King's Bounty, provide endless replay value through varied gameplay experiences.
“Don't think there is any replay value available.”
“The amount of replayability you can get from HOMM 3 and King's Bounty is endless.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has significant stability issues, including a buggy HUD and problems with unit movement and grouping, leading to frequent crashes. While the developer is aware of these issues and is working on fixes, players currently experience a frustratingly unstable gameplay experience.
“The game is buggy as all crap, crashes all the time, numerous problems.”
“Buggy HUD - splitting and grouping units, moving across the map involves some bugs. The developer is aware and said he is fixing them, so... yeah.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for significant stuttering issues, particularly during auto-turn sequences, which detracts from the overall experience. Additionally, players have expressed frustration with the illogical leveling of monsters, further impacting gameplay enjoyment.
“I wanted to like it, but the stuttering and the nonsensical leveling up of monsters is a deal breaker.”
“Constant stuttering on auto-turn.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its appealing start, evoking a "heroes-like" vibe that resonates well with players.
“It starts off nice, and it has a heroes-like atmosphere that I liked.”
