advertisement

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom Character Spotlight 3

By Staff, GameSpotPosted Jan 4, 2008 3:23 pm PT

Our third and final look at Blueside's action RPG highlights holy knight Kendal and burly bruiser Regnier.

Complete the Circle

Check out the latest footage of Kendal and Regnier in action in this character spotlight video.

If you were a fan of Blueside's unique Xbox series Kingdom Under Fire--which blended Dynasty Warriors-style large-scale hack-and-slash action with a seamlessly integrated real-time strategy element--you may have been feeling left out in the cold on the Xbox 360. But finally, the developer will provide its first 360 version of Kingdom Under Fire next week with Circle of Doom, an action role-playing game that may not offer the same style of gameplay as its predecessors but is looking to revisit many of the series' unique locales and characters. Microsoft has provided in-depth information on the last two of the game's six total playable characters. Read on about Kendal and Regnier below.

Kendal

Holy Knight


The Church of Ecclesia knew Kendal as the ideal military commander: a zealous knight with an unshakable belief in the tenets of his faith and his duty to the church. But behind his inscrutable faceguard, Kendal hid his worries and self-doubt. To escape the confusion in his mind, he threw himself into the certainty of battle. His bravery saved the Age of Light from the encroaching Darkness and brought about the end of the Encablossa War; but when the dust settled, Kendal was nowhere to be found. What happened to Kendal after he dove into Encablossa? Did the holy knight choose the path of righteousness, or are the cosmos more complicated than they seem?

Kendal looks ready to bust some heads.

Background
Originally born in Azilla, which was later annexed by the neighboring church-state of Ecclesia, Kendal commanded the Ecclesian Army during the Encablossa War. His strong sense of responsibility--stemming from a deep religious faith--and his brilliant strategies made him an ideal military leader.

In order to stop the resurrected Encablossa from unleashing a doom upon Bersia, Kendal charged into Encablossa's body with Regnier and ultimately stopped the Epoch of Light from shifting into the Epoch of Darkness. What is it that he witnessed inside of Encablossa? What is the hidden truth behind the circulation of epochs?

Within Encablossa, all mortals must go through "corporal mutation," an excruciating process that acclimates them to the dimension. Additionally, those who do not possess pure good (or evil) in their nature will experience "ethereal mutation," a slow decay of willpower that will ultimately strip all intellectual capacity. Kendal originally had no intention of going back to Bersia, but one day, his former colleague Walter appeared to Kendal in a dream and asked him to return. Now that Kendal has a strong will to return to the Epoch of Light, ethereal mutation will attempt to corrupt him.

Meanwhile, Moonlight the Archmage (one of the great figures from the Second War of Heroes), had succumbed to the mutation Encablossa enforced upon him. To stop further corruption of his body and mind, he had separated his mind from his already mutated body and survived in the form of a spirit crystal. Moonlight helps stop Kendal's mutation, but it seems like there is something in this relationship yet untold.

Regnier

Immortal God of War


In the history of Bersia, no one has been more influential or more infamous than the man now known as Regnier. Once the noble Rick Miner, he was slaughtered during the First War of Heroes by the lich Khiliani. Resurrected by the archmage Moonlight and the dark Ancient Heart, he surfaced as Rick Blood, commander of the Dark Legion, in the Second War of Heroes.

What will become of Regnier's immortality in Circle of Doom?

Finally, wielding a flaming blade with devastating strength and ruthlessness, he reemerged as Regnier, the immortal warlord of Hexter. Forging an unlikely truce with the Human Alliance, Regnier united with Kendal to pierce the body of Encablossa and prevent the Age of Light's destruction. Where is Regnier now, and what form has he taken? What secrets lie hidden in his past?

Background
His soul slowly corrupted by the Ancient Heart's power, Regnier unified the Orc and Ogre clans of Hexter and formed the Dark Legion to wage a war against the Human Alliance. Wielding a fire-imbued blade with his monstrous power to ruthlessly crush all his foes, Regnier was the god of war himself.

At the end of the Encablossa War, Regnier combined forces with the Human Alliance to break into Encablossa's body where he had once been trapped and from which he eventually escaped. Who does this tortured warlord encounter in Encablossa's dimension? All such dark secrets shall be unveiled in Circle of Doom.

