Reviewed: January 27, 2005
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Konami

Developer
Krome Studios

Released: November 16, 2004
Genre: Action
Players: 2
ESRB: Teen

6
7
8
6
6.4

Supported Features:

  • 2 Player Simultaneous
  • Memory Card (1 Block)
  • Dolby Pro Logic II

    Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)

    		•
    Just when games like Chronicles of Riddick and Lemony Snicket started to make me believe designers could make a “good” movie-inspired video game King Arthur comes along to burst my optimistic bubble.

    Konami’s latest hack-n-slash title actually came to our office before the holidays. At that time I had not seen the movie that contributed to this game so the story and the actual video footage were rather lost on me. Since that time and prior to this review I have watched the DVD and things are a bit clearer, but the game didn’t really get any better by my simple understanding of the plot.

    King Arthur (the movie) is a fresh vision of the legend, still nowhere near historically accurate despite the claims of the producers, but certainly more realistic than a fantasy epic like Excalibur. Unfortunately, the game is not nearly as fresh as the movie and is basically a mindless and annoyingly repetitive slash-fest borrowing on ideas we’ve already seen in games like EA’s Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

    In this action title we get to assume the role of not only King Arthur but also Lancelot, Guinevere, and a few other key cast members, each with their own special skills and abilities. The story spans 20 chapters and six locations from the film and there is more than 20 minutes of actual film footage seamlessly integrated into the narrative, again, much like the Lord of the Rings games.

    King Arthur is all about fighting and you will be doing plenty of it during the 12-15 hour single-player campaign. To their credit, Krome has produced a functional combat system that makes use of melee and ranged attacks and character-specific combos, and for the first time in this reviewer’s recollection, I was able to attack from horseback and even use my steed as a weapon.

    Controls are excellent and there is a nice response to the melee attack and combo system. You really feel connected to the character you are controlling. Things get a bit more awkward using a bow or riding a horse. The bow has a lock-on system but there is a significant delay between targeting and firing leaving you open to melee attacks. Riding and fighting from a horse might be unique but steering and turning your mount is like driving a bus with four flat tires. I quickly learned the art of riding backwards and having my horse kick with his rear legs.

    Basically, you are thrown into level after level, situation after situation, where you are swarmed with enemies. Your goal is typically to kill everything that movies while not succumbing to the overwhelming forces. You might be quested to protect a person or object like the carriage in the opening level.

    Krome has tried to infuse a bit of role-playing into King Arthur by allowing you to earn experience then use that experience to upgrade your characters with new moves and abilities. It’s actually a very good upgrade and reward system; it’s just a shame the game isn’t more fun so you can explore those new moves.

    Repetition quickly sets in when you realize you are doing the same three types of combat, sword, archery, and horseback combat, over and over again. Only your surroundings change and not that much. There are only six environments used to create the 20 levels or chapters in the game.

    Some of the levels are very long and there is no checkpoint or mid-level save system in place so dying at the end of a 15-20 minute level means you get to do it all over again. There are some key scripted events during the levels that progresses the action and could have easily served as quick-save markers.

    King Arthur is a good-looking game, at least from a distance. The FMV is a bit grainy, obviously compressed to fit on the smaller GameCube disc. Gameplay graphics have a very artistic look about them, almost like a living oil painting, and the menu system is outstanding.

    Character models are excellent with lots of detail. They are constructed with minimal polygons so the game engine is quite capable of putting dozens of enemies on the screen at once with no framerate issues. It’s only when you zoom in close on the action that you might start to see their angular construction.

    The levels are gorgeous and reconstruct actual scenes from the film. Water is beautiful and splashes and ripples when you run or ride through it. Subtle details like swirling leaves and moving foliage help bring these “paintings” to life.

    The only problems I could find with the graphics were some collision issues during battle and the linear nature of the level design that restricted camera angles and even your gameplay options to some extent.

    King Arthur makes full use of the movie license by delivering a wonderful orchestrated soundtrack that captures and recreates the same emotional feel of the film. Likewise, all of the voice work is handled with movie-like quality, complete with story narrative and the occasional battle cries and taunts during combat.

    Sound effects range from various weapon sounds to the snorting of your horse or the trickling water of a nearby stream. There are multiple layers of sound and it’s all delivered in a stunning Dolby Pro Logic II surround mix to put you right in the middle of the action.

    Dedicated gamers can find 12-15 hours of gaming in the solo campaign. I have to commend Krome for offering a two-player cooperative mode, even though teaming up with another player doesn’t lend itself to any strategic advantage. At its core, King Arthur is still a hack-n-slash fighter, not that much different than Gauntlet.

    There is also a Battle Arena mode that allows you to participate in team Deathmatch battles against the CPU or another human player. Again, it’s nice to have this as an option but probably not enough to warrant any extra playtime.

    King Arthur is one of those games that you might pick up and play on a whim for a few levels but if you try to play the game through in continuous sittings you are going to get bored real fast. Despite the RPG elements and the various combat modes, the endless combat just wears you down.

    All of the components that make up King Arthur are solid, making it just that much sadder that the total package isn’t as good as the sum of its parts. Arguably, King Arthur wasn’t the smash-hit film everyone was hoping for, so Krome already had that going against them before their game even hit the shelf. And much like the movie, this game is more of a rental rather than a purchase.