by Badger Nimahson
It is not often that I recommend a Kickstarter campaign here on Stoffel Presents (perhaps I should?) so when I do start shouting from the rooftops about a Kickstarter campaign you better believe it is one that grabbed my attention so much that I couldn’t help but write an extensive article all about it and put in front of your eager eyes. King Arthur: Knights Tale is exactly that!
Not only is King Arthur: Knights Tale a Kickstarter campaign that I genuinely feel you should back but it is also a game that you should keep high on your radar for release!
What is so amazing about this Kickstarter campaign that I felt compelled to write about it you ask? Quite simply King Arthur: Knights tale not only looks amazing but is possibly one of the best-crafted games I have seen in a long time. Every aspect of this game has me excited. From the story to the graphics. The honesty of the campaign and the experience of the development team to the “nothing but in-game footage” trailer everything about this trailer gentle whispers in your consciousness that this is going to be a massive hit.
The trailer
There is no egotistical developer telling you how this is the best game ever. There is no sleazy salesman giving you a pitch to steal your money. There is just in-game footage showing you all the features of the game. I have to admit I love this “The game will sell itself mentality” and it works!
100% that trailer got me on board for King Arthur: Knights Tale. The graphics look wonderful, the turn-based gameplay is right up my street, the characters look crazy in-depth, the way you select your targets for chain lightning or set a wall of fire behind enemy troops before shield charging an enemy into it screams how wonderfully tactical King Arthur: Knights Tale is going to be.
When I went on to read more I couldn’t keep my wallet in my pocket and my fingers from typing this article.
Story
Now, you would think that a game titled King Arthur: Knights Tale would have you playing as the once and future king himself but in fact that is not the case. You actually play as King Arthurs sworn enemy Sir Mordred and the game takes place AFTER King Arthur has left for the realm of Avalon.
You are Sir Mordred, the nemesis of King Arthur, the former black knight of the grim tales. You killed King Arthur, but with his dying breath, he struck you down. You both died – and yet, you both live.
The Lady of the Lake, the ruler of the mystical island of Avalon brought you back to end a true nightmare. She wants you to go on a knightly quest. She wants you to finish what you have begun. Kill King Arthur – or whatever he has become after she took his dying vessel to Avalon.
“King Arthur: Knight’s Tale” is an imaginative take on the aftermath of the Arthurian mythology, beginning where most tales end. After his last battle, where King Arthur suffered a lethal wound, he has been taken to the magical island of Avalon where he was supposed to gain immortality, but what happens when immortality means that he is simply unable to die?
The Once and Future King is now trapped in the realm of Avalon and his pain is slowly turning this magical place into a nightmare version of his own Britannia, populating the land with the familiar and the uncanny.
I absolutely adore this take on the Arthurian mythology. Mordred and Arthur are both mortally wounded in their final battle and Arthur is rewarded with immortality in Avalon. But what happens when immortality corrupts a once good man? What happens if eternal life means eternal pain turning the once and future king mad and ends up transforming Avalon into a realm of nightmares?
Your Heroes
Gather your own Knights of the Round Table and send them on knightly quests. These heroes are the most important resources and the most complex gameplay elements at the same time. But beware! Death is always final!
You must manage them at the Round Table accordingly, planning ahead before going into battles. The character progression system is designed to be as deep as in the traditional RPGs: heroes level up on unique skill trees and the complex loot system provides unique options to fine-tune their tactical capabilities.
Each hero has a distinctive personality and their loyalty is constantly changing through the decisions made by the player – in certain cases, they can ever leave the Round Table and turn against you
Your Kingdom
See the entirety of Avalon presented on the Adventure Map, observe all the territory, select your missions and explore various places. Management in King Arthur: Knights Tale focuses on rebuilding Camelot and expanding the mystical Stronghold with new buildings that each unlock various upgrades, and also offers different ways to heal up and manage the heroes of the Round Table.
Complete more than 50 unique points of interest on the Adventure Map, including 20 story missions and various side quests, taking place on diverse terrains, from the dark castle dungeons to the forests of the Sídhe. Challenge 7 enemy factions, fight more than 50 types of enemy units, overcome 10 incredible boss fights throughout your quests.
Other Features
If you have got to this point of this already exstensive article then I trust you are as excited as me for King Arthur: Knights Tale. On the other habnd if you are intrigued but not impressed enough to actually go back the Kickstarter Campaign then let me share a few more of this amazing games features…
- Morality system – The Morality Chart represents your general alignment as a ruler. Your status between Christianity and Old Faith, between Tyranny and Righteousness. Your choices affect values on this chart, influencing both gameplay and narrative.
- Permanent Consequences – Reloading is not an option! As you make your tough choices, the fun comes from dealing with severe consequences. Heroes can die…Permanently.
- Based on your decisions, every playthrough can unfold differently, branching in unexpected ways in a non-linear fashion. Planning and choosing differently will result in vastly different playthroughs: your legend is shaped by every action you take.
- End Game Content – The end of the campaign opens up new endgame content for the bravest of all: tough new challenges appear on the map with challenging, mythic boss fights and random quests, loot, and character progression ultimately leading to the banishing of Balor, the monstrous god-king of the Fomorians himself.
Kickstarter Goals
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article King Arthur: Knights Tale is currently a Kickstarter campaign. At the time of writing, there are 29 days of the campaign to go and it has reached £27,917 of its £115,000 goal.
Kickstarter pledges start from £3 (for those who just wanna see this game come to life) moving up to £20 for a digital copy of the game on PC and access to the upcoming beta.
The teirs continue to increase and so do the digital reweards for them, including things like the oppurtunity to create an artifact in game to getting your name in the credits.
The top teir pledge is £8000 pound which includes your likeness in the game, A tour of the NeocoreGames studio in Budapest and every single relase from the studio for the next 10 years!!!!
The Studio
The trickiest thing about backing a Kickstarter campaign is can you trust the people asking for your money? So many Kickstarters begin so well and quickly fall into disarray with backers losing their money. I know how easy it is for that to happen I ran one such campaign, but that is a different story for a different time.
Anywho, NeocoreGames come with a hefty background of games development behind them. Industry veterans with 13 years of an average experience and their track record include strategy games like King Arthur: The Role-Playing Wargame, as well as Action-RPGs like The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing trilogy and the Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor series.
As well as this expertise King Arthur: Knights TAle isn’t just a concept and an announcement trailer. It is a fully playable game and is expected to release on PC in Q1 2021. After it has released on steam NeocoreGames are hoping to then release it on the upcoming PS5 and Xbox one X.
Final Thoughts
It has been an extremley long time since I have been this excited for a kickstarter camopaign and I can see King Arthur: Knights Tale being a massive hit. Especially on next gen consoles.
Console gamers like myself are crying for X/com/diablo/wasteland 3 style games and we are either cruelly denied them or the ones we get are extremley buggy.
The only thing stopping me from backing this campaign at a substantial tier is that none of the rewards offer a console version of the game. I look forward to reviewing King Arthur: Knights Tale for the PS5 but if you happen to have a gaming PC then I cant urge you enough to head on over to the Kickstarter right now and back this soon to be declared masterpiece.
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