Regnier's armor and appearance will become more fearsome as the game progresses.

Regnier has already entered the dimension of Encablossa, and the power of the Ancient Heart, which he possessed at the time, prevented mutation from taking him over. When the Ancient Heart was destroyed at the end of the Encablossa War, Regnier lost his immortality. Now that the fear of death is again in Regnier's mind, the mutation slowly corrodes his soul. On top of that, Encablossa is using Regnier's memories of the past, before he received the power of the Ancient Heart, to torture him both physically and mentally. Once Regnier's body and soul are completely mutated, Encablossa will appoint him as the leader of the invasion into the Epoch of Light.

46 Comments

  • itzmec

    Posted Jan 9, 2008 9:26 am PT

    to: the_marshal

    actually guy, no i didnt miss the point of diablo style rpg with repetitive combat on a linear trail through the game, just voicin my opinion. if thats ok with you. hope it is.

  • quietguy

    Posted Jan 8, 2008 12:12 pm PT

    Why do I get the feeling that there are apparently more idiots bashing this game than that of other sane gamers out here not putting much of a comment.

  • Phaze3031

    Posted Jan 8, 2008 9:32 am PT

    I don't know. I don't care about the repetitiveness or the linearity. I just can't jive with that stamina bar. To me, the best beatem up to date is Gaiden, and so maybe it's just a matter of perspective. But when every three swings you've got to either run around in cirlces for 5 seconds or chug a potion it defeats the purpose for me.

  • nemerson00

    Posted Jan 8, 2008 7:53 am PT

    ON THE FENCE STILL

  • djord02

    Posted Jan 8, 2008 6:50 am PT

    Ugh, how did they manage to mess up a good thing?! The demo was horrible. There's no freedom of movement, no diversity in enemies, etc. All you do is walk 5 feet, fight a group of goblins, walk 5 more feet, fight another group (all of which look the same). And you do this for about 40 minutes till the demo ends. The combat is boring and horribly repetitive, and overall, It's a linear mess of a game. And for those of you trying to compare this to Diablo, you're obviously clueless or have never played Diablo, because Diablo is 100 times better than this. At least in Diablo, you have open environments to explore. In this game, they put you on a dirt path with no where to go but forward. You can literally see the 18 million identical packs of mindless enemies you'll have to fight from the beginning to the end. Thanks, but no thanks. The original King Under Fire series was great because there was actually strategy involved and huge armies. Why would they mess with that formula? I was really looking forward to a next-gen version of the original game. I'm sad to say, this is NOT it.

  • ply74

    Posted Jan 8, 2008 5:18 am PT

    I agree with you The_Marshal. These people are idiots for not knowing the point. All they have are gripes. It's too linear or repetative. Duh thats how the game is supposed to be. That's exactly how Diablo was and I along with many others love it. And that Bontra dude is a sony fanboy idiot, who has compared it to GodOfWar 2? I for one will spend alot more time on Kingdom Under Fire than I ever had on God Of War 2 since it is more Diablo like. Do you really think I care about story and character? Like Diablo had any real story and character you dufuss. I just like running around and killing stuff and collecting my items until I have it all XD.

  • The_Marshal

    Posted Jan 7, 2008 10:03 pm PT

    game is way to linear, i ran past all the stupid ai, all the way to the end of the demo. absolute garbage

    Congratulations, you missed the point of a Diablo-style RPG where the entire point of the game is addictive combat and loot runs by refusing to actually engage in any combat and then complain about it. You failz teh interwebs.

  • itzmec

    Posted Jan 7, 2008 1:51 pm PT

    game is way to linear, i ran past all the stupid ai, all the way to the end of the demo. absolute garbage

  • PhoenixSS

    Posted Jan 7, 2008 1:33 pm PT

    I really liked the demo, minus a few minor things. ie: camera angles get a bit whack and it is FAR too easy to fill up your inventory and have to either destroy items to make room or wait until you find a resting point to trade them. But overall, I enjoyed it. Reminds me of Castlevania crosses Hunter: The Reckoning mixed with a little Diablo II. I hope the multi-player is seamless. It may not be the type of game I drop $65 on but I'll definitely give the final product a good look.

