Not so long ago, Neocore Games created a project with a historical and magical bias called King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame. It was created in the genre of strategy and was similar to the games Total War, Dark Omen and Mark of Chaos.
The creators of King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame were able to release something new and unprecedented in this genre of games. It is for this reason that people wanted to continue this exciting game. Everyone wanted the new adventures and campaigns of King Arthur. But the developers decided otherwise. They changed the knights of the round table to the crusaders. And now all countries will learn about the life of Richard the Lionheart in the East. Lionheart: Kings' Crusade - a very realistic game with reliable facts, we will not meet any magical aura here. In Russia, Snowball Studios helped to implement this project. So, in 2010, on the eighth of October, the game appeared Lionheart: Kings' Crusade.
Similarity to other games
This game is a kind of continuation of Crusaders: Thy Kingdom Come, but not much in common. Continuity, of course, can be found, but not fully. Externally, the game looks great, all the details are drawn perfectly clearly.
Bit of history
One of the great generals in history was Richard the Lionheart. He lived in medieval Europe. Glory came to him after the Crusade, the third in a row. In addition, Richard was an excellent poet who wrote poetry in Occitan and French. Not everyone knows about this fact of his biography. Blue eyes, blond hair, high stature, excellent physique are excellent data of an enviable groom. But military operations always stood for him in the first place. Like women, he devoted very little time to his country. His reign is associated with huge taxes and the regular absence of a ruler in the country. Richard spent only six months in England over ten years of rule.
Game modes
Lionheart: Kings' Crusade has two modes. Dozens of provinces open in front of the player. Big cities, such as in Total War, are not found here. When Jerusalem is captured, it is impossible to produce soldiers, build a market and strengthen the walls. An analogy in this regard can be seen in the game Mark of Chaos. Figuratively speaking: the player simply moves around the map and swaps the commander’s chip.
When entering a new province, a tactical battle opens. All fights are quite familiar. In this game, there are soldiers of various stripes, cavalrymen of various grades and any parameters, spearmen, swordsmen and archers. Everything is exactly the same as in the game Total War. All these heroes were during the Crusades. The design of the landscape is quite true. Huge deserts, small cities with the Arab population, buildings of yellow stone - all this reflects the reality of that time. At first glance, the two modes are simple and already familiar, but this is not at all the case. This game is fundamentally different from its predecessors.
The hallmarks of the game Lionheart: Kings' Crusade
The review gives us the opportunity to see that in this game there are many features and differences from previous products of the same manufacturer. When a player lands on a map of global scale, he begins to walk on it, defeat enemies, capture foreigners and various artifacts. And here Richard the Lionheart reminds us that the army perishes without our care and attention.
In Lionheart: Kings' Crusade provides a complex role-playing system. In the window with the army, the pros blink at the top of the icons, there are empty slots with weapons, and there are also options for lowering and raising. In all battles, each unit earns points, which the player subsequently distributes on a map of a global scale. For example, swordsmen can increase their level of defense or attack. You can also improve morale or stamina. For warriors, provided as a wall, you need strong shields, steel nerves and a strong head. Based on this, they need to be developed precisely along this path. They need to improve defense and morale. But the detachment designed to kill heroes from the enemy army, you need to improve the level of power in attacks. Thus, after several hours of the game, you can get two squads with the same names, but different in function and strength. With an increase in experience, swordsmen can become a Crusader Knight.
But the army can not only be improved in terms of parameters, but also equipped. Before the battle, you can choose a weapon, a potion. All these additions give different strength and capabilities to the soldiers. Any drink has a magical effect. After drinking such a potion, soldiers can become stronger, more active or more enduring for a certain period of time. This interpretation in Lionheart: Kings' Crusade is entertaining for the user. With the loss of warriors in Total War, they are simply a pity, but in this game it is a huge loss. The number of troops is limited, so the battle takes place in small groups. And in such a group, everyone has a certain function. If someone dies, then the recruits will have to be much more difficult. This is precisely the tactic of this game is different from others. There are many knights here, but cannon fodder, like in Total War, is not found here.
Tactical battles and their features
The battles in this game are completely different, unlike its predecessors. They differ not only in the strength and uniqueness of the soldiers, but also in the fact that the developers divided tactical battles into several levels. This helps to make them more interesting and exciting, although not quite familiar. A wonderful idea is that each battle is perfectly traced, thought out to the smallest detail, and each has its own plan.
It is also interesting that all the steps in one battle are completely different from each other. This is due to politics. There are 4 factions in the Lionheart game that want to be friends with your army. But they have their own idea of friendship. All of them let us know why they want to be with you and what your fighters will receive in return. Any faction can decide to land in the north, but after their opinions on further actions will diverge greatly. Each side offers its own options for the development of actions and promises in return its bonuses in case of victory.
In general, about the game
A fascinating, informative and addictive strategy - this is what can be said about Lionheart: Kings' Crusade. In addition to playing for the Crusaders, this is also the story of the Saracens. Of course, as in any game, there are drawbacks. But there are so few of them that they are almost invisible. Someone may sometimes find boring fights, someone will notice flaws in AI, and someone will not like that you can’t save the game during the fight. But all these are trifles, which against the background of pluses mean nothing. Such computer games are more suitable for boys than for girls. After all, it is the male half of humanity that loves battles and choice of tactics more.
Lionheart: Kings' Crusade will help you plunge into the world of the dangerous Middle East in the Middle Ages. The game tells in detail about the Crusade and King Richard. Together with him, you will first get to the Holy Land, and then to the Muslim desert. Then in the game you can conquer the lands of the Middle East with the help of the soldiers of Saladin. Of course, if you wish, you can play the first Saracens, and the second - Europeans, but then the chronology of events will be incorrect. But you can go through the game first with one campaign, then with another. But the most difficult way is the road with the sons of Allah. To get started, go through several tasks with the crusaders. This will help in the future as you progress through the game. Immerse yourself in the interesting world of the Middle Ages. If the game seemed complicated to you, then you can download codes for Lionheart: Kings' Crusade. Good luck and good time at the computer!