The Settlers: Heritage of Kings (2005)

The Settlers: Heritage of Kings is a 2005 real-time strategy game. It is the fifth installment of The Settlers series. The game tells the story of a young prince, Dario, who must regain control of his dead father's throne from the evil Mordred. Heritage of Kings breaks from the typical pattern that previous Settlers games had established; while the basic real-time strategy concept of resource micromanagement remains the same, a lot of the gameplay features have changed from those of The Settlers IV, and slightly resemble many of the gameplay aspects of Cossacks: European Wars. Heritage of Kings is also the first Settlers game in 3D.

Storyline

The game starts when Dario, a young boy in Thalgrund, is attacked by minions of the evil Mordred. After surviving the attack, Dario learns from his dying mother that he is actually the rightful heir to the throne. Upon hearing this, he sets out, accompanied by his childhood friend Erec, to locate his last living relative, his uncle Helias. As Dario battles to claim his inheritance and save the land, he and his friends face perilous dangers and must overcome many difficult challenges, including making peace between the rival nations of Barmecia and Cleycourt, battling the ferocious barbarians of Folklung and Norfolk, as well as the dark hordes, and foiling the evil schemes of the countess Mary De Mortfichet in Kaloix, before eventually reaching the King's Castle, where Dario subdues Mordred's dark general, Kerberos. Finally, the heroes march on Mordred's base in Evelance, defeating him in an epic battle. With the kingdom finally liberated, Dario takes his place on the throne.