Neocore Games transports us back to the story of the Arthurian legend to offer us a game experience that combines elements from several genres to offer a very long and very replayable title thanks to its combat, management and morality systems. Will we save Camelot from the most evil version of King Arthur? Or will we usurp the throne and claim the remains of the kingdom for ourselves?
The premise of King Arthur Knight’s Tale is something that has captivated me from the first moment, something that I think it will also do with those who know the Arthurian legend. And what if when Arthur and Mordred mutually annihilated each other, upon reaching Avalon – resting place of the fallen knights – the virtuous monarch had become a demonic and despotic being? The result would be the corruption of the Kingdom and the return of darkness and paganism to this world. Therefore, the Lady of the Lake decides to resurrect the only knight who was able to defeat Arthur to counteract the dark power of the one who was once king and save Avalon: Sir Mordred.
This is how this adventure from Neocore Games begins, the studio responsible for titles like Inquisitor Martyr or The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing . It is a Kickstarter project that, after raising a not inconsiderable figure of 184,000 euros a year and a half ago, is presented -after several delays- as the fusion of the best elements of iconic sagas in the genres of turn-based tactical combat and RPG traditional. The combat of XCOM, the exploration of Diablo in 50 missions – plus post-game content – and a morality system reminiscent of that seen in Bioware games are its hallmarks. All this to offer a complete, extensive and very replayable title.
The very beginning of the plot acts as a tutorial, nothing heavy by the way, and has allowed me to see how the Hungarian studio has built the exploration and combat system, the soul of the game. Initially, Knight’s Tale seems to be an ARPG like Diablo, as I can move freely. In this state we can inspect the places for equipment and goldfor later purchases or improvements to our castle, which I will tell you about later. We can also find characters that offer us secondary missions within one in which we are, treasures that to obtain them will involve more challenging combats, or simply altars that temporarily or permanently enhance one of the components of the group. We can even find allies to accompany us during all or part of the mission we are on.
If we come across enemies, the game then goes into combat mode. Depending on the encounter, it will allow us to prepare by choosing from which squares our characters will start, although we can also be ambushed, and other times we simply go into the fight. Far from being a carbon copy of the system used by other games, here the characters work for action points. With them we can move, attack, or perform different actions, each with a cost determined by it. The grace lies in knowing how to manage our reserve of points to attack the enemy and defeat him, receiving as little as possible. There is the possibility of reserving a part of our unspent points in the current turn to add them to our quota in the next one, and thus carry out more actions of various types. When it comes to attacking and defending, it will be very important to position yourself. The attacks that we make -and receive- on the flanks or the back will drain even more the “bars” of life: the Armor, the Hit Points (HP) and the Vitality.
This added layer of complexity makes combat tactical both in positioning and in gauging whether our champions will hold out long enough to come out on top. There will be abilities or attacks that will be more efficient to drain armor or HP, and others that will directly attack vitality ignoring the previous two. Outside of combat, we can use the camps we find to repair some of the armor or replenish some of our HP. But they can only be used for one of the two options and only once each. By the way, unlike armor and GP, which are replenished between missions, vitality will only be recovered if we send our knight to rest in the auspices of Camelot, that will make it unavailable during some missions based on damage suffered ;reduce by paying a cost in gold proportional to the time it should be free to heal itself.
Also mention that our characters can suffer wounds that will apply permanent damage -less Action Points, less resistance to a certain type of damage, etc.- and they must be healed separately in another facility. While there are covers in the game, the bulk of the damage is done in melee, and cover only works as a ranged damage mitigator.
“The loyalty of some of my troops, which makes them perform better or worse in combat” Also not all characters have the same stats. In the entourage that Mordred recruits, we will have at our disposal up to six types of classes that are classic within RPGs, such as Defenders, Vanguards or Arcanists to mention a few, which are the equivalent of tanks, assassins and magicians respectively. All of these classes will be spread across 30 unique characters that were important names within the Arthurian legend. The funny thing is that even if two characters are of the same class, each one will have exclusive items to equip and their own life bars. Their skill trees will also differ, as even though they share skills there will be some that will be unique to one character. For example, Sir Mordred is the only Defender in the game who can cast a spell that lowers his target’s stamina, while the others only have “tank” and melee damage skills, though each will have his specialties. . This forces us to plan very well the composition of the group before progressing in the story and our formation when starting a fight, which by the way we can control when we are exploring the map for, when the fray begins,
All in all, it is a very deep combat system and it will vary in each game. Not only because of the fact that the player can determine where to spend the skill points that the characters earn when leveling up, but also because of the power-ups and benefits that Camelot and the morality system will give us, along with the loyalty of our companions.
Restless lives the head that wears the crown
If the exploration and combat system is profound, the management of Camelot and the Morale Table was not going to be less. Like any good RPG, Knight’s Tale has allowed me to decide how we are going to progress through the game. The game’s morality system is the basis here and allows Mordred to choose between two paths: that of a just or despotic ruler and that of a pagan or Christian believer . In general, quests have presented me with dilemmas as to whether I am a more just or more despotic ruler. Depending on what I have chosen, I have secured -or lost- the loyalty of some of my troops, which makes them perform better or worse in combat. In the worst case they can betray me and I have to face them in a mission later in the game.
