KINGMAKERS

Time travel to exotic, distant lands; meet exciting, unusual people and kill them

We find it hard to know what not to expect in Kingmakers. This is a game, after all, in which refugees from a dying future return to the distant past to change history. One where players face off against medieval armies using anachronistic weapons that range from rocket launchers and miniguns to pickup trucks and attack helicopters. Given that pulpy muddle of ideas, what could provide a shock?

We didn't expect this, though. Five minutes into leading us through a demo, Daniel Balazs, technical director at developer Redemption Road Games, finds himself in a tight spot. His aim is to mount an assault on the ancient settlement of Oswestry, yet while he's deep in the trees, assault rifle in hand, dozens of clanking knights are moving in from all angles. The assault rifle is a classic space-clearer and Balazs has already referred to this kind of enemy as "popcorn fodder", but the numbers aren't working for him at the moment. There's too much popcorn and the assault rifle clips are too shallow. And then Balazs creates space for himself with a dash move. It's a tiny element of the game – a rockety shunt to get you out of trouble, the staple of a dozen other games. But suddenly this bizarre and ingenious blend of futuristic and ancient, action game and RTS, starts to cohere. Kingmakers' premise is such a speculative delight, and such a mainstay of road-trip conversational gambits, with its 'who would win in a fight?' logic, it can be hard to remember it's not just a conversation that got out of hand. It's an actual videogame, with recharging shields, health bars and, yes, a dash move. Deep in the mud, on the outskirts of Oswestry, Kingmakers is revealed to be a spiritual successor to the likes of Robotron: 2084 and Smash TV. It's about being outnumbered and creating opportunities through glorious asymmetrical ultraviolence. It's about churning through the hordes.