Heretic Kingdoms: Reluctant Hero is a continuation of the role-playing project Cult: Heretic Kingdoms. Behind its creation are specialists from the independent development studio International Hobo. These programmers joined forces with employees of the Slovak team of 3D People to create a product that sheds new light on the principles of computer RPGs.
The plot of the work begins in an unusual way. In the first scene, our protagonist stands at the bed where his father, a distinguished hero of the lands of Heretic Kingdoms, dies, but with one mission in his history, which he failed to fulfil. An experienced parent warns our client not to make mistakes in life that he himself made. He recommends that his son settle down, look for a wife, find a decent job and devote himself to family life. Above all, however, he forbids him any dangerous missions, including the continuation of his father’s mysterious escapade. After the death of an old man, we face a choice: we can submit to his will or set out into the world in search of fame. Just like in Fable, it’s up to us which path we follow.
The programmers have allowed us a great deal of freedom of action. At the very beginning of the game we can decide whether we want to run a campaign consisting of 5, 20 or 30 chapters. At the end of each episode we move forward in time by a few springs, observing the changes that have taken place in our hero over the years.
We have just as much to say when it comes to the profession of the character we lead. For example, we can play both the role of a city merchant, as well as grab a sword and play the role of a trained knight. Depending on the profession we have chosen, a set of different main and side tasks awaits us. After completing the most important missions, we can automatically move on to the next stage of the game or continue exploring the fairy-tale world by visiting locations such as the merchants’ headquarters, the thieves’ guild, our sister’s house or our own hut.
Time is of fundamental importance for the game, because the authors have given up on awarding traditional experience points to the characters. Instead, our abilities are developed on the basis of how much time we have devoted to an activity (e.g. studying magical books or studying trade). The same applies to the sequence of battles using medieval weapon species – the longer we use a given type of weapon, the better we cope with it in battle. Time has in Heretic Kingdoms: Reluctant Hero yet another fundamental meaning. The game lasts as long as the life of its main character.
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Heretic Kingdoms: Reluctant Hero