Choices also affect the Morale Table by unlocking the recruitment of new knights, new passive bonuses, or enacting a new law or decree in Camelot. They also work as passive bonuses or ways to increase the resources I earn on quests. On the Avalon map I have also had to settle disputes that, apart from varying the loyalty of those affected, have given me gold, experience for one or more characters and other benefits along with advancing further down one or both paths. Another detail is that the mere fact of advancing through one of them has distanced me from the faith or government opposed to what I chose.
In either of the two there are benefits and additional characters, but it is impossible to see everything in one game. In this aspect, Knight’s Tale is as replayable as a Dragon Age or a Mass Effect, and that makes the title have a long life, already extensive thanks to its 50 missions, between secondary and main. The first ones are the same in development as the main ones, but they are especially useful to level up our characters, recruit new ones, and get diverse loot. The main ones are virtually identical but completing them advances the plot and is much longer and more difficult. As in other Tactical Combat titles, if we try to go only to history we will have a hard time since our characters will not be prepared, although it is possible to win. With which it is advisable to play the secondary missions; not only for the benefits they give, but because absolutely all of them give hints of the plot or explain the background of someone in our “Round Table”.
It is impossible to see everything in one gameCamelot Castle is something that we will also have to control. But be careful, repairing and developing all its facilities is very expensive, both in gold and in construction resources that we also earn by completing missions, and it is difficult to unlock the full potential of the mythical fortress. There will be those who prefer to build enough infrastructure to heal and equip their followers, and others who prefer to establish a court that provides passive benefits during missions, or more recruiting and training capacity. As with the Morality Chart, Camelot holds many secrets that won’t be revealed in a single playthrough, and has forced me to make tough decisions about my HQ while also inviting me to play new games .to see what I missed in the first.
The infinite crusade and against the elements
Once we finish the campaign, we can continue playing random missions to further level our characters or complete the Morale Table. But that’s not all, since Neocore Games has announced that after its launch, in addition to all the content that the game already brings, the “seasons” will begin: content with new enemies, encounters or bosses and more difficult challenges for the most brave gentlemen, who will liven up the game’s post-game content. Those who still think this is not enough also have a PvP mode to celebrate “jousts” and see who wins in 4 vs. 4 battles.with various game modes. All this in the scenarios that we have already been able to enjoy during the campaign and some new ones. To say here that they are the ones that Neocore has accustomed us to: gloomy and gloomy, but not without a certain charm and very striking. Unfortunately, like many games of this style, they can be a bit repetitive, but the structure of their missions and combat has made it less noticeable.
The music, on the other hand, is medieval rhythms and ballads, sometimes slower, sometimes more frenetic, that match what is on screen, with a very successful use of percussion and vocals. Without being a technical wonder, the game greatly embellishes the experience, but it is not without its flaws. Sometimes the shadows fail and the use of the same color patterns does not help to make the scenarios more different. It is also understandable that they have delayed the game several times. Although it has served to add content, it shows that they had to optimize it a little more, because in 30 hours of play it has thrown me to the desktop twice. As long as it is not an alarming amount, it justifiesthe delays suffered, apart from the fact that there are still lines of dialogue to implement and quite a few texts to locate in Spanish. Another point in its favor is that, except for the huge disk space it requires (120 gigabytes), the game doesn’t ask much of the rest of the components and even users with modest equipment will be able to run it without major problems.
In short, it’s a game that lives up to its promise, and it’s an example of a well-run, complete Kickstarter project. If it has gone under the radar, it is because the attention could be focused on other good games but much more popular than this one. But above all because NeoCore Games has made it a priority to deliver a quality product to its fans but without getting their fingers caught by announcing it with great fanfare, and making sure that King Arthur Knight’s Tale is a good game, and for a while.
“Worthy of the Legend” King Arthur: Knight’s Tale
King Arthur Knight’s Tale may not be the inventor of all the virtues that titles that NeoCore has been inspired to conceive have offered. But he is undoubtedly one of those who -if not the best- has managed to combine them efficiently, and above all, fun, to offer a replayable experience until enough is said. With many hours ahead to fully appreciate and enjoy it, and waiting for it to give war for a long time.5 Things you should know:
- An alternative version of the Arthurian legend rich in background and content
- Deep combat, management and morality systems that guarantee replayability
- Texts are missing to locate the Castilian, although it is to be hoped that they will be soon
- Somewhat repetitive scenarios but that fit very well to the tone of the story
- We can continue playing after finishing the campaign and fight against other players
Duration: 35-55 hours minimum
Players: 1-8 (Competitive: Yes / Cooperative: No)
KING ARTHUR KNIGHT’S TALE REQUIREMENTS
The requirements for King Arthur Knight’s Tale in its PC version have finally been revealed. Below we leave you the minimum and recommended requirements of the Neocore video game to play it on PC:
Minimum requirements:
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel i5-4690 / AMD FX 4350
- Memory: 8GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 780 / AMD Radeon R9 280X
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 60 GB of available space
Recommended Requirements:
- Operating system: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel i7 4770k / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X
- Memory: 16GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB / AMD RX580
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 60 GB of available space
DATA SHEET
Name:
King Arthur: Knight’s Tale
Release date:
April 26, 2022
Platform:
PC
Also available for:
PS5 XSeries
Genre:
Role , Turn-Based Combat (Fantasy and Medieval)
Number of players:
1-8 (Competitive: Yes / Cooperative: No)
Estimated duration:
35-55 hours minimum
Developer:
NeoCore
Distributor:
Neocore
Language:
Voices: English
Recommended age (PEGI): waiting for classification
Links:
https://www.kingarthurknightstale.com/