Ruined King: A League of Legends Storyis a turn-based RPG spinoff toLeague of Legends. However, the game has more in common with another Airship Syndicate game,Battle Chasers: Nightwar. That was a 2017 title.Ruined Linglooks and plays similarly to that so it’s like a spiritual successor.
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While it may star familiar faces such as Sarah Fortune and Illaoi, there is no barrier keeping newbies out. The game is presented as its own thing that longtime fans can enjoy just as much as new players to the franchise. Is this time investment worth it though? The aggregate reviews are around the 70s and 80s so let’s figure out whatRuined King’sdoes right and wrong as aLeague of Legendsspinoff.
8Best: The Art Style
The most distinctive thing about Ruined King is its art. The colors are simply wonderful be it on the new consoles or the Switch. Using the new OLED model should make it pop in handheld mode. The overall graphics of the game look great too. Even better arethe character portraitsand the animated comic-like cutscenes. The Bestiary has a nice design to it too which is useful for combat besides being a good read.
7Worst: Technical Setbacks
Most platforms this game runs on have their fair share of problems. The Switch might be the best troubled to play the game on as it is a traditional turn-based RPG. Grinding on the go in an RPG is a natural fit for a handheld. It’s also the worst platform.
There are loads between battles, going in and out of areas/buildings, and even in cutscenes. These aren’t short either. There are also texture pop-ins and frame rate slowdowns when the camera pans out from time to time. The main letdown is the load times though at least on Switch.
6Best: Turn-Based Combat With A Twist
Gamers could playRuined Kinglike most turn-based RPGs. They just wouldn’t be getting the most out of it. The most unique element in combat is the lanes. Placing an attack on one of the three lanes will determine order and power. Every playable character has a unique to.
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For example,Braum is a characterwho is great for beefing up party defenses while Yasuo is a nimble powerhouse. The lanes mimic the main MOBA series,League of Legends, nicely. The auto-battle and speed increases in combat could have been better implemented. They still deserve praise as not every RPG gets these features at all. At leastRuined Kingtried.
5Worst: A Slow Start
Sarah Fortune seems likethe lead characterbased on the opening of the game. However, the perspective thengoes to Illaoifor a good chunk of time. The story zips around to a lot of characters and it can be hard to keep track of what’s going on at first. It can make players feel disconnected from the story.
The beginning ofRuined Kingis also a bit slow. It takes a while for the gameplay to open up properly. Once all of the menus do present themselves from upgrades to enchantments,Ruined Kinggets a lot more fun. It’s a good thing to warn players to pace themselves for the first three hours.
4Best: The Music
The music captures the very essence this game is trying to convey: a swashbuckling pirate RPG. There are sea shanties and accordions galore. One of the coolest things about the music is that the battle themes change between encounters. This may not sound that revelatory as most RPGs have many battle themes.
There are normal battles, boss battles, desperate battles, and so on.Ruined Kinghas all of that kind of music as well. On top of that, the normal battle themes change up regularly. Because the music switches so much, it doesn’t feel as repetitive even after the hundredth enemy encounter. This can help alleviate the tedium.
3Worst: The Run Speed
After the first couple of hours,Ruined Kingopens up. There are quests to tackle, hidden chests to uncover, and even secret battles. There is also time for fishing mini-games which is somewhat standard for RPGs. Don’t skip these areas as there are plenty of treasures below besides fish.
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The downside to all of this exploration is the movement speed. There is a way for characters to run, but this boost could be better. It feels like characters are going from a walk to a slight jog. It’s not ideal for any game let alone an RPG of this nature.
2Best: The Story
Aside from the art, the selling point ofRuined Kingmight be the story. It’s well-told and well-acted. Almost every piece of major dialogue is voiced which is a plus for a smaller indie adjacent RPG like this. The main story beginswith Sarah Fortunetaking over Bilgewater as the pirate queen as it were.
Eventually, her manor is attacked by a black mist that calls forth other heroes from theLeague of Legendsseries to track Sarah down. The main story is intriguing even for gamers who never even batted an eye at League of Legends. The sidemoments with charactersare also great like when the team stops and rests for food.
1Worst: The Dialogue Choices
Ruined Kingtried its hand at dialogue choices and they don’t amount to much. No choice made in the game will have a bearing on anything major happening later in the game. Because of this, they feel a little tagged on.
The reason why it comes across this way inRuined Kingis that most branching dialogue sections aren’t voiced. Whether they were added at the last minute or not is not important. They’re not dynamic either way. Most are tied to quests which also aren’t that interesting.The story’s writingseems to have taken priority over quests which is a double-edged sword.
Ruined King: A League of Legends Storywas released on Jul 03, 2025, and is available onPC,PS4,PS5,Switch,Xbox One, andXbox Series X.
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