King's Bounty is sort of interesting on the surface, and while the concept is interesting, the execution is mediocre at best. There are balance issues, UI issues, a tremendous amount of backtracking, and a steep and inconsistent learning curve. That said, the battles can be fun, and some of the writing is pretty funny. On the whole, there's simply not a lot to recommend it.
Seriously. I know it's dated. I know a couple of the races are broken. I know the graphics are 8-bit VGA or whatever. None of that chances the fact that this is honestly the best game ever made, and any strategy fan owes it to himself or herself to play this one. Over and over and over and over and over. A good strategy game ins't complicated. A good strategy game is involving and well-crafted. This is both. You cannot go wrong with Master of Magic. Period.
I really wanted to love this game, because it has all the fantasy stuff that I love on top of all the civilization stuff that I love, but somehow this game turned it all into a boring, mediocre-at-best trudge. I suppose it's not bad for an afternoon, but there's nothing gripping and replayable like Master of Magic.
