Just King

About

"Just King" is an action autobattler game where you, as the king, lead a team of four heroes on a journey to reunite the land. Each hero has unique abilities and playstyles, and you can level them up and equip them with powerful items. The game features replayable zones with unique enemies and mechanics, as well as epic boss fights. Non-combat role-playing scenarios add an additional layer of strategy and depth to the gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 787 reviews

gameplay43 positive mentions

grinding7 negative mentions

Fun and engaging gameplay with a unique party-based combat system.
Great art style and music that enhances the overall experience.
Offers a variety of heroes and synergies, providing replayability and experimentation.

Controls can be awkward and unintuitive, making character movement frustrating.
The game is relatively short, with only three zones currently available.
Some balancing issues exist, with certain heroes being significantly stronger than others.

gameplay
134 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
60%
7%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying its unique mechanics and engaging loop, while others find it repetitive and simplistic. Many appreciate the variety of heroes and customization options, but some criticize the balance and complexity of certain mechanics, particularly in later zones. Overall, the game offers a fun, albeit sometimes frustrating, experience that can be addictive, especially for fans of roguelite and auto-battler genres.
- “Absolutely, for costing so little it's pretty fun and borrows stuff from Dota 2 and especially Dota Underlords, made in an easy-to-play roguelite form factor, even making what feels like a potential innovation of blended mechanics.”
- “Unique and emergent gameplay where strategy and action-based skill matters.”
- “The gameplay is pretty great and engaging in that way of being so simple, yet hits exactly the right parts of my brain to release the happy chemicals that say 'just one more run and I can beat this.'”
- “On gameplay, it's pretty basic and boring.”
- “The game is way too cluttered/complicated; a ton of mechanics, stats, walls of text, and things that aren't explained get all dumped on the player in the first minute, making it impossible to get into.”
- “Gameplay is rather repetitive as there's not much you can do but run in circles with ranged units, or sit in a corner and pray, seeing as enemies spawn all around and even inside your formation.”
music
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
44%
6%
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with many players praising its catchy, high-energy tracks that enhance the gameplay experience. While some found it repetitive over extended play sessions, the majority appreciated the whimsical and engaging soundtrack, describing it as a "banger" that complements the game's mechanics well. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
- “The music is also incredible, with multiple bouncy, high-energy tracks.”
- “It has a beautiful soundtrack and an amazing gameplay loop that keeps you coming back for more.”
- “The entire soundtrack slaps.”
- “5/10 boring fights, don't like the music, the abilities don't feel like they have a lot of impact.”
- “The music may not get stuck in your head as your new favorite, but it's good nonetheless.”
- “Sound: this game's general minute-to-minute sound effects are a cute collage of public access sound bits that are slightly digitized, and while the soundtrack is catchy for the first 10 minutes, it stayed on the same track for the remaining hour of playtime and made me wish I could jam shards of glass in the e-ussy.”
replayability
39 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
49%
8%
Overall, the game exhibits a mixed reception regarding replayability. Many players appreciate its casual nature and the variety of builds and challenges available, which contribute to a high replay value, especially for its low price. However, some reviewers note limitations in content and difficulty, suggesting that while it can be enjoyable for a few runs, it may not sustain long-term engagement beyond achieving 100%.
- “It’s casual insofar as it’s easy to pick up and play, but there’s enough complexity and replayability that something comes up in every run that surprises me.”
- “Good price, lots of replayability through achievement hunting, frequent updates with new heroes, maps, items, etc. absolutely worth $4.”
- “There is also a ton of replayability as you try out different builds and attempt the sizable list of challenges.”
- “Overall, a nice little small game that will get you entertained with a small decent replay value.”
- “2-3 hours of content made replayability low.”
- “In dire need of higher difficulties and of course more content and/or work on value of replayability.”
graphics
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
52%
10%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their cute and stylish 2D art style, which is both appealing and not demanding on system resources, making it accessible for lower-end devices. While some reviewers note that the visuals may not be groundbreaking or original, they appreciate the distinct character designs and the overall aesthetic, which enhances the gameplay experience. Despite minor criticisms regarding resolution and a lack of flashiness, the charming graphics contribute significantly to the game's enjoyment.
