14 DAY TRIAL // After being delayed for 21 days, King's Bounty: Armored Princess finally received its English release. Developed by Katauri Interactive and published by the 1C Company, the game is very much in line with King's Bounty: The Legend in terms of graphics of general gameplay. As weird as it sounds, they are very similar in story as well, and by that I meant that the title focused a lot on gameplay and less on story or character development. The main quest and side quests are present, but they're seldom interesting enough to actually follow and you only get a few laughs out of them.
Unlike in The Legend, as the title plainly suggests, the main character of this one is a female, so the previous option of picking up a bride is no longer present. You can, however, pick a male companion that, even if he uses other methods, will still serve the same function. In KB: The Legend, when you thought you were ready, you could talk to your wife and lay down the proper foundation of a family by having one or more children. These ankle biters, just like the wife, would provide certain bonuses to your hero and army. Obviously, the male companion in Armored Princess can't bear children, so you'll have to make do with the extra slots provided by him.
The gameplay is just as addictive as the one in the previous installment of the series. Your army is recruited on the same Leadership principle, and, at the start of the game, you can chose whether your hero will be a warrior, a mage or a paladin. The strategic, turn-based hex-battlefield will provide plenty of frustrating moments, but a lot more rewarding ones as well. Creatures of all sorts will be available for recruitment from neutral camps and learning their strengths and weaknesses will decide the outcome of your battles.
The main new feature of the game is your pet dragon. It has a series of skills and will be available in each round of the combat. Its abilities vary in nature, but will all feed on your Rage. You'll be able to inflict direct damage on your opponents, summon additional troops or lay down protective barricades, but the dragon has a few other tricks up its... sleeve. Additional features will come as you progress, but I don't want to ruin the surprise.
For those that aren't familiar with the series, the original King's Bounty developed by New World Computing in 1990 is the forefather of the Heroes of Might and Magic series. The entire franchise can find its roots in King's Bounty and the title had to wait 18 years before it got a proper sequel. King's Bounty: Armored Princess, just like The Legend, features a real-time world map and a turn-based combat system, with RPG elements for your hero.
