Kingdom Under Fire The Crusaders

Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders is the PC release of Phantagram's 2004 Xbox cult favorite, the sequel to Kingdom Under Fire: A War of Heroes. The game's signature is the combination of two genres that don't normally cohabitate: top-down real-time strategy where you command entire armies, and third-person action where you personally control a hero on the front line of those same battles. Switching between the two perspectives mid-engagement is the whole point.

Four legendary heroes are directly playable across the campaigns, each with their own special attacks and combo lists. Cut down officers and watch enemy ranks crumble. Call on allied heroes for assistance, each with their own unique skills and spells. The full tactical map remains available throughout combat for issuing orders to the rest of your forces. Variables like weather and terrain matter substantially: charge cavalry with the sun at their backs to blind targets, burn enemies out of forests, hide behind dense walls of smoke, claim high ground to dominate valleys, watch high winds blow smoke or deflect arrows, see falling aerial units crash into infantry below.

Between battles you spend the spoils of war upgrading and customizing your troops. Level up units, equip them differently or switch their classes to fit your strategy. Assign powerful special abilities and spells to your forces. Fill the army with spectacular special units including airships and giant monsters. The thundering guitar soundtrack — heavier than any knight's plate — returns intact, and modern PC features include full controller support (gamepad recommended for optimal experience) plus an all-new mouse and keyboard mode.