Kingdom Wars: The Plague

The Plague: Kingdom Wars is another strategy game developed by the independent team of Reverie World Studios as part of the Kingdom Wars series. This game can be considered as a continuation of Medieval: Kingdom Wars, as the devs initially relied on this game when developing it. However, over time, the authors completely rebuilt the game, starting with the gameplay and ending with the audiovisual layer.

Mechanics

The Plague: Kingdom Wars to some extent replicates the gameplay pattern known from previous Reverie World games and Total War series. The game is a strategy game in which we manage our domain and lead our troops into battle - all in real time. We begin the game as one of more than 300 medieval lords or rulers, from a small nobleman from the Ottoman Empire to the Byzantine Emperor.

We began our career in 1347, when Europe was destroyed by a century's war and a raging plague. In these troubled times, we must ensure the survival of our power. To this end, we manage our properties, develop cities and acquire the raw materials necessary to maintain the economy. Over time we form alliances with other rulers and gain new territories, whether through diplomacy or military action. In battles we take direct control of the army, and several thousand units can take part in clashes on land and at sea.

The Plague introduced a handful of novelties compared to the previous medieval instalment of the Kingdom Wars series. The greater number of available rulers (including kings) and more than 30 new nations have translated into a wider world map, and the city's trade and management systems have been significantly expanded. An interesting addition is the plague mode (the black death mode). The presence of the plague forces us to take steps to extinguish the epidemic, such as quarantining cities, isolating infected regions, etc. If we do not like fighting such an elusive enemy, the developers have prepared an alternative. Black death can be replaced by zombies that will sow destruction across Europe.

Game modes

In contrast to the previous part of the cycle, The Plague: Kingdom Wars does not offer multiplayer mode. We can only play alone in an extensive campaign and single missions, including those created by ourselves in a dedicated editor.

Technical aspects

The Plague: Kingdom Wars three-dimensional graphics presents a decent level, with beautiful landscapes and detailed unit models. Some of them and many of the elements were originally borrowed from Medieval: Kingdom Wars, but over time they were replaced by new ones. The same goes for the soundtrack: the developers have added new songs, including separate music themes for each culture available in the game.