Celtic Kings: Rage of War

 PC
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 5 out of 23
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  1. hwanin
    Sep 17, 2021
    0
    The graphics are nice and the game mechanics are all good. Also the tutorial is alright.
    I deleted this game when I played the good side and I was accompanied by a hero who could awaken a dragon (dragon is the biblical enemy of God) and another good hero had a talisman with the satanist pentagram. I guess the developers just have no clue what symbolism means what - or maybe they exactly    The graphics are nice and the game mechanics are all good. Also the tutorial is alright.
    I deleted this game when I played the good side and I was accompanied by a hero who could awaken a dragon (dragon is the biblical enemy of God) and another good hero had a talisman with the satanist pentagram. I guess the developers just have no clue what symbolism means what - or maybe they exactly know it and purposely mixed these symbolism of the good and evil into the good side.
    Nevertheless, it made me spiritually confused and annoyed.

    If you are atheist and you don't care about anything, but the good statistics of a "hero" and an "item" in a game, this product is for you.

    I do not want to rate this title purposely, but the system gives 0 when not giving a specific score.    … Expand
  2. Voyou
    Sep 7, 2016
    4
    Celtic Kings disappoints immediately by its ignorance of basic Gaulish history, culture, topology and every other detail. It's awfully counter-educative. It's got non-Gaulish names, horned helmets, even (while on the subject) Vikings, which are almost 1000 years apart. On the other hand, no wooden roads, no war chariots, nothing the Gauls are famous for. A big turn off for Celtic lovers.Celtic Kings disappoints immediately by its ignorance of basic Gaulish history, culture, topology and every other detail. It's awfully counter-educative. It's got non-Gaulish names, horned helmets, even (while on the subject) Vikings, which are almost 1000 years apart. On the other hand, no wooden roads, no war chariots, nothing the Gauls are famous for. A big turn off for Celtic lovers.

    The graphics are good. The sound is bad, particularly the voices. The built-in editor is pretty cool and saves this title from too low a rating by adding to an already more than decent durability.

    Now for the gameplay, supposedly a mix of RPG and RTS. Contrary to what professional reviews pretend, CK examplifies how to fail at both. This is as much an RPG as my grandfather was the imperatrix of Samoa. Hack n' slash, yes, with your hero mowing nondescript units without your intervention. Leveling, artefacts, and everybody's personal favorite, the escort quest, don't make it an RPG either.

    The RTS part generously includes not building anything, which again is a turn off for me because it means it's going to be battles after battles. These battles are just a mess, to put it simply. The way units look, are controlled, move and are animated, one would really need a slow mo and a magnifying glass to follow what's happening.

    Your units can starve. Quickly. From experience, it always sounds like a bad idea to include such mechanics. On the paper, it kind of appeals, but it's really hard to implement without introducing a huge hassle. CK handles that pretty well, all things considered, mainly because it uses only 2 resources. Still, after a while, sending mules becomes really tedious.

    If you forget about Gaul and take it as classic heroic fantasy shenanigans, try CK, as there is nothing really bad with the mechanics. On the contrary, it does offer some welcome originality, making it a pure question of taste.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best PC Game of 2002
67
#67 Most Discussed PC Game of 2002
48
#48 Most Shared PC Game of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. PC Gamer
    78
    Adheres strongly to the Keep It Simple, Stupid principle. By doing so, it manages to meld these different genres where others have failed. [Nov 2002, p.120]
  2. Gamers' Temple
    69
    Pretty basic. Without the need to manage resources beyond controlling villages, the game's economy is about as simple as it comes.
    Read full review
  3. Computer Gaming World
    90
    A fine blend of strategy, combat, and role playing. [Nov 2002, p.122]
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