Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom (Xbox 360)

Is there any such thing as an action RPG that's too simple? Circle of Doom aims to find out.
2/1/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2

The multiplayer support lets you open your game to online players, or simply jump into someone else's game. There are a few item powers that are only useful in groups. Monster difficulty scales with the number of players, but it's definitely easier to plow through the dozens of monsters with a little help. Characters with powerful ranged weapons will come into their own with someone else tanking for them. But with such a simple combat model, multiplayer Circle of Doom isn't much different from solo Circle of Doom.

The Kingdom Under Fire series could never be accused of having impressive animation, and Circle of Doom is no exception. The settings, costumes and monsters are all well and good when they're just standing there, but poetry in motion this ain't. Consider it a game built for screenshots over action. You'll have to get used to some really stilted timing, particularly if you play one of the more challenging characters. Woe to the unsuspecting first-timer who selects Duane, a stumbling old man for whom tim. Ing i. S eve. Rything.

Surrealistic graphics

The graphics are certainly improved from the previous games, with a handful of lushly drawn locations. In addition to the usual lava cave and ice cave, there are some deliciously surreal areas and enemies. In fact, the library levels with their sculptors, living statues and clanking steam tanks are worth the price of admission. But Circle of Doom isn't about showing you new things and places. It's built for grinding. For instance, to learn new spells, you have to accept quests. These are little more than scavenger hunts for particular enemies. For instance, you might have to kill 10 Ice Knights, 20 Frozen Bats, 60 Snow Worms and 10 Elite Ice Knights. Doing this involves running through the ice caves, usually a couple of times. At this point, you've probably already done the ice caves at least once -- so if you don't like the core game, you're going to hate the grinding.

But there's something pure, simple and ultimately gratifying about the combat. It's easy to get into your grinding groove and just plow through, dinging up a couple of levels, keeping an eye out for new inventory items, and maybe testing out a new spell. It's not particularly deep. You could listen to a podcast or audiobook while you play -- and that's not necessarily a criticism. There's a place for this sort of unabashedly easygoing button-mashing action RPGing. Whether that place is in your Xbox 360's drive is a matter of taste.

This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.