Since the enemy forces are revealed in successive waves, it's virtually impossible to anticipate what's coming next, so decisions must be made on the spot. Micromanagement is the cornerstone of every successful level, but even the most proficient players would be overwhelmed, in the absence of a live saving option. Being allowed to pause the game at any given time, it's nothing short of a blessing, because you get the chance of issuing orders to each unit, while the enemy is not reacting. You can only instruct your forces to execute a single action once the game resumes, but it's more than you can hope for, given the intensity of the fights.

Unfortunately this can only be achieved after failing once or twice, but this trial and error approach has more advantages than shortcomings. The most obvious is the long term reward of making each mission feel different when being replayed, due to the various ways you can combine units to reach the most effective task force. Furthermore you can decide how you'll tackle each obstacle by devising diverse tactics, without risking to fall victim of the routine generated by repetitive missions.

Selecting units seems like an easy task, given the reduced number or forces you control and the ability to pause the game whenever you feel like it, but sometimes this can prove a bit tricky. The problem resides mainly in the control mechanics, which force you to use the left-click button for both selecting and issuing orders. More than once I've committed the fatal error of directing troops towards a friendly unit, instead of dispatching them to fulfill a more useful action. Unless you spot the error in a matter of seconds, the consequences can be so severe that the entire strategy will fall apart, before any countermeasures can be arranged.

What makes Kingdom Elemental so passionate is the fact that each fight feels like a struggle to survive and with few units available, the urge to keep them alive is irresistible. Fighting in confined places that look more like arenas than large battlefields, allows no room for tactical retreats, further increasing the pressure. Regular enemies can prove to be more than a match for your forces, even when playing on moderate difficulty, but fighting bosses is truly the highlight of the game. Endowed with special abilities that could wipe out your entire force, these cool looking opponents will give you a run for your money, but the satisfaction generated by their demise is awesome.