Often, when you’re anRPGlover trying to get someone into one of the classics, the first thing you’ll do is apologise on the game’s behalf. We shouldn’t have to - classicBaldur’s Gate,KOTOR, andDragon Age: Originsare among the best of the genre, and yet because their combat styles have fallen out of favour, we feel the need to prime modern players who might otherwise shy away from them.
Band of Crusaders, a medieval strategy RPG from indie team Virtual Alchemy, proves that this needn’t be the case. This gem of a game was among my favourites ofGamescomthis year, as its passion for the RPGs of old shines through at every turn. From its challenging combat to the lovingly hand-drawn overworld maps, Band of Crusaders is a passion project from devs who know older RPGs are actually fantastic, made by a team who knows exactly what it wants to showcase about the genre.
In Band of Crusaders, you control a team of mercenaries and make your way through a sprawling map of settlements. Everything is always moving, as armies and other mercs scrap at every turn. Here, you’re able to travel between areas or jump into the fray, but the latter of which is where Band of Crusaders shines. Here, the game goes from your standard strategy game fare to a glowing example of real-time with pause combat.
Pausing is a misnomer as it doesn’t actually stop the action entirely, but it does slow it down significantly enough to give you time to dish out commands to your units.
On the face of it, the setup for combat is nothing new. Each character has their own abilities, strengths, and weaknesses on the battlefield. You want to keep archers at a safe distance from enemy forces and your tanks out in the frontlines, controlling the battle. But there’s something inhowit’s pulled off that stops Band of Crusaders from feeling derivative. This isn’t just a game that borrows its tactical RPG mechanics fromDragon AgeandWorld of Warcraft, it’s a game that knows why its inspirations are so great - so much so that it can put its own spin on things.
With this in mind, the flow of combat is just as important as the abilities you’re using. You don’t want to hold down in the same position for too long, but you also don’t want to charge in too soon. I found this out for myself, and this is one of the few times that I have legitimately felt ambushedby enemies in an RPG. In my first fight, I charged my tank in far too soon, and the enemy immediately countered me. They had more units hiding away out of sight - which I might have spotted if I scouted ahead more carefully - ready to make the most of my mistake. And that they did.
Band Of Crusaders Goes All-In On Combat
However, just because the devs are inspired by older RPGs, that doesn’t mean that they want to emulate everything that their favourite games did before them. Just as I was about to start rambling about how much I adore Dragon Age: Origins’ story, the team was very honest and said that isn’t the focus here - Band of Crusaders is about the combat. So, don’t expect to snuggle up to anyone in camp, it’s more important that you get in there and heal everyone up before the next fight.
But that just gives me the hope that the devs have chosen these combat mechanics for a reason. They’re not just blindly copying their favourite RPGs, they’re learning from them and putting their best parts in a game for specific reasons. They want to handcraft challenging encounters that call back to the best hits of the genre, and based on what I’ve played so far, it looks like they will succeed.
I’m interested to see what else Band of Crusaders has to offer though. Outside of a half-hour demo, I’ll likely need more than some solid combat mechanics to keep me caring about the game and encourage me to jump into more flights. But as it stands, we have a game that’s clearly inspired by the greats of its genre, and I can’t wait to see what else the devs have cooked up in this medieval adventure.
