'Kingdom Under Fire 2' Pre-Launch Press Event
At around 10 am that morning, I arrived at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley and at the gates of the historic castle, the other attendees and I were greeted by a… jester and medieval goons!
We were greeted into Castle Reichenstein by medieval goons who steal... "technology"?! pic.twitter.com/LgTZqGJ163
— Prans (@prans_dhunnoo) November 10, 2019
This was all to set up the mood for what was coming next! As I stepped through the gates of the castle, thanks to the illusion created by the entertainers' great performance and the environment itself, I was transported back in time when kings ruled those lands and issues were resolved with swords and blood. It was an adequate setting for Kingdom Under Fire 2 which also takes place in medieval times albeit with fantasy elements.
Staged fight in Reichenstein Castle! Whose side are you on? 🤔 #kuf2 #kingdomunderfire2 pic.twitter.com/8qQXQuJ87B
— Prans (@prans_dhunnoo) November 11, 2019
To prove my worth as a warrior fit to explore Kingdom Under Fire 2’s fantasy world of Bersia, I was tasked to complete a series of LARP-styled quests all over the castle grounds.These quests had me befriend live eagles, concoct a potion with the… charismatic Alchemist, participate in mini games like (fake) rat throwing and cherrystone spitting, forge my own Kingdom Under Fire 2 coin and of course play a pre-release version of the game. At some point I was even ambushed by a ferocious knight whom I skillfully dismembered with my mighty plastic sword!
Attended @Gameforge 's pre-launch event for #kingdomunderfire2 which was medieval-themed, complete with a jester and LARP-like quests in a historical castle! Full coverage coming out soon exclusively on @GBAtemp ! #kuf2 pic.twitter.com/g7GNO6ztsn
— Prans (@prans_dhunnoo) November 9, 2019
Even if the version of Kingdom Under Fire 2 (KuF2) that I played was a pre-release version, it felt polished and fluid and I didn’t come across any major issues during my one hour of playthrough. Developed by Blueside and published by Gameforge, KuF2 was announced back in 2008 and the game’s visuals seems to have unfortunately been stuck in that era. However the game was built on an in-house engine and might be the reason for the dated graphics as development spanned over a decade. I also noticed that the lip-sync for the characters was off but this will hopefully be addressed before the release on November 14th.
KuF2 presents itself as an original title, more specifically as an MMORPG-RTS hybrid. While there is the obvious focus on multiplayer and online elements, the whole game can be played alone (although it might become more challenging to venture forth in solo as the game opens up, but technically it's still possible). When booting the game for the first time, players get to choose a hero from one of five familiar classes (Gunslinger, Spellsword, Berserker, Elementalist, Ranger), each with unique abilities. For example, the hero I chose during my hands-on playthrough was the Elementalist who can summon companion pets to fight by her side. Those heroes will command troops which players can mix and match from over 75 different ones available and take on PvP battles pitting thousands of units against each other across varied landscapes. In such situations, things can get a little chaotic but with practice players will get used to waging war across Bersia. KuF2’s unique approach allows players to switch from controlling their hero in MMO-esque third person view to top-down RTS-like view on the fly to suit your playstyle.
"I believe the game is interesting for a wide variety of people who are interested in a unique experience that you will not find somewhere in the market currently," Martin Fischer, Game Designer at Gameforge, told me during an interview. "And the game gives you the freedom to play as you want. For example, if you completely want to ignore the RTS part, you theoretically could do that". This aspect of the game that allows players to tune it to their liking gave a breath of fresh air to this title.
In addition to the obvious Dynasty Warriors inspiration, a member of the developing team at Blueside mentioned during a group Q&A session that KuF2 was also interestingly inspired by Tekken. This is because Tekken relies on you to observe and exploit the weaknesses of your opponents and use it to your advantage. This aspect is also put to use in KuF2’s mechanic and proves to be an interesting gameplay strategy.
In addition to my participation in activities during the press event and exclusive hands-on time with the game, I also had the opportunity to interview two Gameforge representatives, namely Noemi Feller who is the Lead Product Manager and game designer Martin Fischer. The interview will be published as a separate article in a few days, so keep an eye out for it!
When it comes to pricing, Kingdom Under Fire 2 is a buy-to-play game, as compared to Gameforge’s usual free-to-play titles, with packages starting from €29.99. Pre-orders will be rewarded with extra troops and exclusive titles but the developers have free post-launch content in the pipeline like a new Dark Sorceress hero class and a 16-player raid which features a final Dragon boss encounter!
Kingdom Under Fire 2 looks like a promising game despite its dated graphics. With its diverse content, hours and hours of gameplay and innovative MMORPG-RTS hybrid mechanic, there’s something in it for both RPG and RTS fans who are looking for something new and have the time to devote to let the game sink in. Keep an eye out for my interview with Gameforge representatives to have more insight from the publishers!
I would like to extend my thanks to Gameforge for the invitation and for holding a memorable pre-launch event. The carefully crafted quests to entertain attendees in a medieval ambiance along with the opportunity to play the game before release and interact with the developers and publishers made for a unique experience that I am truly grateful for.
Official Kingdom Under Fire 2 website
like a 250 dollar kit back when DDR4 was Intel only