  • BontraXenderKyl posted Jan 7, 2008 9:03 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    BontraXenderKyl

    Posted Jan 7, 2008 9:03 am PT (hide)

    This game never be like God of War II cause this game has a lot of dummy enviourment and lousy characters.....very very lame

  • enesemm

    Posted Jan 7, 2008 8:07 am PT

    some of you really need to proof read before posting your comments. Nikoking, you need to go back to elementary school. your comment made me cringe...idiot.

  • rl_41

    Posted Jan 6, 2008 5:57 pm PT

    Looks like an average hacknslash.... not gonna drop my money on this one...

  • imperial_agent

    Posted Jan 6, 2008 5:21 pm PT

    played the demo. the game isn't that great.

  • TheoleDominion1

    Posted Jan 6, 2008 8:45 am PT

    Though they are working on another KUF RTS that all the fans of the series a famaliar with. I wish they would have came out with that one instead. This games doesn't seemed to offer any groundbreaking gameplay in order for them to choose this IP to come out first. I only hope "Too Human" and others like it will do something about the "repetitiveness" found all too often in this genre. Though co-op is cool, not too many games of this nature adds any real gameplay element for playing with another player. At least in MK's "Shaolin Monk" there were REAL co-op attacks and special moves that really affected gameplay and added depth to the game. This title seemed to be decent, but is that enough? Another thing that puzzles me is why aren't there any gameplay elements thrown in 3D multi-player RPG's involving your special abilities affecting your environment? For instance, if player A has "leaping" as an ability, shouldn't he be able to get to rooftops, take to the trees, better match for "flying enemies?" Player B can't perform these moves, instead has a"wall" ability being able to perform wallrunning,wall attacks, and evasive acrobatic moves using wall surfaces. (sorta like moves found in Ninja Gaiden) I'm just saying there are ALOT of gameplay being left out in 3D multi-player RPG games that could really add alot of depth. Try using things other than types of magics and weapons to add true depth to character classes. Trust me, it will go a long way to getting rid of "repetitiveness!

  • sean_ph

    Posted Jan 5, 2008 10:49 pm PT

    already have this game since it was released in asia in december. great game. 4 player coop on Live is relatively lag-free. there is a whole crapload of items to collect and synthesize (the game's own craft system mechanic) with a whole slew of enemies waiting to be killed. must buy game for action RPG fanatics.

  • Raiken56

    Posted Jan 5, 2008 7:56 pm PT

    Girls are too flat.

  • DominusSabathan

    Posted Jan 5, 2008 7:55 pm PT

    this game is great , graphics are great gameplay is cool , music is super cool must buy

  • sinx1971

    Posted Jan 5, 2008 1:38 pm PT

    I've played the demo and I thought the game was great. I'm a huge fan of hack-n-slash and this game is easily my first Xbox 360 purchase of the new year.

  • halohelldaddy45

    Posted Jan 5, 2008 1:27 pm PT

    I loved the KUF: the crusaders, one of the best games ever, not to mention ingenius Online and it was overlooked by many. This game sounds interesting, i like the story but i will have to play it before i make a decision on whether to buy it or not.

Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | DLC & Expansions | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices

Check Prices: $13.5 – 39.99

GameStop $39.99 SHOP ›
Amazon.com $13.5 SHOP ›
Deep Discount.com $38.99 SHOP ›
advertisement
advertisement
Click Here
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom

Game Stats

  • Rank:
    2,223 of 79,527
    (down by 151)
    X360 Rank:
    312 of 1,941
    Tracking:
    2,140 Track It»
    Wishlists:
    1,182 Wish It»
  • Player Reviews:
    63
    Player Ratings:
    1216
    Users Now Playing:
    214
  • Number of Players:

    1 Player, 4 Online

  • Top 5 User Tags:
    1. kingdom under fire
    2. circle of doom
    3. blueside
    4. rpg
    5. kuf
  • Mature Rating Description

    Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. Learn more

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games
advertisement
Click Here