Distant Kingdoms

"Distant Kingdoms" is a city-building and social management game set in a vibrant fantasy world. Oversee the kingdoms of Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Orcs as they colonize a new land, managing resources, researching new technologies, and exploring dungeons. Experience a dynamic quest system and deal with various creatures to grow your civilization.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

42%

Audience ScoreBased on 208 reviews

graphics12 positive mentions

optimization7 negative mentions

The game has a unique concept of managing a fantasy colony with different races, which adds depth to the gameplay.
The exploration and adventuring mechanics provide an engaging twist, allowing players to send parties on quests with interesting outcomes.
The art style and graphics are appealing, creating a visually pleasant experience for players.

The game has been abandoned by the developers, meaning there will be no further updates or bug fixes.
Many players have reported significant bugs and performance issues, making the game unplayable at times.
The tutorial is lengthy and can be confusing, leading to frustration for new players trying to grasp the mechanics.

gameplay
36 mentions
11 % positive mentions
78 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Distant Kingdoms" is currently marred by significant bugs, performance issues, and a lack of depth in its mechanics, leading to a frustrating experience for many players. While some unique features, such as magic portals and adventuring mechanics, show potential for optimization and engagement, they are overshadowed by the game's clunky interface and shallow gameplay elements. Overall, while there are enjoyable aspects, the game feels incomplete and requires substantial improvements to reach its full potential.
- “There are some interesting features I enjoy now that I think are unique to this game: the adventuring aspect is very cool and a lot of fun, and the encounters are a great way to break up the gameplay so it doesn't become monotonous.”
- “This is still early access, and needs balancing, but the things that set it apart from other games in the genre are unique and fresh enough that this is an easy 'recommended buy' from me; things like having magic portals you can use to shave off transit time between production and storage, or storage and distribution, is such a genius way to offer deep optimization gameplay.”
- “The game is enjoyable, and the mechanics for expanding the workable area are also quite interesting.”
- “To be clear, it absolutely earns the early access tag - there are bugs, there are performance issues, and there are mystery mechanics.”
- “Not really a final verdict, as the title is still in early access, but I really cannot recommend Distant Kingdoms in its current state: the game is a rabble of poorly implemented and shallow mechanics that go along with very poor optimization.”
- “I will return to this at a later point, but I was a bit disappointed in the lack of mechanical polish (maneuvering menus, building stuff, etc., feels clunky in general and it keeps freezing for several seconds when loading initially, so far as to Windows actually thinking it crashed and showing an error message, but if you wait a bit it will actually work again) and it just does not really offer any content at this point to motivate me to keep going.”
graphics
26 mentions
46 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the charming art style, bright colors, and detailed buildings, while others criticize the optimization issues and dated visuals. Many appreciate the aesthetic appeal and thematic consistency, though some feel the graphics lack uniqueness compared to other city-building games. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered beautiful and engaging, there are notable concerns regarding performance and optimization.
- “The graphics are gorgeous.”
- “I like the charming graphics and bright colors - that is the one positive thing I can say.”
- “With beautiful graphics, well-detailed buildings, and a handful of cosmetic items, with a little planning you can bring a village to life.”
- “Fails to render the graphics after patch 1.5 - tried two different machines, same result.”
- “I can’t change any of the graphic options and am stuck in windowed mode - the changes I want won't save.”
- “Graphics feel dated.”
optimization
20 mentions
15 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
35 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting significant performance issues, bugs, and stuttering, especially as the game progresses and cities grow larger. While some appreciate the unique mechanics and graphics, many agree that the game requires substantial optimization and balancing before it can be recommended, particularly given its early access status and price point. Overall, the consensus is that the current state of optimization is inadequate for a smooth gaming experience.
- “Rather than simply being 'banished + fantasy', it has a focus on exploration, random events (adventuring party events), and optimization of logistics.”
- “This is still early access, and needs balancing, but the things that set it apart from other games in the genre are unique and fresh enough that this is an easy 'recommended buy' from me; things like having magic portals you can use to shave off transit time between production and storage, or storage and distribution (i.e. markets), is such a genius way to offer deep optimization gameplay if that's your thing, while otherwise allowing players more interested in exploration or policy-management (you can designate per-zone policies, which is a great way to balance out resources) to focus on those.”
