Kingdom

Kingdom is a game that's main strengths all lie in its incredibly well executed simplicity. I've always been a big fan of rogue and rogue like games. I like my story given to me on a small drip feed or sometimes not at all. Give me the vague idea of a story, the skeleton of an arc, and let my brain create the flesh. Kingdom says very little beyond the opening and if you choose not to go through the tutorial, even less so. You have a simple goal, simple controls, virtually no dialogue and for the most part left to your own devices.

In what minimalism that exists with the story contrasts with just how nice the game looks. Although we now live through a faux retro pixel graphics age (whether this is a bad thing is debatable, getting to the point of  an over saturation of pixel games) it certainly looks really nice. The atmosphere of setting comes across, inspiring a fantasy medieval European setting as you roam across the 2D landscape. Things look lush yet there is a heaviness underneath, forbidding and an almost world-weariness in the movement of characters. The game is cosy but unsettling, like being wrapped up warm under some blankets but you're pretty sure there's a spider somewhere in there too.

 You play some member of royalty on a horse and the overall goal is there in the name: build a kingdom. Who is this mysterious horse owner? And what gives him the divine right to proclaim them-self sovereignty? Well they have a crown and also money - which is all you need really. The core mechanic of the game is resource management, you gather gold from a number of sources and you reinvest them into your kingdom - improvements to your kingdom, hammers or bows and arrows for your hired peasants, unlocking upgrades and building walls.

Walls are very important in Kingdom as it keeps out the little gremlins (called 'greeds' I think) that are your primary antagonist along with monsters of ever increasing size, number and damned frustration as they pile up on your walls trying to kill your peasants and nick your shit. The greeds will bump into you causing you to drop coins which they will gleefully run off with. Once you run out of coins your very crown will fall off and if you're unlucky right into one of the little wretches hands upon which you get your game over. Aptly put 'No crown, No King/Queen." The game certainly has the basics of monarchism down. 

Your on a kind of timer with each day passing, the number of enemies that appear every few nights grow in number with bigger and more difficult beasts appearing. I was left fairly traumatised when the first time a hentai dragon began munching one of my archers. The way to prevent the threat is to go out and turn peasants into knights who will, for fair payment, march off to the interdimensional seals which the monsters spawn from with a few archers and destroy them. The goal of course is to destroy the four individual spawn points before your kingdom becomes overrun.

As I say it's a simple game with simple flourishes that really adds to the overall experience. You feel invested as you drift across the map doing your royal duties and the very fact that you ride a horse, heads above the rest of peasants does immediately give the sensation that you, do have the Divine right and station of leadership.

"Hop to it, serfs"

Course it isn't perfect. Far from it. Simple is the word I'd use disparagingly to describe the AI of the peasants. The masons will wander into a horde of monsters to cut down a tree. Guard towers will be filled regardless despite being nowhere near the furthest wall. The aim of the archers (although you can pay to increase their stats at certain statues) is practically obnoxious. I was also faced with the irritating situation where I had cleared 2 of the spawn points to the left of my kingdom, and one to the left. Due to my progress if cleared far enough where no more peasant spawning camps were left, but my army to the left stayed put. More or less taking a small holiday to congratulate themselves on a good job. Course as the days and nights continued and unable to refresh my army to the right hand side, I was stuck in a slow long slog as my army was slowly depleted while a large number of idle pricks fannied about at the other end of the map. Turned out I lost that one.

These are part of the nature of the game really, if I was given the choice of having greater control it would have to be in the simplest possible terms - subtly implemented. The game would lose its charm if it had overlays, displayed stats and a clunky management.

Although after a fair few play-throughs it does lose its replayability, it is very charming, challenging and engaging.

If you've a spare few bucks or you spot it on sale I'd recommend it as a nice little game that will keep you engrossed until completion.