The hack-and-slash combat and AAA graphics looks promising | Beta Review - Kingdom: The Blood
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✨Overview
Kingdom: The Blood is an upcoming third person ARPG developed based on the popular Netflix miniseries Kingdom. Set in ancient Korea during a zombie apocalypse, the game combines historical elements with undead mayhem ‘Jiangshi’ to create unique setting. Kingdom: The Blood features AAA-level of graphics, hack and slash combat, and live service elements.
The game is currently on a beta testing phase here on TapTap that will run from Feb 5 to March 4, 2024, with the game also scheduled to release in March 2024.
I totally watched the Netflix series when it came out, both seasons and currently waiting for the third, so now I'm stoked to discover that a game is being developed based on the series. Aside from Mobile, the game seems to be coming out for PC too, judging from the in-game tooltips, and true enough, when checking online, the game is also listed on Steam.
Even though the zombie genre is quite saturated, it never stops surprising us with new concepts and premises to tackle, such as Kingdom’s ancient Korea period combined with zombies.
⭐️Beta Score: 7/10
📖Story and Premise
Set in ancient Korea during a zombie apocalypse, Kingdom: The Blood follows the struggles of survivors as they battle hordes of undead and navigate political intrigue. Drawing inspiration from the Netflix series, the game captures the essence of traditional Korean culture while delivering a thrilling narrative filled with suspense and danger.
🎨Graphics and First Impressions / Performance
Immediately, the graphics are outright amazing. It features realistic AAA level-visuals along with a pretty robust character creator, although I had to tone down the settings because I prefer smoother frame rates over the eye candy. One commendable feature, though, is that the game actually has a skip tutorial section right from the start, which is something that ALL games should have. I actually used this feature immediately since after the tutorial, I realized I had to change servers, and thus, my progress was reset.
The game’s performance is a bit laggy in this beta, even when I toned down the settings to medium on my Snapdragon 888 device (ROG Phone 5), still can’t quite reach a stable 60FPS. Having said that, the game ran much more smoothly during indoor boss fight segments.
🎮Gameplay
As a third-person hack-and-slash ARPG, Kingdom: The Blood emphasizes fast-paced combat and survival gameplay. Players wield melee and ranged weapons (depending on the character) to dispatch enemies, utilizing a variety of skills to create devastating combos. The game features a chapter-based progression system, with each level filled with zombies and human enemies alike and culminating in challenging boss fights.
⚔️Combat
The game is a third-person hack-and-slash game that might remind you of games like Nioh or Dark Souls. The combat is actually decent here. It feels good on the offensive, animations feel smooth, and slashing zombies is gratifying. Defensively, it's another story; parrying attacks is clunky and doesn't work 90% of the time. There is a huge input lag for both parry and dodging, and zombies' only attack is to grab you and lock you in an annoying biting animation. Seriously if they manage to fix this, the game the combat will be much better.
There are two characters to choose from, each with his/her distinct set of weapons and combos. The male character is a traditional melee sword fighter with powerful moves, while the female character is an agile fighter wielding two short swords and a bow and arrow for her special attacks.
⏫Progression
As you play, you can unlock more skills to use and even upgrade their stats. There’s only one main resource/currency for now, but the foundation for a gacha or in-app purchases is in place, and this seems to be going for that free-to-play model when it releases.
The main progression is the PvE system that is set up in a chapterized manner and comprised of levels you have to clear zombies with along with regular human enemies, culminating in a Souls-like boss fight at the end to clear the chapter.
Other game modes are available in the game, a PvP mode called Clash and a group/clan-based activity called Raid, although I wasn’t able to check out these modes as the Clash mode kept kicking me out of the game while queuing, and the Raid mode needs a full lineup of clanmates in order to start.
⚖️Conclusion
This beta build of Kingdom: The Blood already shows promising combat potential with its fast-paced and gratifying hack-and-slash gameplay. However, current issues such as clunky defensive mechanics and performance may hinder the overall experience. Nonetheless, for fans of the series and those intrigued by the premise of zombies in medieval Korea, the game offers an immersive world to explore and battles to conquer.
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