- “Performance is on the heavy side of things but graphics are beautiful, soundtrack attractive, no bugs yet and a huge tech tree to look forward to.”
- “It is very badly optimized and bugged.”
- “To be clear, it absolutely earns the early access tag - there are bugs, there are performance issues, and there are mystery mechanics.”
- “Distant Kingdoms has major problems regarding its performance.”
story
18 mentions
44 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the overarching narrative dull and uninspiring, despite the potential of its fantasy setting and diverse races. While the choose-your-own-adventure quest system offers some engaging moments and humor, it often feels poorly implemented, leading to a lack of depth and excitement in exploration and quests. Overall, while the game has intriguing elements, the storytelling leaves much to be desired, with players hoping for more substantial narratives and quest variety.
- “The bare bones of the storyline are intriguing, if not implemented much.”
- “Its a bit of a fantasy city building and the quests and exploring is something very cool.”
- “Plus the adventuring mechanic (a choose your own text-based D&D story) is filled with pun-filled, almost Monty Python-esque jokes and lore that keep you interested.”
- “The base story seems very dull and uninspiring for me.”
- “After 3 hours, I got quite bored with it as there was no storyline or campaign to engage with.”
- “The quest system, where you have to send your party to other hexes, is text-based and doesn't suit the game at all - it just distracts and irritates instead of complementing the city-building part.”
stability
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
-29 % neutral mentions
86 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant issues such as freezing and crashes, particularly during key gameplay moments. Conversely, others report a smooth experience with no major problems, indicating that stability may vary widely among users. Overall, the game appears to be somewhat buggy and not fully optimized, leading to frustration for many players.
- “I experienced no crashes, no problems playing the game, no glitches, and no issues loading or saving anything, unlike some others.”
- “The game runs smoothly without any interruptions, making for a seamless gaming experience.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game is; I can focus on enjoying the gameplay without worrying about technical issues.”
- “Do not buy; the developer is no longer making the game and it is buggy.”
- “I keep freezing when I send my tavern party out; when the screen fades to black, my machine freezes solid and requires a hard boot.”
- “(5/8/2021) The game won't start half of the time, it freezes, and the mechanics are way off.”
music
7 mentions
29 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as aesthetically pleasing and relaxing, complementing the colorful graphics and light-hearted theme. While the catchy D&D-styled tunes enhance the experience, some players find the flowy violin music enjoyable for short periods but less so for extended play. Overall, the soundtrack is considered attractive and well-suited to the game's atmosphere.
- “Good long play music.”
- “Straight honesty, this flowy violin fiddle music that I imagine being played by a halfling bard is great for 20 minutes, but not continuously.”
- “The game world is very pretty and the music is very relaxing.”
- “The graphics are cute and well suited to the light-hearted music and uplifting high adventure theme this game is aiming for.”
grinding
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in the early stages and while managing resources. Although the game offers diverse races with unique production specialties, the overall experience can feel repetitive and cumbersome as players progress through the tech tree.
- “Again, it's just too tedious, which may not be the best description.”
- “After a few hours of gameplay and halfway or more up the tech tree, I might wait until they get the resource management and warehouse system sorted out; it's tedious.”
- “The grinding aspect feels overly repetitive and lacks the excitement needed to keep players engaged.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviews on the humor aspect of the game are mixed; while some players appreciate its humorous elements and the exploration opportunities, others find the jokes forced and the overall tone lacking compared to other fantasy games they enjoy.
- “It's very humorous and has a lot to explore, literally.”
replayability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Users suggest that while the game currently lacks strong replayability, there is potential for improvement through modifications that could enhance its playability and encourage repeated play.
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that early access is viewed negatively, often compared to harmful practices like microtransactions and aggressive monetization strategies, suggesting a growing frustration with these trends in the gaming industry.
- “Early access has turned into one of the most cancerous principles in the industry, outside of microtransactions and micro monetization.”