Less than a year ago, Microsoft and Phantagram gave us Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders, a game that took many gamers by surprise and built a strong and loyal following almost immediately. While not the over-the-top success of a Halo or a Jade Empire, Kingdom Under Fire's success came from the simple fact that it filled a void in many gamers' libraries. While the hack-and-slash gameplay will remind many of the Dynasty Warriors series, the simple additions of being able to control various units on the field at the push of a button, the deep strategic elements and the RPG-like character leveling seemed enough to whet almost every gamers' appetite. KUF was also a very hard game to get into because of its steep learning curve and very rigid mission structures, but those who stuck it out found something very worthy underneath. I myself longed for more of the same and wanted to play with these characters again and find out more about them and where they'd come from. I got my wish (as many gamers did) but is it really everything I had hoped for?

The first thing to note about KUF: Heroes is how little has been changed. The main menu hub may have a different feel to it, but almost everything else is identical. The story, set a few years before the events of The Crusaders, now follows the "minor" characters that we all wish we could've played as. Rupert, Ellen and Morene were three characters that I wanted so very much to use in The Crusaders that it saddens me a little to report that they aren't really as interesting as "main" characters as I'd hoped. The problem clearly stems from the fact that their "minor" characters are boring and nowhere near as fun as Rupert/Ellen were to Gerald. Rest easy though in the thought that Gerald and company all make appearances and these were, for me, the most enjoyable portions of the story. Besides, I knew the outcome of most of the events/alliances already, so it was nice to simply sit back and see how the pieces fit together.

Unlike in The Crusaders, Heroes doesn't do a lot of hand-holding. For fans of the previous game, that may be a nice thing, but for newcomers, it may be very hard to get a bearing as to what's really going on. The third-person navigation system for one, still doesn't work (at all) and the mini-map must be used at all times (as was the case with The Crusaders) but the game still tells you how to use it (and not the mini-map). Hopefully, everyone will refer to the instruction booklet and use that over the in-game tutorial. Also, the game doesn't take long to throw you into the heat of battle. This is fine, but it takes over 90 minutes before you can actually start micro-managing your characters' stats and really exploring the RPG-like aspect of Heroes. This may have also been the case for The Crusaders, but newcomers may not have that much patience.

The voice acting has also been changed, drastically, and the characters don't have the same "feel" that they did in The Crusaders. This isn't such a big deal, but the personality of the main characters is what kept me playing originally, and this time, it wasn't as appealing sometimes to trudge through 50-odd different levels with characters that I didn't care for as much. Luckily, the gameplay, the strategy and the leveling up are all back and soon I was forgetting all about any small nitpick I may have had.

At heart, KUF: Heroes is one hell of a good hack-and-slash. There's nothing more that I love then getting into the fray of battle (when I don't have to worry about my archers or sappers or any other unit) and just go "Gladiator" on waves upon waves of fodder. I try to evade this attack, counter-attack that one, work a combo here and there and just lay waste to everything around me. And in this respect, Heroes doesn't disappoint. While hack-and-slash games are nothing new, none of them ever convey that wonderful sense of awe and overwhelming greatness like KUF does. Yes, you have allies on the field, but your hero controls the outcome. It's thrilling and humbling at the same time especially when the screen seems filled to the brim with enemies, smoke clouds belching here and there, wyverns circling above and despair is almost inevitable... your life bar is dangerously low... you're 45 minutes into a map... and then it happens: You manage to pull a victory together from out of nowhere. There is no greater or more satisfying feeling than that.

If that feeling wasn't enough, KUF also allows you the ability to strategically "take" a victory. While mashing out combos may seem like the be-all and end-all of gaming, there's something to be said for taking the enemy by surprise or properly positioning your catapults or archers on the field. The simple alignment of the sun (in your enemy's eyes) can make the entire difference in battle. And while you rarely get the feeling that these little details make a big difference overall; they do. And KUF lets you take note of them and rewards you greatly for your craftiness. On the flip side however, certain maps must be won using a specific strategy and these can sometimes become frustrating exercises in trial and error. Take solace in the fact that a character will generally point out the best course of action (its implementation may take a little longer to figure out though).