King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame II Preview

GameSpot has a preview for Paradox Interactive and Neocore Games’ RPG/Strategy hybrid set in the Arthurian mythos, courtesy of a hands-off presentation they witnessed. Here’s a sampling:

King Arthur II is divided into two sections: the map screen and the battle screen. On the map screen, we could craft items, manage our armies, visit towns, and partake in all other manner of adventuring flair. The battle screen is where we got down and dirty. The first battle we saw was a stronghold assault that looked like a scene straight out of Total War: Shogun II. Had we actually proceeded, it would have been a very challenging fight because the defensive enemies were not only hiding behind three walls, but they were also atop high elevation, which means they received bonuses when firing or charging downhill.

We also got a peek at some of King Arthur II’s flying units. These nasty, demonic critters could only be harmed with spells and arrows while in the air. Sometimes they would touch down and take a few melee swipes at our troops, which granted our men the chance to work their blades. The developers described the battle system as a rock-paper-scissors relationship among all the units. Later in the demonstration, we got our hands on the game and tested our tactical prowess against some giants. Because our strategy began and ended with “RUSH THE GIANTS,” we didn’t fair well initially. However, with smart positioning of our archers and liberal use of the slow spell on the giants, we managed to bring them down before they could trample all of our troops.