February 27, 2008 - Action RPG games, the hack-and-slash variety are plentiful among most every platform. On the PC, you’ve got the traditional Diablo series, PlayStation has Untold Legends, the original Xbox had the impressive Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel, and even the Game Boy has the Shining Soul. With the next-gen systems hitting their strides it is about time these games went next-gen as well. The Xbox 360’s entry, Kingdom under Fire: Circle of Doom is a fine game for gamers who love battling hordes of monsters and leveling up your warriors to become unstoppable killing machines. For those looking for a title with a little more substance, an engaging storyline, or seamless and fluid action, then you may find yourself a bit disappointed.

A little back story would work wonders in giving gamers and idea of what kind of world they are stepping into when they boot up KuF. The bad news is, one isn’t provided. In actuality, there is a prologue you can view from the title screen. For those that take the time, prepare to be mystified. The Lords of Light and Darkness alternate in ruling the world thus providing balance and harmony. However things begin to get a little shady when the Lord of Darkness uses its godly powers to turn the world’s creatures against one another in a free-for-all battle royal where destruction and torture reign supreme. Seeing this as a problem, the Lord of Light chooses not to relinquish control of the world when its turn is up. The Lord of Darkness, insulted by this act of defiance, tries to take back control of the world on a more permanent basis. Therefore, the world is in turmoil and peace cannot be restored until the Lords of Light and Darkness remembers how to share. A cast of heroes emerges with the intention of righting all wrongs and slaying everything and anything that dare get in their way. So instead of the two Lords working out their problems like mature diviners of creation, a great battle must be waged where one side will reign over the other. For what its worth, this story is comparable to the one in Diablo 2. In other words, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Choosing your hero is fairly rudimentary. There’s nothing unique here with your choice of knights, berserkers, archers, clerics, wizards and the like. They all look very cool but outside of being given fancy names and a bit of a background, it’s really nothing more. Some characters have a bit more story to tell than others, but regardless of whom you pick; your goal remains the same.

The biggest lure (as well as pitfall) of KuF may lie in its simplicity. Your characters have three types of attacks, melee, long ranged, and magical. You have two attack buttons at your disposal when pressed repeatedly leads to a string of attacks that can be used to wipe out a whole field of monsters. You also get two buttons for magical attacks/skills and two buttons to use items such as health and stamina potions; easily the most useful items you will come across in the game. The control scheme is easy to adjust to regardless of what class your warrior may be. Since the game doesn’t offer much beyond hacking and slashing, you won’t have to worry needlessly about intermediate or advanced controls later on.

The bulk of your time playing KuF will be spent dueling with the baddies. One moment you’ll be in an open plane watching the scenery around you motion with activity, the background music is serene, the only sounds you’ll hear is the movement of your own foot steps. Then from off in the distance you see an enemy, the music changes from tranquil to something more resembling of impending doom. That enemy will seldom be alone, he’ll have alongside him dozens of his compatriots and they are hell bent on making you extinct. So starts one of the many massacres you will experience with your character being responsible for the bloodshed more often than not. In the early goings of your adventure, the enemies will not put up much of a struggle. They’ll poke, slash, and hurl things at you from all angles. Even if your health is moderate to low, you’re almost guaranteed to have picked up some health potions left behind by the disappearing corpses. Once one battle ends, everything reverts back to the way it was, sooner than later you’ll encounter your next wave of enemies and repeat the process.

These epic battles are fun at first, especially when you realize the AI is not very strategic. As long as they have the numbers they will fight aggressively. Melee fighters from up close and long range fighters in turn can hit you from obscene distances. When you are ready to take out those pesky cowards, you’ll see they won’t put up much of a fight, or even make any attempt to get away. They will just add to your kill counter. Boss battles on the other hand are actually engaging and require a bit more skill. Usually you will have to alternate between melee and long range attacks, and some bosses are more susceptible to certain elementals. Therefore, you may plow through the grunts of the game but will be in for a rude awakening if you don’t have an assortment of different weapons/skills in your arsenal.