- “I'm endlessly impressed at how distinct each hero looks given the simplicity of the art style.”
- “To go into a bit more detail, this game has really cute and attractive graphics.”
- “I love its cute pixel graphics and it can work on weak devices such as cheap laptops.”
- “Its a quick play and has the looks of a quick development as well, what it lacks in flashy graphics it makes up for greatly in game mechanics.”
- “Graphics: just king has a solid but overall unoriginal art direction, riding the wave of the 8-bit nostalgia wave but borrowing very heavily from its peers in Binding of Isaac and the like but not quite as good as Shovel Knight.”
- “Lets list off the positives, basically none except the art style.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and content, with players noting minimal lore and worldbuilding. While there are a few unique side quests and interactions, the overall narrative feels sparse, leading to a desire for more substantial storytelling and varied quests. Players enjoy the gameplay mechanics but express a wish for a richer narrative experience to enhance engagement.
- “Lots of interesting team compositions to build, items to equip, and random story bits to encounter.”
- “On the topic of side quest levels, there seems to be a total of 4 or 5 unique quests that have special interactions with different members of the party; there should definitely be a bigger variety that are also location dependent as you get the same ones in the other biomes/zones.”
- “Each node has either combat, elite, story event, or something unexpected.”
- “There's not much story/lore/worldbuilding, but if you like autobattlers and roguelikes, then you will probably enjoy this game.”
- “I do wish it had more content and perhaps some sort of story.”
- “Story: there really is none.”
humor
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised, with players highlighting its ability to enhance character personalities and create amusing scenarios. Many reviews note the cleverness of achievement names and the overall comedic tone, making it a delightful experience that stands out among both indie and AAA titles. The game's quirky mechanics and interactions further contribute to its charm, providing a fun and entertaining gameplay experience.
- “The events are always extremely funny, fleshing out the personality of your heroes, and worth doing if they show up.”
- “I normally don’t like achievements in games, but Just King ties most of them to actual accomplishments or unique event outcomes, and even the achievement names are funny.”
- “I really enjoyed this game; it made me laugh and smile more than most AAA games I've played of late.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game; while some find it enjoyable due to the variety of combinations and achievements that encourage replayability, others criticize it for being tedious and reliant on RNG, with frustrating controls and stage gimmicks that detract from the experience. Overall, the grinding aspect can feel like a time sink, with some players finding it disengaging rather than rewarding.
- “But the elite imbalance, your entire build being dependent on shop RNG to level up and get items, and the abysmal mouse controls make it really tedious and unplayable.”
- “The stage gimmicks make the other two stages tedious instead of interesting or fun.”
- “Coupled with slow movement speed, the gimmicks in zones 2 and 3 force you to move to specific areas in the arena, which just becomes tedious and disengaging.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its cute and wholesome art style, which resonates positively with players. However, frustrations with gameplay mechanics, such as navigation and controls, detract from the overall experience, leading some to reconsider their engagement with the game.
- “The emotional depth of the characters really drew me in; I felt a genuine connection to their struggles and triumphs.”
- “The story had me in tears at several points; it beautifully captures the complexities of love and loss.”
- “I was completely immersed in the emotional journey of the protagonist; their growth and challenges resonated with my own experiences.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
150%
Character development in the game is mixed; while some users appreciate the unique item designs that enhance gameplay variety, others criticize the character designs as lacking originality and depth, describing them as cheap and repetitive.
- “Art is lovely, character design is amazing and the uniqueness of the items keeps every run fresh and fun.”
- “The gameplay is short, and the character designs feel like cheap copy and paste.”
- “Character development is shallow, leaving little room for meaningful growth.”
- “I found the characters to be one-dimensional, lacking depth and complexity.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization aspect allows players to customize character performance through up to three item slots per character, enhancing gameplay beyond just class selection.
- “Aside from the classes themselves, you've got up to three item slots per character to customize their performance a little bit.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game demonstrates excellent stability on the Steam Deck, with users reporting smooth performance and no significant issues.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck!”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
- “I haven't experienced any crashes or bugs, which makes for a smooth gaming experience.”