As you may already be aware, the main League of Legends game is a MOBA, whereas Ruined King is a story-driven role-playing game that takes place in the eerie Shadow Isles and the port city of… Bilgewater (?). It is your responsibility to assist Illaoi (? ), Miss Fortune (?), and the non-human Ahri (?) in their battle against the lethal and enigmatic Black Mist (? ). A mysterious “thing” known as the Black Mist is upsetting the whole area and bringing with it enigmatic beings whose primary objective seems to be killing everyone.
The question marks represent my inexperience of this non-cinematic realm, as, based on my research, all of those names—aside from the Black Mist—have reportedly been in the series before. Before starting the game, I had no clue what to anticipate, but I must admit that even as a LoL moron, I was drawn into Ruined King’s story and atmosphere. The narrative is a captivating journey.
Following the opening sequences, we’re going over the fundamentals with Miss Fortune, who chooses to take control of Bilgewater and get revenge on pirate Gangplank—a fellow LoL champion—for killing her mother. Next, we cut to Illaoi, the Buhru faction’s former lover of Gangplank. Because of her magical abilities, Illaoi is aware of the eerie Black Mist and has vowed to put an end to its foretold misery over the area.
Let me start by saying that Ruined King looks fantastic. The artwork has a cartoonish style that is really enticing and welcoming. Second, the gameplay is straightforward and easy to get the hang of after a few guided matches. Every character may choose to use a more potent “lane” move later in the fight, which is conveniently shown in the graphic timeline, or an instantaneous move, such a weak attack or a brief defense shield. “Ultimate” attacks also exist, although they are very rare. With the gold coins you collect along the journey, you may upgrade and buy various kinds of armor, healing potions, and fighting techniques as you go.
As is customary in this genre, each character receives points for each fight they win. These points may then be used to advance their level and enhance the impact of their immediate and lane skills. Upgrading your gear will also be necessary. Each character has unique rings and other accessories that they must wear. These upgrades have a few minor trade-offs; while they may boost your attack power or stamina, they may also have a detrimental effect on your character’s other abilities, such as magical and physical defense. Character classes aren’t strictly enforced, but there are still many of the traditional RPG elements, such as mana management during combat.
As you travel about, you may be seen by both human and otherworldly monsters that will not stop hunting you, which might lead to conflicts anywhere. These confrontations might happen a little too often because of their tenacity, and when combined with a good deal of backtracking and exploring certain locations, it can become annoying. Still, it’s a great reason to appreciate the effort developer Airship Syndicate put into creating Ruined King’s universe.
To the extent that I wish there was more voice acting, it also helps that it is so well done. For example, while exploring, in addition to finding the sporadic trinkets that these games like, you may find misplaced notes and journal entries that include the majority of Ruined King’s narrative and mythology. It reminded me of games like Trine, which is set in a similarly fantastical universe but unlike this one, has older, whimsical male narrators telling bits and pieces of other people’s lives. With Riot Games’ almost limitless resources, it would have been nice to hear a few of these numerous scrawls read aloud rather than making you read like a library undergrad.
The roughly 20 hours I’ve spent playing here have also had a few real problems. loading times first. Ruined King, despite its visual appeal, isn’t exactly a sophisticated, high-polygon, ray-tracing demonstration. Considering the Series X’s loading speed, I’m not sure why it sometimes takes several smooth beats for the next screen to load while navigating between various areas of a map. Similarly, sometimes the buffering swirl of hell appears while attempting to see the map. Hopefully, Airship Syndicate will remedy this problem as they have promised improved, native Xbox Series and PS5 editions in the next year.
Additionally, Ruined King seemed sluggish to me even with the running option to assist you move around more quickly. This isn’t helpful for comparisons since I’m now devoted to the superslide-friendly Apex Legends, but this was still sluggish for a 2021 game of any genre. Crucially, there is also the issue of the ongoing, unresolved employment discrimination complaint at publisher Riot Games, which is difficult to overlook.
Nevertheless, prior to this review, the closest I’d gotten to playing League of Legends was through watching the clips posted by YouTubers during their reviews of various laptops. Fortunately, developer Airship Syndicate has successfully filled that void with a fun solo game for those of us who will never be able to play the MOBA. Even for those who are completely opposed to fantasy, the gameplay isn’t too complex, and the plot is sufficiently dreamlike without being stuffy. Mark myself as a happy convert to League of Legends, or at the very least as a willing participant in its universe, if not the primary game.