Ruined King: A League of Legends Story Review
I am squarely in one of (I imagine) two very distinct camps of players when it comes to playing Ruined King: A League of Legends Story after it was shadow dropped unexpected. That is, there's one group of players that are League of Legends veterans who are eager to engage with the IP in new avenues such as this, alongside another who instead sees it as a sort of gateway to the franchise while having little prior exposure to League itself.
Admittedly, I am a League of Legends neophyte.
I've picked up a few details over the years through general osmosis. I've seen fanart of characters like Jinx and Lux. I know what a Yordle is, kind of. I know the layout of League's main map and the general objective. But I've never played a League game and likely never will. However, I am a fan of RPGs (clearly) and have enjoyed some of Airship Syndicate's previous work such as Battle Chasers: Nightwar.
When Ruined King was the first title announced under the Riot Forge publishing label two years ago and was slated to be developed by Airship Syndicate, I was immediately interested despite my lack of League knowledge. A turn-based RPG from a developer who had succeeded in the framework before was enough to get me on board, and I was always tangentially interested in learning more about League of Legends anyway. In a way, this seemed like a perfect opportunity.
[...]
Despite being woefully ignorant of most things about League of Legends going in, I found myself at no real disadvantage when it came to enjoying most aspects of Ruined King. A distinct and deep combat system with a unique mechanical hook, interesting puzzles and stylish art, and a well-defined cast of characters and setting were enough to get me invested in an IP I had largely ignored up until this point. Despite some issues with a lack of polish, Ruined King deserves a look-in for any fan of RPGs, independent of how familiar they are with the source material.
Score: 8/10
