Kingdom: Proof Graphics Don’t Make the Game

Kingdom is amazing game that takes you on a ride on an emotional rollercoaster that doesn’t stop or slow down for anybody. This game has old school graphics, so you can only move left and right and you have minimal pick up  drop commands. In general, you don’t have very many things you can physically do, but with those few actions and a little thought, you can do a lot. 

What a cheeky title...

In the game, the first thing you do is pick up coins and start a camp fire, building your 2D kingdom from there. You recruit citizens by dropping a coin on a wandering vagabond in the woods; then you have to build a bow, hammer, shield, or farming tool. Your people will pick up what’s closest, and the skill related to the tool will become their job. Your builders construct your walls, the archers protect the walls, the knights lead the archers to war against demons that lurk in the knight, and the farmers produce wheat for the kingdom's income. Additionally, you can build two catapults for your outermost walls that destroy any smaller demons they hit when the demons decide to attack your kingdom. Catapults are also useful for guarding towers that your archers man. These particular weapons are really important to have in the game pretty early on because of "blood moons," which make dozens of demons attack your kingdom when they occur. I'd say these are the hardest things to get past in the game, and if you’re not ready, you’re done. 

Even though this world is only 2D, it feels pretty big--not massive but large. You can explore the woods for wall, archer, builder, and horse upgrades, and you can even find treasure chests filled with gold. Also, if you destroy a demon portal with your knights, you can have your builders make a portal of your own. 

The graphics are simple, yet amazing.

The characters (citizens) are interesting, as they pretty much all look like the same dude. At the same time though, I’m impressed with the diversity of enemies and with how they affect a battle. Some fly some rampage against your wall and others throw boulders and more rampaging monsters. Granted, there are only three types of enemies, but they are so different and interesting that it feels like a huge, versatile army of demons is gunning for you. I said in the title that graphics don’t make the game, and when I say that I mean that updated “it looks so real!” graphics don't make the game. Kingdom, with its older style of graphics, is an example of this, as it is still absolutely beautiful without all of the bells and whistles. From the water reflections to the sunsets, this game looks amazing. 

The music in this game could be compared to Dark Souls because it too doesn’t come around very often, but that makes it more of a method of communication, rather than just music. It sets the tone beautifully. In Dark Souls, the music it displays the “epicness” of boss battles and makes you feel small. In Kingdom, minimalist music will play during the sun rise to make you feel safe, during the day while you explore to add mystery to the world, and at night there's a dire sort of track to tell you that trouble is coming with the darkness. 

You can't deny--it looks so good...

Now, about the emotional roller coaster I mentioned. I referred to the game as an emotional roller coaster because, at one moment you might think, “I’m gonna do it! I can finish the game!” Then, two nights later, all your walls are torn down and your citizens have run away to be dirty vagabonds again. You might recover from situations like that, but you'll most likely die if that happens later in the game. The thing abut this game is that it makes you worry about your kingdom--keeps you on your toes. For example, my motivations as a player of Kingdom cause me to be more vigilant at night when attacks come. I'll always check both sides of my kingdom to see what’s going on and to determine whether or not everyone made it back inside the walls. The reason why I'm so careful is because, if you lose even a builder or two, it could affect your kingdom and ultimately bring about its demise. It’s like one domino falling after another: you really have to be careful about what you do, gain, and lose. Though this seems like a lot of vigilance for a little virtual kingdom, I think these aspects make the game better.

Then, we have the end of the game. You know, that point you reach when your time investment becomes worth it. Personally, when I beat the game, I didn’t know what to think. I sat there for a while and could not believe I had actually beat the game. I felt that way because this game can be extremely difficult, especially if you’re a beginner. I think this is one of the few draw backs of the game. I say this because, if you’re new to the game, the difficulty might make you hate it, lessening the likelihood that you'll invest the time to actually win. Though being able to select a difficulty level would easily fix this problem, I don’t think that’ll be patched up any time soon. Another drawback about this game is that it has no story besides the fact that you’re a king and must protect your kingdom. That didn’t bother me much, but I think it would have been better with some back story. Another downside is that there is nothing to do after you win. You can finish building everything you're able to and fill your coin purse until it can’t fit anymore coins in it, but what about after that? Nothing, that's what. I think this is a problem because, by that point, you've invested all that time and have killed all of the demons, but despite your hard work, you don’t really gain anything from your successes. I heard about some DLC coming out for Kingdom that might fix this issue, but right now I still think this is a pretty major draw back. Oh, and by the way, that DLC I just mentioned is free for people that already own the game, and it looks like the DLC makes the game even more amazing than it already is. 

Kingdom is on sale on Steam for only $4.99. I paid $15.00 elsewhere for it and thought it was worth the money. If you're up for a challenge and are looking for some novelty gameplay and interesting graphics, this game is a must-buy.

Overall : 82/100 (might be 100/100 after DLC--fingers crossed),  Music: 10/10,  Graphics: 9/10 animation 8/10,  Story: There wasn’t one!/100

Andrew Cherrington
(Pragmus Pi)
Video Game Reviewer