A class-based 2D side-scrolling player versus player game, King Arthur's Gold (often abbreviated to KAG) doesn't do anything terribly unique, but what it does, it does quite well. Three current game modes consist of a capture the flag mode, a capture the point mode, and a less serious race / challenge mode. Each of the modes plays differently enough and varies enough of the more complex game-play mechanics to feel unique, adding more depth to the games modes. The three classes consist of the hearty knight, the support miner/builder, and the ranged archer. Each class is extremely unique when compared to the other two, making the game almost entirely different depending on which class you play.
The knight is the melee and explosive power house of the the game. Armed with a sword, shield and various types of bombs, the knight is used to assault enemy strong holds, surviving withering hails of arrows from arches on ramparts, clearing the way through mine fields with their shields, dispatching the enemy's knights defending the keeps, and, most importantly, caring the explosive payloads that will destroy the defensive walls of the enemy. The class is by far the most straight-forward, but many advanced techniques can be learned.
The archer's kit is composed of a bow and a grappling hook. With the grappling hook allows the player to scale tall walls fairly easily, or climb to a sniping position of the reach of knights. The bow is capable of firing several types of arrows, allowing for arches to destroy poorly protected wooden structures with a single fire arrow on occasion. While the least healthy of all the classes, and unable to defend itself in melee combat, the archer is a profound threat to anyone on the battlefield.
Finally, the builder is the class around which much of King Arthur's Gold is based. This last class is by far the most complex of the three, being in charge of collecting building materials, setting up defensive walls, building traps for the enemy, repairing damage, and even occasionally acting as a sapper used to breach the enemy's walls. The builder class is what makes KAG feel unique and interesting. More often than not, games are exhilarating as you try to fend of dozens of enemies attempting to breach the walls created by your team. Semi-realistic gravity physics add tension as damage is dealt to your walls. Build your defenses poorly and a single knight can easily topple your entire tower in a few short moments. All your hard work can literally come crashing down.
early every moment of the 14 hours I've played has been exciting and interesting, though there are many aspects that make the game feel a bit unfinished. The controls for building and inventory management take a great deal of getting used to. Griefing players are a rare, but infuriating, problem, but thankfully a kick system usually is able to help mitigate damage (though it is not quite as robust or permanent as one might hope.) While the game modes included at the moment are great, I feel that there is almost an infinite amount of potential for other game modes. Some minor glitches are present but nothing is game-breaking and I've often played for hours without encountering a single one. The game may not be ground-breaking, but it feels rewarding every time you fend off an enemy assault. king Arthur's gold is a great game that I would suggest to anyone who loves base-building, especially if they can get it on sale.