Kingdom Two Crowns

Developer: Stumpy🐙Squid
Release: Dec 11th 2018
Platforms:
Adventure
Indie
Simulation
Strategy
Addictive
Cooperative
Minimalist
Repetitive
Frustrating
Kingdom Two Crowns Poster

" Charming pixel art strategy tower defense with co-op play but occasional bugs and no undo "

Kingdom Two Crowns Review

Kingdom Two Crowns is a minimalist side-scrolling strategy game that combines simple controls with deep strategic gameplay. Players manage resources, build defenses, and expand their kingdom while defending against the Greed, a hostile force. The game offers a charming pixel art style and a relaxing yet occasionally intense atmosphere, especially during nighttime raids. Co-op multiplayer is praised for enhancing the experience, providing a fun bonding activity. The game supports exploration across multiple islands, each increasing in difficulty and requiring adaptive strategies. DLCs add fresh mechanics and content, keeping the gameplay engaging over time. However, the game’s minimalism extends to its UI and mechanics, leading to some frustrations such as the inability to undo actions or cancel upgrades, which can cause permanent setbacks. The tutorial is sparse, requiring players to learn mostly through trial and error or external guides. Despite some bugs and occasional AI quirks, the game maintains a dedicated fanbase, appreciating its unique blend of simplicity and challenge.

Overall, Kingdom Two Crowns is a visually appealing, addictive strategy game with a strong emphasis on resource management and tactical decision-making, ideal for players seeking a cozy yet challenging experience.

Highlights

Players widely praise the game’s minimalist pixel art style and fluid animations, which create a beautiful and atmospheric world. The simple controls make it accessible, while the strategic depth and resource management provide satisfying challenges. The co-op mode is especially celebrated, offering a fun and engaging way to play with friends. Exploration across multiple islands with increasing difficulty adds variety, and the soundtrack complements the immersive experience. DLC expansions introduce new mechanics and content, enhancing replayability. The game’s balance of relaxing daytime building and intense nighttime defense creates a compelling gameplay loop that keeps players invested.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the repetitive nature of the core gameplay loop, which some find tedious over time. The lack of quality-of-life features such as undoing actions or canceling builds leads to frustrating permanent mistakes. The tutorial offers minimal guidance, forcing players to rely on trial and error or external resources. Some players report AI issues, including unresponsive builders and poorly coordinated troops. Multiplayer has experienced bugs affecting commands and building progress. Additionally, the final boss in the Call of Olympus DLC and some difficulty spikes received mixed feedback. Overall, improvements in UI usability, more varied content, and enhanced challenge modes could strengthen the experience.

Pros

  • Minimalist pixel art style is visually charming and easy to read for most players.
  • Simple controls make the game accessible to newcomers and casual players.
  • Co-op multiplayer mode enhances fun and strategic depth.
  • Exploration of multiple islands adds variety and increasing challenges.
  • Relaxing daytime building contrasted with intense nighttime defense gameplay.
  • Engaging resource management and strategic decision-making.
  • DLCs introduce fresh mechanics and keep the game replayable.

Cons

  • Lack of undo or cancel options causes frustrating permanent mistakes.
  • Sparse tutorial leaves players to learn mechanics mostly by trial and error.
  • Repetitive gameplay loop can become tedious over extended sessions.
  • AI can be unresponsive or poorly coordinated, impacting gameplay.
  • Multiplayer bugs sometimes break commands and building progress.
  • Final boss fight in DLC considered underwhelming by some players.
  • Limited variety in defenses and NPC types reduces long-term engagement.

Rating Criteria

Story
Difficulty
Graphics
Duration
Stability
Worth the Price
Capsule image

Gather coins, build defenses and reclaim your fallen Kingdom. Explore and uncover secrets, unlock new technologies and protect your crown versus waves of Greed monsters that come at night. Kingdom is a solo or co-op micro-strategy and tower defense game set in an atmospheric pixel world.

Release Date Dec 11th 2018
Publisher Raw Fury
Developer Stumpy🐙Squid, Fury Studios, Coatsink
Platforms

User Reviews

Very Positive (8,762)
91% Positive 9% Negative