Kingshunt, preview of an online RPG that tries something new
We must first say that, due to various technical problems, it was practically impossible for us to try Kingshunt in depth in the short period of open beta made available at the Steam festival: both due to time limitations and the inability to access and instability of the line , we could not help but try short fragments of the game, but above all we try to put together a bit of information about this game to throw some light on it, as we have also done with several other titles within the Festival of Steam. Considering that the release is scheduled for the spring of 2021, there is very little to see the final form of this title, but we suspect that its evolution will continue for a good period even after the launch, because a game structured in this way has a badly needed empirical evidence, feedback and intensive support, so there will be time to evaluate it over distance.
Between action RPG and tower defense
The idea behind Kingshunt, the one that characterizes the gameplay in a fundamental way, is the fusion of the elements in a third person action RPG style with hack and slash dynamics and those taken from the tower defense tradition. On closer inspection, such a hybrid is very close to typical MOBAs, but there are still some very original elements that emerge from the game, once we are on the battlefield. The clashes take place between teams of five players each, with one attacking and the other defending its base, taking advantage of both the typical dynamics of the action RPG and those of tower defense: in this case, the fighters are divided into various classes that reflect those typical of the role-playing game with different abilities and characteristics, to which, however, the management of the elements in tower defense style must be added, with the attackers who can count on armies of minions to launch against the enemies and the defenders who can build towers capable of automatically hitting opponents.The other major feature of Kingshunt, after the addition of minions and towers, is the structure of the battles: various clashes take place on different sections of the map and then channel into one major clash involving the titans, with truly massive enemies that make the fights particularly spectacular. This creates a certain dynamism, combined with the fact of alternating between defensive and attack phases, also giving greater breathing space to the clashes and increasing the amount of online users within extended multiplayer phases, thus introducing MMO elements into the 'together.
Between action and strategy
The combat system is essentially action and is based on the different style provided for the various classes in which the fighters are divided. At the moment there are five types that reflect a bit the classic traditions of the RPG between short and long range fighters, tanks, healers and rangers, each with their own characteristics and specific skills, in this case 4 skills and an ultimate, as happens in many MOBAs, each with strengths and weaknesses and different cooldown times to take into account. However, there is the possibility to deeply customize your fighter also through the equipment of runes that modify specific attributes and abilities, so customization is an important element of Kingshunt, beyond the division into standard classes, with probable extensions of this aspect later, through various updates (as well as the possibility that everything turns into a free-to-play, which could make important changes to these elements of the game).On the battlefield, the flow of the game does not differ very much from MOBAs, with the attacks that take place along different lanes that run through the maps and the variations represented above all by the presence of the towers and the style of the combat system, rather tending towards action, which could attract players with quite different tastes. Various aspects of the gameplay still denote the need for a nice finishing work: beyond some elements that appear poorly integrated or simply redundant, such as poor control over minions or the need to place defense towers only in specific points, or the poor feeling related to settling or taking blows, the fight is still fun. Many compare it to some sort of hybrid Paragon, and considering how much MOBA Epic Games has been loved in its short history, it could really be a great starting point for Kingshunt, of which we look forward to seeing a more stable and complete version. >
The idea of mixing elements taken from action RPG, tower defense, strategy and MOBA is courageous and can bring Kingshunt out of the tide of online role-playing games with a fantasy setting, beyond a look that for the moment does not it seems to stray too far from stereotypes. On the battlefield, some strategic elements seem to lose some thickness and the action looks a lot like classic MOBAs, but what emerges above all is the fun and frenzy of combat. The hope is that further refinement and balancing work can bring to full expression the interesting potential of this particular hybrid, so we will continue to keep Kingshunt in sight.
