Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom Preview

Kingdom Under Fire has always been a favorite of mine. The series on the Xbox has always excited me for obvious reasons – one reason being that the Xbox was in dire need of fantasy action games. Now, heading towards the direction of the Xbox 360, the series is taking a new approach. Originally, KUF was a unique strategy-action game; Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom will be turning the series into an action-RPG. Instead of controlling a whole army, you’ll be challenging hordes of foes either alone or with three other people over Xbox Live. The game has received some altering that even the hardcore fans like myself can appreciate in a game.

In the past, the two previous KUF games combined an interesting blend of action and strategy. Circle of Doom doesn’t follow its predecessors in this style of gameplay; instead of charging across the map with your army while you hack and slash your way through enemies, your hero will have to go at this alone. If you were used to having allies protecting you and forcing them to defend, well get ready experience a whole new Kingdom Under Fire. Say good-bye to the army and its lieutenants, while all at the same time, say hello to a whole slew of role-playing options.

Unlike the previous games, a new customization system is incorporated to allow you to mold your hero and his weapons to your own liking. Like many, I personally was disappointed in the fact that the first two had such a small amount of customization on the individual characters. As you can predict, I was happy when I heard about a more in-depth character play.

With the new RPG elements in the game, you still have the same old hack'n'slash elements that made the old games entertaining. In addition to the RPG elements, there are 50 or more skills and spells at your disposal, giving you a bit more variety in your gameplay.

Despite the major changes to the game that I have experienced already, there are a few minor ones. In the other two titles, you entered battle to the sounds of rock/metal music that added to the chaotic battles. In Circle of Doom, we find that the music has been replaced with more classical music. Playing Kingdom Under Fire will never be the same without thrash metal.

CoD implements a new co-op multiplier mode over Xbox Live. In the earlier games, two people could battle army against army, now you work together with three other people to partake in missions. Once you connect with other people over Xbox Live, you can then trade items to each other, such as weapons that you craft yourself for a specific job and want to loan to a friend.

For the fantasy storyline, there will be six characters to choose from for your quest. Each character has his or her path to follow to further the storyline. Two of the characters return from the original KUF: The Crusaders, Kendal and Regnier. Joining the crew is an elf named Celine wielding two slender swords and a wondering warrior named Curia. The other two characters to star in the game are yet unknown; however they will likely be usable after unlocking them using the original characters. As of right now little is known about the roles each character plays in this Circle of Doom.

The Xbox 360 is a powerhouse for graphics, so it came to no surprise that Kindom Under Fire will be taking the leap in next-gen graphics too. New to the series, it looks as if these heroes will all have a ranged weapon in their inventory. Ranged weapons will help thin out the massive numbers that pose a threat to your life.

From what has been revealed on the game so far, Circle of Doom is shaping up to be the best in the series. With the new enhancements to the graphics, music, gameplay, and online multiplayer modes, Kingdom Under Fire has never looked better. The Xbox 360 needs this franchise to do well – it could reach out to find a whole new fan base with a mainstream appeal.