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.
