Kult: Heretic Kingdoms

Background

Some three centuries ago, during the reign of God Empress Koreth IV, the people of the province of Corwenth began to scheme towards independence. Taxation and religious pressures combined to give certain opportunistic Warlords the impetus to throw off the Garulian Empire's rule. An uneasy alliance between the CorwenthWarlords drove forward the insurrection, and protected from the north by the Sundered Shield Mountains Corwenth was able to hold off the Imperial forces from a series of assaults.

It appeared that Corwenth was largely invincible, as long as Kyallisar, a fortress city which guarded the only passable route through the Sundered Shield Mountains, stood firm. However, The Warlord of Kyallisar, tempted by promises of power, betrayed the alliance by allowing the Imperial Legions through the pass. Koreth IV ordered her Sura allies, the great warbeasts of the northwest wastes, to sack Kyallisar and execute the Warlord of Kyallisar – once a traitor, always a traitor.
The rebellion suffered massive losses in the wake of this betrayal, and the surviving Warlords retreated to the city of Arken, the birthplace of the legendary Arkor Godslayer who is said to have slain the God of the Land. The situation looked hopeless, as the Garulian Legions (accompanied by their fearsome Sura shock troops) moved to lay siege to Arken. Months later, food was becoming scarce, and Garulian troops had dammed the river upstream, drying up the wells in Arken. With winter coming, defeat seemed inevitable.

At the darkest hour, a scarred and deformed man calling himself Taryn Arkor approached the surviving leaders of the Corwenth alliance and offered them a deal. If the alliance would assign to him its strongest champions and heroes, he would take them to raid the Reliquary, the storehouse of the God Emperors' and Empresses' most powerful relics, and recover the Godslayer – the sword used by the legendary hero Arkor to slay the God of the Land. With this blade, they would be able to liberate Corwenth.

The Reliquary Crusade was an epic quest about which songs are still sung. Taryn did as he said, but as the heroes converged upon their goal, he revealed his true intent by causing the death of his comrades. Only the Mage known as Mara Valkarin escaped - vowing vengeance as she fled. Armed with the Godslayer, Taryn developed incredible power – it transpired that he had hidden his true heritage. Not just of the bloodline of Arkor, Taryn was a pure descendent of Arkor – inbred from Arkor's son and daughter for generations. Before, he was a weakling who could barely stand without aid, but armed with the Godslayer, Taryn became the Aspect of Arkor Godslayer – fierce and terrible. With this power, he slew the Empress, declared himself Theocrat and promised death to all who did not obey him. Armed with the full potency of the Godslayer, Taryn was nearly invincible.

Meanwhile, at Arken, news of the revolution in the Garulian Citadel reached the legions who were besieging the city. Afraid of what Taryn would do to them, military discipline broke down and the legionnaires began to riot. In the ensuing carnage, the deserting soldiers sacked Arken, looting it of anything valuable and causing immense damage to the ancient city. Taryn feigned anger at this insult to his ancestor, and decreed that all Garulians were to be destroyed.

Thus began the reign of the Theocrat, whose cruel hand ruled the Heretic Kingdoms for almost three hundred years until the seeds of rebellion once more took root in Corwenth, and death's inexorable hand finally fell upon Taryn Arkor's shoulder…

Gameplay

Kult Heretic Kingdoms is an isometric computer RPG, combining 3D technologies with the intuitive environment of an isometric game. Developed by Slovakian studio 3D People, the game is built on cutting edge technology with a philosophy that balances ease of learning against depth of play.

Featuring an engaging storyline written by a script team lead by critically acclaimed game writer and designer Chris Bateman (Discworld Noir, Ghost Master) , and uniquely immersive game mechanics designed by Chris' infamous International Hobo team, the game is certain to appeal to fans of RPGs and fantasy adventures.

Set in the world of the Heretic Kingdoms, a world where God is dead and religion heresy, you are cast as a young female inquisitor, working to stamp out the last remnants of religion. On instructions to destroy a relic which the Inquisition considers to be a significant threat, you are drawn into a war between two warring secret societies – a conspiracy of mages whose goal is true power, and a shadowy cult who seeks to resurrect the Dead God.

As the story progresses, you will be placed in an amoral world and left to decide your own morality. Just like the real world, your actions have consequences, and it is up to you to decide if you can live with them or not. Play as an altruistic heroine, a vicious and selfish egotist or just a woman trying to get her job done – your actions will lead you to one of six different endings depending on where you decide your loyalties lie. Will you crush religion underfoot, or become its saviour? Only you can decide.

Featuring a vast world to explore containing around fifty locations, scores of unique monsters and more than fifty quests, all of which affect the people or the balance of power in the kingdom of Corwenth and its neighbours, and a simple but rewarding combat system that keeps the action flowing thick and fast, Kult Heretic Kingdoms is an essential purchase for any fans of fantasy storytelling or computer RPGs.

Features

• Over 50 quests with multiple outcomes, allowing you to decide the morality of your character.
  
• Around 50 beautifully rendered locations, set in isometric view for ease of exploration.
  
• More than 30 monsters, each with their own habitat.
  
• When dungeons have been cleared, new monsters gradually move in and take their place – affect the population of a dungeon by what you choose to kill.
  
• Take the weapons and armour from your foes and use them as your own, and find unique items and weapons from legendary times.
  
• Unique Attunement system allows you to empower your character dynamically – choose the path of the mage, and attune yourself to magic, or the path of the warrior and master devastating Criticals. Change your Attunements each day to explore new options.
  
• Over 100 Attunements for maximum choice of expression.
  
• Dialogue Engine that reflects the changing nature of the world in reaction to the player's actions.
  
• Quick Bar allows easy access to your weaponry and items.
  
• Unique healing system – no need to drag around thousands of healing potions. Instead, you will have to be careful not to stay in the thick of battle for too long, as your healing items can only patch you up a certain amount before you need real medical attention.
  
• Tactical battle options as you shift into the arcane realm of the Dreamworld – a dimension parallel to mundane reality. Alternatively, use the Dreamworld to talk to the dead to aid you in your quests.
  
• Your actions will lead you to one of six different endings at the climax of the story.

Hardware Requirements

1.2 GHz CPU or faster
256 MB RAM (512 MB on XP)
DirectX 8.1 compatible 3D-Graphic card with 32 MB RAM
Windows® 2000, Windows® XP +SP1
DirectX®9.0a or higher
2 GB free fixed disk storage

Official URL

Official Site