Exiled Kingdoms

About

"Exiled Kingdoms" is a 2D single-player open-world action RPG set in a fantasy world inspired by the classics. You are a lone stranger trying to recover your lost memories in a land plagued by wars and monsters. With over 130 quests and 60 hours of gameplay, the game offers a rich and immersive experience, with many paths to choose from.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

84%

Audience ScoreBased on 467 reviews

story65 positive mentions

grinding59 negative mentions

Exiled Kingdoms offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic RPGs, with engaging storylines and quests that keep players invested.
The game features a vast open world with a variety of classes, allowing for diverse character builds and playstyles.
Despite its low price, the game provides a significant amount of content, including numerous quests, items, and a rich lore.

The combat system can feel clunky and unresponsive, leading to frustrating encounters, especially in tight spaces.
Players often find the game overly grindy, with a slow progression that requires frequent backtracking to town for healing and supplies.
The graphics and user interface are dated, which may detract from the overall experience for some players.

story
262 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
71%
4%
The game's story is widely praised for its depth, engaging twists, and rich lore, drawing comparisons to classic RPGs like Diablo. Players appreciate the vast open world filled with numerous quests and character-driven narratives, although some find the questing system can be grindy and occasionally confusing. Overall, the storytelling and immersive world-building provide a compelling experience, making it a recommended choice for fans of narrative-driven RPGs.
- “This game creates a compelling story with twists and turns.”
- “The vast open world, rich lore, and engaging quests draw parallels to the epic adventures of Diablo.”
- “There is an insane amount of content to enjoy while you explore and discover the secrets of the Exiled Kingdoms, on top of having a great story and an insane amount of characters with intricate lore.”
- “The story could have been made by an 8-year-old: hundreds of years ago monsters appeared, the people then all moved to an island and there they rebuilt their kingdoms; therefore, they are now the exiled kingdoms.”
- “The main storyline and most of the side quests are not straightforward since you are practically thrown into the world with only a map and a brief introduction to the main storyline.”
- “The game is extremely slow - quests don't give you enough XP, you have to grind and grind and grind to get levels and leveling up doesn't really even make an impact - as the enemies scale with you.”
graphics
88 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
63%
13%
The graphics of the game are generally described as simplistic and reminiscent of retro pixel art, which some players appreciate for its nostalgic charm, while others find them lackluster and unpolished. Despite the dated visuals, many reviewers emphasize that the graphics serve their purpose, allowing players to focus on the engaging gameplay and story. Overall, while the graphics may not appeal to everyone, they are considered serviceable and do not detract significantly from the overall experience.
- “Good game, love the graphic style.”
- “Graphics are nice to look at, and they help that old school feel.”
- “The simple 2D graphics and 1990s-esque isometric style are not at all representative of the amount of well-polished content and gameplay that this game is full of.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic 2D art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
- “The graphics are terrible.”
gameplay
83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
70%
5%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its addictive and engaging RPG mechanics, offering a blend of exploration, strategy, and character customization, despite some criticisms regarding its grindy nature and dated graphics. Players appreciate the simplicity and accessibility of the mechanics, though some find them overly simplistic or clunky at times. Overall, the game provides a substantial amount of content and a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic RPGs, making it enjoyable for fans of the genre.
- “Like its counterpart, Exiled Kingdoms offers addictive gameplay with a sense of exploration and discovery.”
- “120+ hours worth of perfect indie RPG gameplay for a ridiculously fair price.”
- “Not only is there a huge amount of story, quests, dungeons, areas, NPCs, lore, secret areas, etc., but the gameplay mechanics are quite challenging (in a good way), so it makes me want to try different strategies and skills and classes on new playthroughs.”
- “Very little room for victory by luck, and the mechanics do not allow you, as the player, to use any skill, tactics, or finger agility.”
- “I get the idea of going for a classically styled game, but there's a reason some mechanics died: being unable to buy back stuff from shops, quests not sorting in any meaningful way, quests just throwing you into the deep end to figure out what to do, slow and unsatisfying progression, ridiculous status effects (10-second stuns), etc.”
- “The gameplay is alright, though it suffers from some progression issues; this being that you get a static amount of 'trait' and 'skill' points per level and to upgrade skills and whatnot they require an increasing amount of points, which means that you end up 'leveling up' for little to no actual progression.”
grinding
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and frustrating, particularly in the early and late stages. While some appreciate the nostalgic grind typical of old-school RPGs, others criticize it for being excessively repetitive and inconvenient, often requiring back-and-forth travel and mindless farming for experience and resources. Overall, players recommend approaching the game on casual difficulty to mitigate the grind and enhance enjoyment.
- “Grinding here is unnecessarily tedious.”
- “It's an incredible achievement for a first and solo-developed game, but fatally misdesigned: even on 'casual' difficulty it's painfully grindy and slow.”
