King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame

Total War, King Arthur edition.

King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame is a fantasy strategy RPG developed by NeocoreGames and published by Paradox Interactive. Expanding on the ideas introduced in its predecessor, the game delivers a darker and more ambitious interpretation of Arthurian legend by combining kingdom management, real-time tactical warfare, and role-playing progression into a single experience. Rather than presenting the familiar tale of Camelot's glory, it explores the aftermath of King Arthur's downfall, creating a world where hope has faded and ancient evils threaten to consume Britannia. The result is a campaign driven as much by storytelling and atmosphere as it is by military conquest, giving players a strategic adventure that feels unique among fantasy war games. The narrative follows William Pendragon, the son of the legendary King Arthur, who must restore order to a shattered kingdom while confronting supernatural forces that have spread across the land. The campaign unfolds through a series of quests, political conflicts, and mysterious encounters that constantly push the story forward. Instead of relying solely on historical warfare, the game embraces mythical creatures, magical curses…

There are much better RTS games out there.

King Arthur II scratches a very specific itch — imagine Total War battles layered with Heroes of Might and Magic-style hero progression and text-based RPG quests that actually drew me into the Arthurian mythology more than I expected. The narration and storytelling are genuinely charming, and leveling up my heroes while experimenting with fantasy units like golems and shapeshifters kept things interesting for a good 30+ hours. That said, I can't pretend the technical side isn't a mess — I hit sluggish framerates, a few crashes, and some clunky UI moments that made army management feel like a chore. The kingdom management from the first game is largely gutted here, which stings if you're coming in expecting that depth. If you can grab it on sale and your machine handles it reasonably well, it's a flawed but genuinely enjoyable hybrid that I don't regret finishing — just go in with lowered expectations on the technical front.

A very niche and underrated title. King Arthur II: The Role-Playing Wargame is basically “Total War, but with magic and dark fantasy”. You manage armies on a strategic map and then fight real-time battles, but heroes, spells and magical shields make fights feel less historical and more like commanding an army inside a grim fairy tale. The story feels like it borrowed ideas from many legends and stitched them together, yet for this genre it’s surprisingly engaging. The short narrative events with dialogue choices are actually meaningful and can affect what happens later, which makes the campaign more than just map painting. Battles are enjoyable: managing multiple fronts, capturing strategic points and dividing forces quickly matters a lot. Alliances also influence unit usefulness and army composition, and magic adds a layer that keeps combat interesting instead of purely statistical. + unique mix of strategy and RPG + dark fantasy atmosphere + meaningful narrative events and choices + interesting magic system in battles − technical roughness − not very polished mechanically − relatively unknown and unrefined

I give this a barely positive review. What I hate about this game is forcing the player to fight out battles sometimes. It should never be required. In this case, it is very difficult to move the camera correctly and units sometimes just don't move. If there is a battle against a large flying monster army, then forget about it. You would have to spend a lot of time and money getting your army built out specifically for that rare but critical kind of battle. This happens in the late game. Then, you will have to do the same when fighting a different kind of enemy for the next battle. Unfortunately, all the little frustrations and irritations that have been building up just snap at that point. So, i'll just delete and forget about it. 55/100