Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Lost Kingdoms delivers a unique blend of real-time action and strategic deck-building that sets it apart from your typical RPG. Instead of equipping weapons or casting spells directly, you collect and manage a deck of monster cards. Each creature card has its own strengths, weaknesses, and mana cost, which forces you to think ahead and balance your deck for both offense and defense. As you engage enemies, you must quickly switch between evasion and summoning, making each battle feel alive and dynamic.

The card-based battle system encourages experimentation. Early on, you’ll rely on a handful of common monsters—lizards, golems, and imps—to get a feel for timing and range. As you progress, you find rarer cards dropped by defeated foes or purchased in specialty shops. Subduing powerful monsters to turn them into cards adds depth: you can’t just mash the attack button, you have to lure the creature into a trap or weaken it just enough to secure its card. This risk–reward loop keeps battles tense, whether you’re facing a horde of goblins or a single giant behemoth.

The real-time aspect means you’re controlling Katia’s movements around the battlefield. Dodging fireballs, evading charging enemies, or repositioning to summon ranged beasts becomes second nature. Timing is crucial: overlaying a goblin rush with a well-timed ogre slam can turn a losing fight into a decisive victory. The game also offers basic mana and health management, forcing you to retreat or use healing items strategically. These layers of decision-making help Lost Kingdoms maintain high replay value as you fine-tune your deck for different challenges.

Graphics

Visually, Lost Kingdoms embraces a dark-fantasy aesthetic befitting its ominous premise. The environments are richly detailed, from moss-covered castle ruins to haunted forests shrouded in the eponymous Fog. Backgrounds are hand-painted with muted palettes, lending a sense of foreboding whenever you enter a new region. Subtle weather effects—drifting leaves, swirling mist—add atmosphere without overwhelming the hardware.

Monster design is a standout. Each card-form creature springs to life with surprisingly fluid animations. Skeleton knights clatter across the ground with rusty swords, while ethereal wraiths glide silently through shadows. The visual flair on special attacks—fiery breath, lightning strikes, or spectral waves—feels both grand and satisfying. Even on modest hardware, frame rates remain stable, ensuring the action never feels jerky or unresponsive.

The user interface strikes a good balance between clarity and style. Your deck is laid out in a bar at the bottom of the screen, with cooldown timers and mana costs clearly indicated. In the heat of battle, you’ll appreciate how quickly you can swap cards or check your remaining health and mana. Menus and card collections use ornate borders and parchment textures that reinforce the game’s medieval vibe, making every screen feel cohesive with the world of Argwyll.

Story

Lost Kingdoms weaves a tale of loss and determination as Princess Katia sets out to find her missing father, the king of Argwyll. The encroaching Fog—a mysterious, corruptive force—serves as both a narrative threat and a metaphor for the unknown. Early cutscenes establish the stakes clearly: an entire kingdom on the brink of annihilation and a daughter driven by loyalty and hope. This emotional core keeps you invested in Katia’s journey through haunted dungeons and ruined keeps.

While the main storyline follows a fairly straightforward “save the world” arc, the game enhances immersion through environmental storytelling. You’ll encounter scattered letters, NPC survivors, and ancient murals that reveal glimpses of Argwyll’s history and the Fog’s origin. These breadcrumbs enrich the narrative without resorting to lengthy exposition. Side quests range from rescuing villagers to uncovering hidden shrines, each offering small character moments that build the world around Katia.

Dialogue is serviceable, though it occasionally dips into archetypal fantasy tropes. Katia’s resolve comes through clearly, but supporting characters sometimes stick to familiar roles—the gruff blacksmith, the enigmatic sage, or the repentant knight. Even so, the stakes remain compelling, and the gradual revelations about the Fog’s true nature provide enough twists to keep you turning cards—and pages of dialogue—to the very end.

Overall Experience

Lost Kingdoms stands out as an inventive RPG that successfully marries real-time combat with collectible card mechanics. If you’ve ever wanted more agency in your battles, or enjoy tinkering with different strategies, this game delivers. The pacing rarely stalls: you move from one ominous locale to the next, unlocking new runestones, discovering powerful cards, and honing your deck for tougher foes.

Replayability is strong. After completing the main story, you can revisit stages with a fresh deck to tackle hidden bosses or achieve faster clear times. Collectible-hunters will find satisfaction in tracking down every rare card, while completionists can experiment with cross-breeding cards at specialty shops to create hybrid monsters. Optional challenges and arena battles further extend the game’s lifespan, making it more than just a one-shot adventure.

While the graphics and story occasionally lean on genre conventions, the core gameplay loop is so compelling that these minor faults are easy to forgive. Lost Kingdoms offers a refreshing twist on the RPG formula, giving players control over both battlefield tactics and deck composition. For those seeking a title that rewards quick reflexes, strategic planning, and a bit of monster-matching nostalgia, Katia’s journey through the Fog is well worth embracing.

Retro Replay Score

7/10