We’ve all played a dungeon hack-a-thon or two in our time, and unless you’re the sort that’s addicted to the kind of greed-inducing gameplay that they promote, you may feel a little ‘meh’ about them. Mindless, shallow and ungratifying? Possibly. Okay for a while, but ultimately fruitless? Probably. Kingdom Under Fire: Circle Of Doom is apparently trying to change that perception of the genre, but ultimately the constant niggles means developer Blueside’s archaic game falls flat. The real mystery is why the decision was made to shy away from the strategical elements of the previous titles. Although anything but mindblowing, the tactical approach allowed KUF to exist within its own bubble. With Circle Of Doom’s shallow uptake, fans will miss what they’ve come to know and newcomers will tire of it quite quickly. Considering its release date – which is 2008, in case anyone out there is struggling – we hoped for a more evolutionary take on it. If anything it’s taken a step down!

However, every cloud has a silver lining, and the kind of customisation present in KUF is the kind we like. An almost endless array of options have been offered to the player, and combinations of the skills, spells, visual accoutrements and weapon upgrades create a personalisation that’s only really possible with titles such as this.

The combat is also a hugely important factor in any hack-‘n’-slash title, and the system lacks the degree of depth that would convince you to keep going indefinitely. The customisation we mentioned previously does add something, because weapons upgraded in various ways can add an entirely new string to your bow. Power up your sword, for example, then upgrade it with a flying skill and you have a powerful ranged weapon built into your primary weapon. Not only is it handy when battling hordes of ogres, having a levelling up mechanic in place at least gives you something to look forward to. The structure may seem a little antiquated to many, but it works well enough for any developer to drop as a balancing tool. There’s plenty to learn, each with their own conditions, which will have you thinking about how to level your character up and which direction to take them in. This is one of the nicest things about KUF in the sense it’s possible to wind up with a completely different character to everyone else. Six characters doesn’t sound much, but when you add the range of customisability available throughout the game from purely aesthetic to armour and items, you get a decent enough pool of resources to work with throughout the six acts. Alas, not even the EXP arrangement is trouble-free. Yes, you’ll feel rather proud of yourself as the warrior being crafted in front of you becomes a true powerhouse, but all smugness is burnt to the ground when you realise every enemy you’re encountering is levelling up with you. Granted other titles have employed a similar style and been successful, but KUF isn’t, and it adds an extra layer of monotony to the ordeal.

Unfortunately, none of the above can excuse the downbeat gameplay. At some point during your quest, you’ll have the startling thought that this is worthless. It’ll most likely come somewhere between the sixth and eighth thousand sword swipe, and it’s quite a startling epiphany. What’s the use? Why are we playing this? Take away the visuals and we’re just mashing a controller. It’s really rather profound, and puts into perspective the nature of the genre and indeed, videogames in general. Circle Of Doom is a repetitive troll, with a touch of narrative that, as long as you can handle the duplication, can be enjoyable, if only for a few minutes.

Some folk out there will simply hate the prospect of Kingdom Under Fire. Others, like us, will feel rather lifeless towards it. There is some hope that when out, online adventures will prove to be the real appeal, but in terms of the single-player it’s a case of apathy mixed with a tinge of boredom. Anyone can get a kick out of wading their way through enemy after enemy, but due to the nature of the human being, eventually your mind starts to wander, and there’s nothing you can do to counter that!

Tom Leclerc