"Simply Amazing"

First off, I have to say that this game is awesome. It is as good, if not better than Total Annihilation. TA: K is by far, my favorite PC game yet to come out, and this is my review.

Graphics- This game was created in 1999, so the graphics are not up to par with modern day PC games. But that does not mean the graphics are bad. The buildings, terrain, and explosions all look fantastic. Some of the units are a little intangible, but they are not an eye sore so don't worry about them. Where the graphics really shine is in a unit's motion. Soldiers walk and attack all very realistically, magic spells are very cool, and the movements of flying units are fantastic. TA: K's graphics won't disappoint.

Music/Sound Effects- The music in TA: K is above average. It is not the best PC game music ever, but it is still pretty good. The music sounds like it would be made in middle ages, with flutes and other things playing in the background. There are a couple of variations for the music, but they sound about the same so you won't really notice the difference that much. Now on to sound effects, to put it simply, they are phenomenal. From swords clashing to Dragon's breathing fire, everything sounds fantastic. When you click on soldiers they often say neat phrases, which is a little bonus.

Gameplay- This is what makes TA: K great. Of course, TA: K is an RTS game with units such as swordsman, archers, etc. Your goal is to kill your enemy's monarch. To get to him/her you will have to build massive armies and destroy there entire base. You create units through builder units. There are a diverse number of units that you can pick, each having their own purpose. While trying to take down one opponent, you will often find yourself being counter-attacked or attacked by another opponent, thus making it a necessity to protect your base with a variety of defensive units. The gameplay is somewhat hard to describe, but once you buy the game I guarantee you will enjoy it and wish more games were like TA: K. Anyway, everything is TA: K is run by a mystical force called mana. You collect mana by use of lodestones, and use it to build buildings, units, etc. This is the basic explanation for TA: K's gameplay, as mentioned, to fully appreciate it you will have to play the game.

Story- The story is simple, but pretty good. 4 immortal siblings, who are each monarchs of their own land, struggle for ultimate power. Each monarch's armies are unique and amazingly diverse. Story mode is very good, and will probably become addictive, so be warned.

Controls- Everything is governed by the mouse, of course. There are also many quick keys, if you are doing lazy to drag the mouse around. The only problem I have with the controls is that it can be annoying to get units to do what you tell them to. Sometimes they will wander their own paths and get killed. Thus is annoying, but is easy to get over.

Difficulty- Overall, if you are a beginner you will probably want to do some skirmishes with a lot of allies. Once you become more experienced, you will be able to take on more enemies. When I first started I needed 1 ally for every enemy in order to win. Know I can win 6 on 1 battle easily. Story mode is generally pretty basic and easy, but some missions are very tough and will take a long time. And I mean a LONG time. Some missions will take well over 3 hours.

Replayability- TA: K is endless. You can have a blast just playing skirmishes, or if that gets boring you can try the extremely entertaining Story mode. There are numerous Skirmish maps for you to master, and you can master each of the 4 races. You can try tough skirmish battles such as 8 on 1 battle (I've only won a couple of these). Again,
TA: K is virtually endless.

TA: K is a masterpiece and should be played by everyone who enjoys RTS games. It is endless, so you get your money's worth. What are you doing reading this review??? Quick, go buy TA: K right now. Warning it is rare but don't deter, it is well worth the search for it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/05