Total Annihilation: Kingdoms Demo

Total Annihilation is still regarded as one of the cornerstones in the real-time strategy genre, thanks to its innovative mechanics and sturdy gameplay. Naturally, many other games have copied and re-imagined its ideas, although very few came close to its greatness. Its spiritual successor, Supreme Commander, did quite well for itself and it attracted a lot of attention as well, especially since it was designed by the same mastermind.

Total Annihilation: Kingdoms is the answer to the question ‘How would Total Annihilation look in a fantasy environment?’ and it practically replaces everything but the gameplay mechanics from the original release. Hence, despite featuring powerful mages and archers instead of robots, the atmosphere is more or less the same and the fans of the franchise should feel at home.

The campaign introduces a standard fantasy setting, with four factions that dispute their claim over the realm. Each one of these races has unique abilities and certain weaknesses, which means that they are quite balanced and they require a bit of skill to be used properly. The factions rely on different magic types, such as necromancy or water-based spells.

Since the only resource in the game is the mana used by your builder units, there are certain shrines you can capture and build obelisks on top of them, which in turn provide you with increased mana regeneration. Obviously, the opponent can do the same, so the matches can turn into a struggle for control over the shrines, at least until the armies are big enough for a confrontation.

Visually, the isometric perspective may look outdated today, but it certainly aged well in some regards. The units are poorly animated and the special effects can be a bit too corny, but the environments still look inviting and the factions are interesting enough to keep you invested in the action. The superb soundtrack should make up for everything else and make you forget all about graphics.

All things considered, Total Annihilation: Kingdoms is exactly what you would expect it to be and it delivers on its promises. Not only that, but the factions are intriguing and you can really have some fun getting to know them, as long as you enjoy the fantasy theme and a lot of magic at your disposal.