Polished Real-Time Fantasy Tactics
Chronic Logic, developers of Bridge Construction Set and Gish return with a very different game: a tense, nicely polished game of tactical fantasy combat.
Before a 'round' starts, you purchase units--initially, you can choose from swordsmen and archers, but many other units get unlocked in later rounds. You place them on the map, and enemy units emerge (in a number of "waves" of attack). Combat is real-time, but pausable--and you will, in fact, be pausing frequently to order your units to move, or to use special powers (such as "taunt" for swordsmen, useful in preventing enemies from moving past to attack your more vulnerable archers, or "heal" for clerics).
At the end of each round, you're given the ability to unlock new units or powers for already unlocked units, so there's an RPG-like sense of progression. Naturally, you're faced with tougher enemies as the game goes on.
Each round takes just a few minutes to play, so in principle you can knock off a number during your lunch hour--but there's a strong temptation to play just one more round--and a edge-of-the-seat tenseness when your units get into trouble, as they will.
From our persepctive, one of the reasons we like indie games is that they're often quite different from what you find at Gamestop--more innovative and more creative. The downside is that they're often a lot rougher, too--not as balanced as you'd like, sometimes with awkward UI. That's not the case here: the developers have clearly spent quite a lot of time fine-tuning the game for just the right level of challenge (but play it on easy your first time!), and the UI is exceptionally easy to pick up and learn. Kingdom Elemental is an easy game to like.
The Developer Says:
Eteran is a place of great mystery and intrigue. It is a world home to many different peoples and creatures; some are devious and plotting and others are benevolent and jovial. The world is perfectly balanced in its elements. For every Life in Eteran, there is a Death, for every Natural there is an Artificial. These elements are what hold the lands of Eteran together. However, all that has changed. Beasts have begun to attack all the peoples of Eteran, bringing much death and chaos. Slowly the different factions realized that they must restore balance to the chaos, bring back their world from a state of increasing anarchy.
Features
- Waves of fast-paced action-packed tactical combat!
- Dazzling spells, characters, and special fx!
- Easy to learn interface has you fighting battles in minutes!
- Narrated tutorial teaches you everything you need to know.
- Addictive unlocking systems will keep you coming back for more!
- Skirmish mode for unlimited gameplay!
- Rich vibrant battle fields, full of life and special effects!
- Ten unique heroes, including: Pirates, Monks, Druids and more!
- Dozens of unique monsters including: The Dread Knight, the Hook Lord, War Pigs, Warg Riders and many more!
- One giant flaming bear.
Reviews
"Kingdom Elemental consists of a nice combination of real-time-strategy and tactical elements that when coupled along with its charm, makes up for its sub-par graphics. What’s even more impressive than this indie title’s charm and solid gameplay is that it was all done by one man."
- Strategy Informer
"Somewhere between tactical and real time strategy there exists a perfect blend. Kingdom Elemental may very well be it."
- Game Tunnel
"...playing through all the levels becomes a quest of undeniable desire that was satisfying through the very last battle."
- Game Tunnel
"I bought this game without playing the demo. I almost never do that. But it's from Chronic Logic....who I trust to show me a good time....I don't regret that purchase for a second. This is a fun game."
- Third Party Ninjas
"Best tutorial ever."
- Seth Robinson, Robinson Technologies