Hero of the Kingdom III Demo

Back when video games were not quite as advanced from a technological point of view, developers had to use different methods in order to make complex gameplay mechanics. Hence, strategy games required extensive thinking and planning instead of quick reactions like you are used to from titles like StarCraft II or various MOBAs. The turn-based system was the most popular, as exemplified by classics like King’s Bounty or Heroes of the Might and Magic.

Hero of the Kingdom III is part of an RPG/strategy series that tries to go back to the roots in terms of gameplay mechanics, but not too much. In essence, the mechanics are much slower and forgiving, but not nearly as complex as in the hardcore classics. Instead, this is more about the journey than it is about the combat or the character stats, and the missions are way simpler to complete as well.

In this episode, you play the role of a young hunter raised by his uncle Brent, who goes on a quest to save the kingdom from a great evil. The journey is pretty long, and your character moves from one mission to the other in order to acquire better gear and gain experience in the process. As for the actual gameplay, most things can be tackled with a simple click, although there is some complexity when it comes to the items and their use.

Whether you gather resources, explore a dungeon of fight an enemy, most actions sap your character’s strength, and you must rest in order to get back in shape. This is achieved by setting up a camp and sleeping, and it is something you have to do on a regular basis in order to make progress. Since you are constantly finding or buying better gear, your character gets stronger as well, so by the end you can do a lot more with your allocated time.

As for the interface, the top-down perspective is easy to get acquainted with, especially if you have played similar games before. You can only move from one objective to the other, so there’s no free roaming, but the maps are usually full of enemies, NPCs and shops you can visit. The graphics are not bad either, since the static images are very detailed and enjoyable, albeit slightly repetitive sometimes.

Although Hero of the Kingdom III can appear to be a bit archaic in terms of gameplay and graphics, the sense of achievement is definitely there, and the adventure is always satisfying as well. Hence, it’s worth a shot if you are in the mood for a nice, long quest against evil