Attention adventurers, we have another party-based first-person RPG (blobber) incoming in the form of King’s Courier! However, this one does not look at Wizardry or the Eye of the Beholder series for inspiration—this one goes straight for the Might and Magic jugular, washing its thick, red stat-based RPG goodness all over us. Now, while I do enjoy Might and Magic, it’s not my favorite series due to chaotic combat, especially in real-time… but salvation is here!
The timeless battle: Real-time vs. Turn-based
Thankfully, King’s Courier remedies this with a fast and awesome turn-based mode that feels surprisingly tactical. You can of course play it in real-time if you prefer that, which I did for half the demo until I pressed the Enter key by mistake, accidentally discovering the turn-based mode. Yeah, I should really check the key-bindings next time.
To be completely honest, this little mistake turned the demo around for me. While King’s Courier did impress me with a feel similar to Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, and excellent retro visuals—the combat isn’t entirely for me. It’s just way too stressful, and equipping bows on everyone and walking backwards like a race-walking champion seems to be the ultimate tactic. Not that enticing!
But as mentioned, turn-based mode hit the nail on the head! It allows for positioning, easy target acquisition and spell-selection—everything under the premise of “taking your time”, instead of scrambling around in the menus like a madman to gulp that last health potion before the eternal void embraces the group.
World and quest-design
The main quest of being a party of hero mercenaries working for the local lord—with a strange mystery permeating the atmosphere, has an appealing but simple old-school vibe. This in combination with the excellent graphics that have full day and night cycles pulled me right in, truly setting the mood for adventure and completing dangerous quests. And just like Might and Magic of old, this game has secrets and treasures to find in all corners of the land—inviting you to explore every nook and cranny.
Other noticeable things are how skills and leveling works, seeing as you have to find trainers to unlock skills for money. This will allow for a lot of free-form character building, where you decide what to use and equip—as long as you have the gold. Very cool, but you will be limited by the stats of your hero. Yet, hybrid classes, when carefully built, will definitely be viable, as I noticed with my ranged archer/wizard.
More adventure!
King’s Courier, after discovering the turn-based mode, quickly became one of the many blobbers I anticipate for release, sharing a prestigious list with titles such as Dverghold, Underkeep, Crypts of Carith and Call of Saregnar. So, make sure to check it out for yourself here! Remember to try turn-based mode if real-time isn’t to your liking. It might save the experience, like it did for me.
Thanks for reading.
– Thomas
