Ruined King: A League of Legends Story arrived on November 16, 2021, and even in 2026 it remains a fascinating turn-based RPG spin-off. Reviews hovered in the 70s and 80s, and that split says a lot. The game is smooth, stylish, and respectful of League of Legends lore, but it also carries technical and quality-of-life rough edges that keep it from being truly great. Players who dive back in today might ask: why does a game with such strong art, voice work, and combat ideas still stumble over basic conveniences? The answer is a mix of load times, menu behavior, traversal pacing, and a few stubborn design choices. Fortunately, most of these problems are fixable, and a few smart patches could make the experience shine.
⚙️ Performance and Load Times
On Switch, load times are frequent and long for a 2021 release. They are better on modern consoles, but texture pop-in and frame-rate dips still appear when the screen fills with characters or when the camera pulls out. In 2026, players expect faster storage and smoother performance. A patch that trims loading screens, improves texture streaming, and adds performance modes would help every version. Does that sound like asking too much? Not for a game that asks players to explore every corner.
⏩ Auto-Battle Should Actually Battle
Auto-battle and fast-forward are welcome, but they come with a catch. Unlike Bravely Default 2 and many other turn-based RPGs, Ruined King requires players to hold down a button. That defeats the purpose. If auto-battle is enabled, battles should play out by themselves. The speed setting only goes up by two; a four-times option would be better. Let players toggle auto-battle, fast-forward, and speed independently. A turn-based RPG should respect the player's time, especially when grinding or backtracking.
🐢 Movement Speed Is a Chore
Every character moves slower than they should. Braum being slow makes sense. Yasuo moving like a tank does not. Clicking the stick creates a light jog, not a sprint. Since side quests involve a lot of backtracking, traversal becomes tedious. A faster default run speed, or a proper sprint toggle, would respect players' time. Why should a nimble swordsman feel like a lumbering brute? Speeding up foot travel would make dungeon crawling far less of a slog.
🔍 Scan Cooldown Should Vanish
Scanning highlights barrels, boxes, chests, and treasure. It is a great mechanic popularized by Batman: Arkham Asylum. But Ruined King puts scan on a three-to-four-second cooldown. That feels like an eternity while exploring. Why limit a quality-of-life tool? Remove the cooldown or make it nearly instant. Players should be able to sweep a room, spot loot, and move on without waiting for a timer.
📖 Tutorial Prompts Need to Stay Gone
Tutorials are helpful, but Ruined King oversteps. Every time a new menu option unlocks, a prompt asks if players want to learn about equipment, items, or enchantments. Selecting no should be final. Yet after quitting and reloading, these prompts return. It might be a glitch, or it might be intentional. Either way, it should not happen. Once players decline a tutorial, the game should remember. There is already a tutorial section in the menu for anyone who changes their mind.
💬 Dialogue Auto-Speed and Saving Position
Story and voice work are top-notch, even for newcomers. However, auto-speed for dialogue can feel slow. Pauses between sentences make conversations unnatural. Speeding it up would make dialogue snappier. Saving also needs work. Manual saves in eight slots and three profiles are generous. But manual saves do not record character placement. Players return to the last entryway, which can confuse them. Keeping characters exactly where they saved would be a big help.
📋 A Quick Look at the Fixes
| Issue | Current Problem | Suggested Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Load times | Frequent and long, especially on Switch | Optimize streaming and add performance modes |
| Auto-battle | Must hold a button | Toggle auto-battle and add 4x speed |
| Movement | Slow run, sprint is a light jog | Faster default speed and sprint toggle |
| Scan | Three-to-four-second cooldown | Remove or drastically reduce cooldown |
| Tutorials | Prompts return after reload | Remember declined tutorials |
| Dialogue | Slow auto-advance | Faster text and sentence pacing |
| Saving | Position not saved | Save exact character location |
🎮 Final Thoughts
Ruined King is still worth playing in 2026. Its story, characters, and combat have aged well, and the League of Legends universe gives it a strong identity. But a few quality-of-life patches would turn a good RPG into a great one. Players do not need a remake. They need respect for their time. Will the game ever receive another update? That is unclear. Until then, these fixes remain a wishlist for anyone who wants to explore Bilgewater without fighting the interface. The good news is that none of these changes require a massive overhaul. They are small, practical improvements that could make a memorable spin-off even easier to recommend. ⚔️