King's Bounty: Dark Side (2014; Russian title «King's Bounty: Тёмная сторона») is a standalone game in which the player leads the villains and, for the first time in the series, chooses the hero's race as well as class[1]. Like Warriors of the North, it was developed by 1C-SoftClub, 1C's in-house team; Katauri Interactive no longer worked on the series[1][1][1].
Release
- Announced on 22 April 2014[1][1]; by 19 May it was on Steam Early Access[1].
- The full release was announced for 14 August 2014[1][1]; Steam and Metacritic list 19 August 2014[1][1].
- The Premium Edition adds the "Dark Side Cookies" bonus content: two new locations, several quests and a unique amulet[1].
Heroes
| Hero | Race | Role | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baghyr | Orc | warrior | After the elves win the battle of Tristrem and plunder the orc villages, he flees with a few loyal followers, vowing to return |
| Neoleene | Demoness | leads and heals her troops | Still mourning her royal father, she and her imps stand against the human knights invading Atrixus |
| Daert | Vampire | dark magic | With vampire hunters threatening the castle of the ancient Morton clan, he leaves home to seek allies among the dark races |
Per the announcement; the three meet in the depths of the Black Cave, where the races of Light once imprisoned an Ancient Evil, and unite against the Light[1][1].
Gameplay
- A new companion system with different companions for each hero, a new battle companion, new units, artifacts and rage abilities, over 100 new quests and 15 new locations[1].
- The battle companion is a messenger of the Spirit of Darkness, nicknamed «Черныш» in the Russian version, whose name the player can change; the rage skills are split into orc, vampire and demon branches[1].
- The creatures are listed on Dark Side — factions and creatures.
Reception
- Metacritic: 73 from 13 critic reviews[1].
- StopGame enjoyed the villain's quests, which make the player feel like a scoundrel but are done with humour and irony[1]; 3DNews called it an inversion of the formula and argued that the series was long overdue for a radical update[1].
The next game in the series was King's Bounty II (2021). Store links: where to buy the King's Bounty games.