Celtic Kings: Rage of War

K. Fields
2008-02-09T18:28:15-05:00
Video Games

It's been a while since I've posted any gaming updates. I received Celtic Kings: Rage of War as a Christmas gift and have been playing it since January 12. This afternoon, I completed the single-player adventure campaign. I expected a good real-time strategy game. Actually, I got even more than I expected. There were some nice role-playing elements in addition to the strategy. All in all, it was a very enjoyable RTS/RPG hybrid.

The setting was a pleasant change from the usual RPG or RTS. Celtic Kings is set in ancient Roman times. In the adventure campaign, you play as Larax, a Gaul hero. The early missions feature the Teutons as enemies. After Larax's wife is killed in a Teuton raid, he is driven to seek vengeance against them. Eventually, the missions involve the Romans and Julius Caesar himself. Larax is frequently accompanied by the druid Lleldoryn and the viking lord Thoric. These three heroes are together for much of the story.

A nice variety of missions was finally capped off by an assault on Caesar and his mighty armies for the finale. There were literally hundreds of units on the screen. I don't believe I've ever played an RTS game with such large forces to command. Eventually, the Gauls were victorious and Julius Caesar was driven off. You can see him riding off in defeat on the left side of the victory screenshot.