King's Bounty: Crossworlds Reviews

Certified classic.

One of the best turn-based tactical role-playing games

King’s Bounty: Crossworlds, developed by Katauri Interactive and released on Steam as both an expansion and a standalone title, serves as an enriched and definitive version of King’s Bounty: Armored Princess, building upon its successful formula with significant additions and refinements. Part tactical RPG, part turn-based strategy, the game continues the legacy of the King’s Bounty franchise—a spiritual predecessor to the Heroes of Might and Magic series—by offering deep, turn-based combat layered atop light RPG mechanics, world exploration, and an imaginative high-fantasy setting. Crossworlds doesn’t fundamentally reinvent the core gameplay loop, but it meaningfully expands it, delivering the kind of content-rich experience that strategy RPG fans will appreciate for its challenge, complexity, and charm. The game retains the core premise of Armored Princess, where players control Princess Amelie as she journeys across the fantastical world of Teana in search of her mentor, King Mark, and to save her realm from a demonic invasion. Crossworlds enhances this foundation by bundling the base campaign with two entirely new campaigns—Orcs on the March, a remixed and more difficult version of the main story, and Champion of the Arena, a smaller-scale but combat-focused campaign with a unique structure. There’s also Defender of the Crown, another standalone mode focused on arena-style battles. These additions dramatically increase the game's replay value and allow veterans of Armored Princess to experience the world and mechanics in a fresh, more challenging light. The tactical combat system remains the heart of Crossworlds, and it’s as deep and rewarding as ever. Battles take place on hex-grid maps, where players command diverse units—ranging from traditional knights and archers to mythical creatures like griffins, demons, and dragons. Each unit has its own abilities, strengths, and vulnerabilities, and much of the strategic depth comes from carefully assembling an army that complements your hero’s skillset and spells. Positioning, initiative order, and ability cooldowns are critical, and the game rewards those who can anticipate enemy movements and exploit synergies between units. The addition of new creatures and enemy types in Crossworlds gives even seasoned players new tactical puzzles to solve, especially in the harder campaign modes. Magic plays a crucial role in battles, with Amelie capable of learning and casting a wide array of spells from four schools: Chaos, Distortion, Order, and Magic. These spells can turn the tide of battle, whether by summoning temporary allies, weakening enemy morale, or directly damaging large groups of foes. In addition to the spellbook, the game features a rage mechanic linked to your pet dragon companion, who can perform special attacks after building up energy during combat. Choosing which dragon skills to level up and when to unleash them adds an extra tactical layer. The strategic challenge isn’t just about winning battles, but about winning them efficiently—with minimal losses—since unit replacements cost gold, and resources are often limited. Outside of combat, the world of Teana is open and rich with exploration opportunities. Players navigate between islands and continents, uncovering side quests, looting treasures, and managing limited resources. There’s a constant risk-reward tension as players must judge whether their army is strong enough to tackle a given enemy or whether retreat and regrouping is the wiser choice. The map is filled with secrets, hidden bosses, and powerful artifacts, rewarding players who take the time to explore thoroughly. While the storytelling and quest dialogue can sometimes veer into cliché or overly verbose exposition, the light-hearted tone and whimsical humor keep the experience accessible and fun. One of the more notable improvements in Crossworlds is the expanded modding support and engine improvements. While the changes may not be visible to casual players, they provided the community with more tools to customize the game, build new scenarios, and extend the game’s life far beyond its original content. Graphically, while King’s Bounty: Crossworlds won’t compete with modern AAA titles, its art style remains colorful and cohesive. Character and creature designs are distinct and imaginative, and the animations, particularly in combat, are fluid and satisfying. The musical score, filled with orchestral swells and fantasy motifs, complements the world nicely, though it can become repetitive during extended play sessions. However, the game is not without flaws. Despite its deep combat and expansive content, it can feel grindy, especially on higher difficulties where battles drag on or enemy stacks become overwhelming. The game’s economy can be punishing, particularly early on, and poor army management or overspending can leave players in difficult positions without many ways to recover. Additionally, the UI, while serviceable, can be clunky at times, particularly when sorting through long lists of items, units, or spells. These issues are not game-breaking but can dampen the enjoyment for players who prefer smoother progression systems or more modern interfaces. In the end, King’s Bounty: Crossworlds stands as one of the strongest entries in the series and an essential package for fans of tactical, turn-based strategy games. It blends satisfying, tactical combat with RPG progression, exploration, and a uniquely offbeat fantasy world that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The sheer amount of content, coupled with the layered mechanics and modding potential, make it a title that offers significant value, especially on PC. For those willing to embrace its quirks and occasionally steep difficulty, Crossworlds delivers a memorable and deeply engaging strategic experience that holds up remarkably well, even years after its original release. Rating: 9/10