As a member of the elite order of warriors known as the Dragon Shade, you are sworn to protect your homeland of Dureth. Dureth's latest threat comes from within as its own king is corrupted by an unknown evil. It seems that this evil power can only be maintained through human suffering, meaning Dureth's citizens are being cut down by order of the king. The story is far from epic and is crudely told through a series of still images and the occasional in-game cutscene.

The game does little to break the hack-and-slash mold, starting players off with a choice of three character classes; warrior, scout, and mage. Even with these different classes however, most players will find few differences between them during play. Melee attacks are upgradeable as the game progresses, but most players will find themselves relying almost exclusively on the original combos. Magic attacks can be assigned to the four face buttons and activated in conjunction with the L1 button. While magic comes in both offensive and defensive forms, it rarely proves useful except for during a difficult boss battle.

With two Untold Legends titles on their resume, Sony Online Entertainment made some odd choices on what features to include or cut in their first PS3 title. One of the joys of playing the original PSP titles was the ability to equip and modify weapons dropped by enemies. Unlike its counterparts, Dark Kingdom limits player to their characters original weapon, making the combat feel stale long before the end of the adventure. Weapon modification is still an option; players add jewels to differently shaped slots in their inventory to augment attack and defense skills. Felled enemies will drop varied orbs that replenish health, mana, or essence. Essence acts as Dark Kingdom's form of currency which can be spent at save points to upgrade armor, gain new skills, or completely restore the character's health and mana. Defeating the enemies of Dureth also nets you experience points, leveling up your character. Leveling up will award the player points that can be applied to increase character stats such as health, magic power, and melee defense.

Upon first glance, Dark Kingdom looks all too familiar to its PSP cousins in many ways. The game fails to tap into the PS3's graphical power, settling for the look of a PS2 game. Dureth's solid environments feel tarnished by its population of lower poly-count models and muddy textures. These visual disappointments are only amplified by the game's poor camera system. Players have the option of switching between a behind the back close-up view, or a far away top-down camera that mirrors the one found in the PSP versions of Untold Legends. Constantly switching views becomes a regular practice as the changing terrains and enemy patterns force the camera to change directions at inconvenient times. Later levels in the game can prove frustrating when the camera frequently hangs on environmental objects or refuses to lock on to your current enemy.

Taking a cue from the score of recent fantasy epics, Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, makes great use of a full orchestra. The game's moving score proves itself too grand for its gameplay as it borrows many elements from the recent Lord of the Rings soundtracks. It's unfortunate that the general sound effects of slashing swords and battle cries sync more with the monotonous gameplay than the sweeping music.

Dungeon crawlers looking to add life to this title can take the action online using the XFIRE matching service. The matching service makes it relatively painless for warriors to jump in and out of online games with up to four player co-op. Curiously, online games are treated as a separate experience, having no bearing on your offline quest. The online experience is ultimately hampered by the exclusion of voice chat, a feature most gamers look for in a co-op title.

For those who have played the Untold Legends series on the PSP, Dark Kingdom does nothing to grow the brand. The title feels incomplete with its mix of mediocre graphics and pared down gameplay mechanics. Even die hard hack-and-slash fans will be hard pressed to find enjoyment throughout this launch title.