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One of the more underrated Xbox exclusive franchises has always been the Kingdom Under Fire series. The previous two games on the OG Xbox were hack n’ slash action games mixed with a bit of real-time-strategy, and they were pretty darn fun. The latest in the series, Circle of Doom, nixes the RTS elements in favor of a more straight up action RPG. Was this decision a wise one or a mistake? Find out all about Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom right here.

Quick Hits

• Title: Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom
• Platform:Xbox 360
• Publisher: Microsoft
• Developer: Blueside
• ESRB Rating: “M” for Mature
• Genre: Action RPG
• Pros: Co-Op play
• Cons: Tedious gameplay; disconnected story; inconsistent graphics
• Achievements: Easy, but VERY time consuming.

Features

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom is an action RPG where you play through as one of six characters to unlock a few tasty bits of story. Unfortunately, the story is really only going to appeal to hardcore fans of the previous couple of games. For anyone else, it seems like a disjointed mess. The story is also hindered by the fact that you only see any story bits if you “sleep” at special shrines and enter a dreamworld. You have to enter the dreamworld to open up new abilities, but it is possible to play through the game without talking to story important characters. Even if you do try to follow the story, it never really has any relation to what you are supposed to be doing. Story isn’t always the most important aspect of a game, but a good story can make a mediocre game seem better.

Or, a bad or confusing story can make a mediocre game seem worse. Which, sadly, is the case with Circle of Doom.

Gameplay

If the older Kingdom Under Fire games were basically the Dynasty Warriors formula with more interesting stuff to do, Circle of Doom seems to be the opposite. Not in terms of gameplay, no, it is the same hack n’ slash DW-inspired gameplay through and through. But without the strategy elements of previous KUF games, or the overwhelming numbers DW throws at you, Circle of Doom is pretty boring by comparison. Sure, you find new weapons and armor, and level up, and can add in some magic attacks here and there, but 90% of your time is spent just mashing the attack buttons. And that is boring. What hurts it even more is that some quests require you to visit the same dungeons over and over again to find enough of a particular enemy or item. The game is just interesting enough to hook you as long as you are moving forward, but having to play through the same stuff over and over again is very tiresome and kills any momentum the game may have going for it.

One thing that makes the game quite a bit more fun is playing co-op. It is only available online and not via splitscreen, which is a bummer, but it definitely makes the game more enjoyable to add in some friends alongside you to the tired hack n’ slash formula.

Graphics and Sound

Graphically, Circle of Doom is pretty inconsistent. At times, it can be gorgeous like in the lush and well lit forest level. At other times, it can be bland and kind of ugly like in the desert second level. And at other times, it can look nice and have tons of detail like in the Hall of Arrogance level, but is too narrow and crowded for the camera to function properly in. The game runs pretty smoothly most of the time, though, and the characters and enemies always look pretty good.

The sound is pretty good all around. The clash of swords and cries of fallen enemies sounds good. And some of the enemies, like the flesh men, sound really creepy and will freak you out the first time you come across them.

Bottom Line

All in all, Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom is a pretty average experience that only the biggest Kingdom Under Fire fans will really appreciate. The most interesting aspect of the previous games, the RTS elements, have been removed in favor of a more straightforward action RPG style of gameplay and it just doesn’t work nearly as well. Co-op play over Xbox Live definitely helps things, but it doesn’t change the fact that at its core, Circle of Doom is a limited button masher that just gets boring after a while. It isn’t bad. It is never frustrating or too difficult. It just isn’t all that fun, either. Give the Xbox Live Marketplace demo a spin or rent it, but I can’t recommend Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom for a purchase.