True Redux Review: Kingdom Crusade

I decided to give Kingdom Crusade, for Gameboy, a chance to impress me, and I'm glad I did. As the image above suggests, the game had a release in North America in 1992. This makes the game, as I write this review, about 18 years old.


First Impressions

The game quickly brings you to the start screen, followed by a list of options, including the size of the world you wish to play on, which side you wish to be (light or dark), your handicap level, and the level of your computer opponent. After choosing your settings, you are given the option of starting right away, or reading some of the information offered in order to better understand the game. The information is plentiful and a bit intimidating. The intimidation is not appropriate, however, as playing the game quickly reveals how simple and smooth it is.

The Game

The game itself is quite imaginative in its play when you take into account the fact that it was released so long ago. Basically, you control an army, with the goal of defeating the army of your opponent. You do so on a map that's divided in grid format. You must take control of individual units upon the map, and move them north, south, west, and east with an overhead view. Meanwhile, as you do so, the opponent is doing the same.

As you move, you and your opponent will eventually clash. When this happens, you will meet your opponent on the overhead map, where you will move, jump, and launch attacks to kill your opponent and win. Units come in different classes, such as King, Queen, and Bowman, which differ in stats from one another, including armor strength, attack type, attack speed, and more. This offers the game somewhat of a chess mentality, which encourages the player to attack and counter with the appropriate units. The game comes to an end when either you or your opponent wipes out all opposing units, or takes over all opposing castles.

There's also the little things that make this game interesting. Firstly, items that can increase or decrease stats are hidden throughout the environment, which encourages active exploration. Secondly, the environment and placement of castles and units are both randomly generated when a new game begins, offering replayability. The strong lack of storyline, however, is quite possibly the biggest thing holding this game back, though only to a small extent.

Overall, Kingdom Crusades is a success. Though it fails to deliver a storyline, and subsequently eliminates any emotional connection to the game's content, it succeeds in delivering in game play and creativity.

Score: 7.5/10