More King's Bounty: A Trip To The Dark Side

Resist cynicism or die. Hope. Dream. Think. Act. Be vulnerable. Open yourself to risk or you'll never truly learn, love, or live. That hip new band may very well drop a cracking second album, I can make that Cronenbergian game controller I've been dreaming of, my mum shall stop hinting that I'm going to die alone in a ditch, and King's Bounty will get an actual proper sequel rather than simply more glorified expansions.

Oh. Well. Maybe the next one after this. The next in the series will be King's Bounty: Dark Side this summer, publishers 1C have announced. Yes, it looks like another expandalone sort of dealy rather than a game building upon King's Bounty in bold new ways.

This time we'll get to play as the supposed evil folks, hence the name, fending off humans and elves who've got a bit carried away with trying to stamp out 'dark' creatures. Always a horrible bunch of xenophobes, that lot. Once more we'll get to roam around the world, building an army, completing quests, and smashing foes in hexy turn-based combat.

The quick rundown of what's different this time: a new companion system means each character has different potential pals, a different chum accompanies your hero into battle (looking a mite like No-Face from Spirited Away), and it's got new quests and locations and units and items and abilities. You know, expandalone stuff. This time the three classes of warrior, paladin, and vampire become races too: orc, demoness, and vampire.

It's perhaps not what I've dreamed of but in all honesty I'll probably give it a bash because, well, I do want more King's Bounty. (I will also accept King's Bounty: Darkplace.) Dark Side also has, I must say, box art which looks like an astonishing piece of Disney-baiting.