- “Such a captivating story, such a promising world spoiled by tedious grinding and fighting!”
humor
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by witty dialogue and clever item descriptions that often poke fun at RPG tropes. Players appreciate the nostalgic, classic style of humor reminiscent of older RPGs, with memorable characters and scenarios that blend fun and seriousness effectively. While some writing may fall flat, the overall comedic elements are well-received, making the game both entertaining and engaging.
- “The dialogue is great, and reminds me of that classic witty Obsidian style/humor.”
- “There is some decent humor in the dialogue, usually making fun of RPG tropes or subverting expectations (the demonic lawyer, Barahid, and Tremadan's phantom are some of my favorites).”
- “The quest system is amazing as well and the story and writing are actually great, funny as hell without any cringy stuff like new high-end RPG games.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its nostalgic and epic qualities that enhance the RPG experience, while others criticize it for being repetitive and of mediocre quality. Despite its shortcomings, many appreciate the soundtrack as a fitting accompaniment to the gameplay, evoking memories of classic RPGs. Overall, while the music may not be groundbreaking, it serves its purpose within the game's context.
- “I never thought that an indie RPG with a generic (but also somewhat unique) fantasy setting that uses premade sound effects and music would become one of my favorite games of all time, but here we are.”
- “The soundtrack is phenomenal, if slightly repetitive.”
- “Music is awesome, story is rich, and graphics are old school done right!”
- “It has recycled assets like RPG Maker music, it has clunky combat, and the ranged combat is so bad that it's almost unplayable.”
- “It's ugly, the music is terrible, and the combat isn't good, so why am I recommending it?”
- “Music and sound is meh.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
17%
17%
The game is praised for its high replayability, offering diverse classes, guilds, and extensive customization options that encourage multiple playthroughs. Players appreciate the depth and variety in gameplay, with many logging significant hours and enjoying different character builds and storylines. Overall, it is considered a solid investment for those seeking a game with lasting entertainment value.
- “Amazing game with an incredible amount of depth and replayability.”
- “High replayability with different classes and skills.”
- “Interesting plot twists, iconic classes, very wide customization ranges for different builds, and dozens of hours of entertainment on just the first play-through with tons of replay value.”
- “There are 4 guilds for each of the classes, and you can only join 1, so that adds replayability.”
- “I'd recommend buying it to support the devs, but I'm broke and would rather spend my money on a more playable game.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability with users reporting zero crashes and smooth gameplay. However, some minor glitches exist, particularly related to geometry and fullscreen mode, which can affect the experience.
- “The game design is a very bug-free beast and provides smooth gameplay.”
- “I appreciate how stable the game is; I rarely encounter any glitches.”
- “The performance is consistently reliable, making for an enjoyable experience.”
- “There are some glitches with the game, such as some areas having poor geometry, allowing enemies to hit you through walls.”
- “I also advise not playing in fullscreen, as there are too many glitches with the pointer.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its nostalgic homage to old-school RPGs, blending immersive wilderness settings and distinct maps reminiscent of the Eschalon series with engaging characters and storylines akin to Spiderweb games. Additionally, it incorporates the fast-paced real-time combat found in classic ARPGs, creating a rich and captivating experience.
- “Thanks to the author for the atmosphere of old-school RPGs.”
- “I would characterize it as a very well-executed mix of many of my favorite CRPGs of the last 20 years: immersive wilderness atmosphere and intriguing, geographically distinct maps like the Eschalon series, the interesting characters and story arcs from Spiderweb games like Avernum, and the fast-paced real-time combat of classic ARPGs like Diablo II, Sacred, or Divine Divinity.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
The monetization model is generally viewed positively, with users noting a small initial purchase cost and the absence of "pay to win" mechanics. However, there are concerns about the prevalence of microtransactions, leading some to perceive the game as a potential cash grab.
- “The game has a small cost to buy, and there are no 'pay to win' in-app purchases.”
- “I appreciate that the monetization model is fair and doesn't pressure players to spend more.”
- “The game offers a great balance between free content and optional purchases, making it enjoyable for everyone.”
- “Aren't they all just crappy cash grabs with microtransactions?”
- “The monetization model feels exploitative and detracts from the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind a paywall.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express that the game evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of classic titles, which enhances their emotional connection to the experience. However, some frustrations, such as abrupt stops upon minor interactions, can detract from the overall emotional immersion.
- “Besides that, it really made me feel like playing another great old game, and this is a rare thing nowadays that we need more.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
100%
The game's charming low-resolution graphics contribute to excellent optimization, resulting in smooth and speedy performance.
- “The charming low-res graphics result in very speedy game performance.”
- “The optimization in this game allows for smooth gameplay even on lower-end devices.”
- “I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, making the game run flawlessly.”
- “The charming low-res graphics mean very speedy game performance.”