King's Bounty
Forerunner of the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
King's Bounty, a turn-based fantasy title, was created by Jon Van Caneghem and released in 1990 through New World Computing. Players take on the role of a hero serving King Maximus, whose mission is to recover the Sceptre of Order from chaotic forces commanded by Arech Dragonbreath. The game is widely recognized as the precursor to the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
A Sega Genesis port arrived in North America on February 21, 1991, featuring extensive graphical updates. Its gameplay was also altered to include real-time exploration of the overworld. A spiritual successor, King's Bounty: The Legend, appeared in 2008, followed by further entries such as King's Bounty: Armored Princess, King's Bounty: Crossworlds, King's Bounty: Warriors of the North, King's Bounty: Dark Side, and King's Bounty II.
**Gameplay**
The hero leads an army across four continents, gathering up to 25 map fragments that reveal where the Sceptre of Order is hidden—all before King Maximus dies. Many aspects of this quest are left to the player’s judgment, allowing flexible play. For example, not every map piece is mandatory; if the player correctly guesses the sceptre’s burial site before collecting all 25 fragments, victory is still possible. Failure to recover the sceptre before the king’s death (the time limit varies by difficulty) results in defeat. The sceptre’s location, the artifacts, and which castles the villains occupy are randomized each game, boosting replay value.
Each week, the king gives the hero a commission to hunt down 17 villains spread across the four continents. Defeating each progressively stronger villain’s army earns the player a reward (the “King’s Bounty” on that villain) plus another map piece pointing to the sceptre’s burial spot. Scattered treasure chests appear across the map; some trigger events that boost the hero’s innate abilities—like magical strength or weekly income—while others may contain one of eight artifacts, each granting a map piece and unique powers.
As the player explores, they encounter various creatures native to each continent, some of which can be recruited. Most of these creatures are major upgrades over the standard human troops available at the King’s castle, and they are necessary to defeat tougher villain armies. However, stronger creatures cost more gold to maintain, paid weekly.
Quick Facts
- Title
- King's Bounty
- Developer
- New World Computing
- Publisher
- New World Computing / Electronic Arts (Genesis)
- Designer
- Jon Van Caneghem
- Programmer
- Mark Caldwell
- Artist
- Vincent DeQuattro
- Composer
- Rob Wallace (Genesis) / Takeshi Abo (PC-98, FM Towns)
- Series
- Heroes of Might and Magic
- Released
- 1990: MS-DOS / 1990: C64 / 1990: Amiga / 1991: Genesis / 1994: FM Towns / 1994: PC-98
- Genre
- Role-playing, turn-based strategy
- Modes
- Single-player
- Platforms
- Commodore 64, Amiga, MS-DOS, Apple II, Mac, Genesis, FM Towns, PC-98, Windows
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
King's Bounty follows a hero appointed by King Maximus to recover the Sceptre of Order from chaos forces. The player leads an army across four continents, acquiring up to 25 map pieces to reveal the sceptre's hidden location before the king dies. The game features flexible gameplay: not all map sections are required, and the sceptre's location, artifacts, and villain castles are randomized each game, adding replayability. The hero receives a weekly commission to track down 17 villains; defeating each yields a map piece and reward money. Treasure chests may boost abilities or provide artifacts that also reveal map pieces. The player recruits creatures from different continents, each with varying costs and morale interactions based on creature predispositions. Four hero classes are selectable: Barbarian, Knight, Paladin, and Sorceress, each differing in magical ability, starting troops, leadership, and income. Combat occurs when sieging castles or engaging wandering armies, with turn-based stack combat and spells usable both in overworld and battle.
Reader's Guide
King's Bounty is widely considered the precursor to the Heroes of Might and Magic series, both published by New World Computing and designed by Jon Van Caneghem. The game's emphasis on hero development and combat style is especially prominent in both series. In the introduction to the Heroes III manual, Van Caneghem credits King's Bounty as the precursor. The game is included in some HOMM anthologies, such as the Heroes of Might and Magic Compendium and Millennium Edition. A 2001 PlayStation 2 title, Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff, is an enhanced remake by 3DO. In 2007, Russian publisher 1C Company purchased the property rights, leading to a spiritual sequel, King's Bounty: The Legend (2008), followed by several sequels including Armored Princess, Crossworlds, Warriors of the North, Dark Side, and King's Bounty II (2021). An unofficial fan sequel appeared in 1992, and a free unofficial version exists.
Did You Know?
- The Sega Genesis port changed gameplay to real-time overworld exploration.
- The game's time limit varies by difficulty setting; if the sceptre is not recovered before King Maximus dies, the game ends in defeat.
- The Amiga version added mouse support and completely redone graphics by Bonita Long-Hemsath and Kenneth L. Mayfield.
- An unofficial fan sequel, usually called 'King's Bounty 2', was developed in 1992 by Ukrainian programmer Sergiy Prokofiev, with all text in Russian.
More in Video Games of the 1990s, Part 1 1-24
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