Kingdom Under Fire: A War of Heroes
Encyclopedia
Kingdom Under Fire: A War of Heroes (also known as simply Kingdom Under Fire) is a real-time strategy
video game developed by Phantagram
and published by Gathering of Developers
. Released for Windows
in 2001, the game is based in a high fantasy
setting and is played from an overhead isometric perspective
. The game included single-player and multiplayer online modes through Phantagram's "Wargate" server. The game is the first release in the Kingdom Under Fire series which later received critical acclaim through the Xbox
release Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
, a game which, like others in the series, incorporated both role playing and real-time strategy
elements. A "Gold Patch" was released for Kingdom Under Fire which introduced a map editor, extra missions, and in-game save option; the version was also re-released as Kingdom Under Fire Gold.
for a hero character. Skirmish and multiplayer modes were also supported, with online games with human opponents organized via the Wargate.Net server.
and GameRankings, with both very positive and negative responses from critics. The hero missions were unfavourably compared with Blizzard
's Diablo games. The difficulty was claimed to be to high by some reviewers, with hero units unbalanced and the game's AI also found lacking. The game's graphics were consider good or passable, though the animations limited, but the audio and story were praised by critics.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
video game developed by Phantagram
Phantagram
Phantagram is a video game development studio based in South Korea. It is mainly known for its popular Xbox game series Kingdom Under Fire. Phantagram also co-developed the fantasy/strategy action game Ninety-Nine Nights with Q Entertainment, for the Xbox 360...
and published by Gathering of Developers
Gathering of Developers
Gathering of Developers was a Texas-based PC and video games publishing company, founded in January 1998 with the mission to bridge the gap between publishers and independent game developers, allowing independent developers creative control over their projects, ownership of their IP, and...
. Released for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
in 2001, the game is based in a high fantasy
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
setting and is played from an overhead isometric perspective
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
. The game included single-player and multiplayer online modes through Phantagram's "Wargate" server. The game is the first release in the Kingdom Under Fire series which later received critical acclaim through the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
release Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders
Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders is a tactical wargame developed by the Korean studio Phantagram for the Xbox. It is the sequel to the 2001 game Kingdom Under Fire: A War of Heroes, and continues its storyline...
, a game which, like others in the series, incorporated both role playing and real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
elements. A "Gold Patch" was released for Kingdom Under Fire which introduced a map editor, extra missions, and in-game save option; the version was also re-released as Kingdom Under Fire Gold.
Gameplay
Two factions, light and dark, are playable in the game, with each side having units fulfilling the typical roles of warrior, archer, flying unit and wizards – as well as more powerful individual hero characters. The campaigns are split into 13 missions of which 10 are battles and the other three being a dungeon crawlDungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
for a hero character. Skirmish and multiplayer modes were also supported, with online games with human opponents organized via the Wargate.Net server.
Plot
Kingdom Under Fire is set in the fantasy land of Bersiah and covers the struggle between the forces of light (Humans, Dwarves, and Elves) and the forces of dark (Ogres, Orcs, Undead, and others). One hundred years before the the events of the game, an epic war was waged between the two forces until finally a legendary group known as the Knights of Xok defeated the forces of dark and brought peace to the land of Bersiah.Reception
The game received mixed or average reviews on the review aggregator websites MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings, with both very positive and negative responses from critics. The hero missions were unfavourably compared with Blizzard
Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
's Diablo games. The difficulty was claimed to be to high by some reviewers, with hero units unbalanced and the game's AI also found lacking. The game's graphics were consider good or passable, though the animations limited, but the audio and story were praised by critics.