King Of The Castle
- March 2, 2023
- Tributary Games
- 7h median play time
Get on Steam"King of the Castle" is a multiplayer party game set in a medieval world, where players act as Nobles in the Monarch's council, voting on decisions and plotting their own schemes. The game offers over 900,000 words of content, with 950 Events and 80 unique Endings, ensuring no two playthroughs are the same. Balance the demands of five distinct regions, while navigating shifting power dynamics and betrayals in this game of political intrigue.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- King of the Castle is a fun and engaging party game that allows for a lot of role-playing and interaction among players.
- The game features a unique blend of storytelling and strategy, with humorous and well-written events that keep players entertained.
- Only one person needs to own the game for others to join, making it accessible and easy to play with friends or on Twitch.
- The game can feel unbalanced, especially for the monarch, making it difficult to win and potentially frustrating for the player in that role.
- There are issues with the game's voting and auction mechanics, which can lead to a lack of meaningful choices for players.
- The game requires a minimum of four players, which can be a barrier for those looking to play with smaller groups or solo.
- story216 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is a dynamic and humorous tapestry woven through player interactions, with each session offering unique plotlines and character-driven narratives. Players engage in political maneuvering and collaborative storytelling, often prioritizing entertainment over competition, which enhances the overall experience. While the writing is praised for its wit and creativity, some players desire more meaningful choices in core story elements, suggesting that the game could benefit from additional variety and depth in its narrative structure.
“The storytelling is magnificent and the game is highly engaging.”
“The game has a rich and humorous storyline, with huge replayability and plenty of strategy.”
“There’s no danger of running out of story while playing it through, with 5 different factions there’s almost always a new way they interact with each other and the regent, which makes every game you participate in a new experience.”
“One person reads the story while everyone else kinda just sits around and waits for an event to happen where they can vote on a single option.”
“Are you a Twitch viewer who wants to be read a boring 'choose your own adventure' style story, where the choices don't really seem to matter, while staring at a browser window that says 'wait for something exciting to happen' for hours on end?”
“It felt super bad for my friends to just sit there and get the 'failed scheme goal' story over and over with no recourse.”
- humor110 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in "King of the Castle" is widely praised for its clever writing, engaging dialogue, and the ability to create hilarious moments, especially when played with friends. Players enjoy the whimsical and absurd scenarios that arise from the game's interactive storytelling, often leading to laughter and memorable experiences. The game's lighthearted approach to court intrigue and its emphasis on fun over competition contribute to its charm, making it a standout choice for social gaming.
“The dialogue is hilarious and tongue-in-cheek, the events are engaging and can take surprising turns, and voting ranges from heartwarming moments of unity to darkly hilarious psychopathy.”
“The setting of the game is wonderfully cohesive and avoids taking itself too seriously, resulting in a hilarious but occasionally thought-provoking game that has been excellently artistically rendered.”
“The game itself is intuitive and easy to pick up and play, meaning you'll have no problem introducing it to a group of friends, and there are tons of well-written plots and events which can lead to some hilarious scheming with your mates on Discord.”
- gameplay106 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by a simple voting mechanic that drives player interaction and decision-making, making it a unique blend of party game and role-playing elements. While the writing and art style are praised, many players feel that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, particularly for the monarch, who is often seen as too weak. Suggestions for improvement include adding more interactive mechanics and options for players to enhance the overall engagement and complexity of the game.
“Great story events and fun political jockeying mechanics.”
“The gameplay loop revolves around reading dynamic events and storylines that evolve over the course of a game and voting on decisions that determine the outcome for both your local area and the kingdom as a whole.”
“The writing is excellent and the gameplay loop is engaging and fun to play in.”
“The gameplay loop of noble players usually consists of staring at an empty screen 90% of the time and awaiting their turn to make a decision, whenever the monarch player gets to it.”
“The game started pretty well, we got into roleplaying our characters and had many laughs, but as the game progressed, we realized the only gameplay feature is votes.”
“Gameplay wise, the monarch is way too weak.”
- graphics56 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and unique art style, which combines simplicity with beauty, enhancing the overall experience. Players appreciate the colorful and evocative visuals, alongside a well-designed user interface that complements the engaging narrative and gameplay. The artwork, coupled with a delightful soundtrack, creates a captivating atmosphere that contributes significantly to the game's appeal.
“I love the art style and the worldbuilding in this game, and it's definitely unique, in gameplay as well.”
“The artwork is gorgeous, the writing is fantastic, and the game interface is really well designed and sleek looking.”
“The prose is snappy and characterful, the art style is evocative and lively, and the worldbuilding is delightful.”
“Everything is just text coupled with a neo-corporate art style.”
“A rare gem of a game that focuses on the gameplay loop first rather than flashy graphics.”
“The art style is consistent and the user interface and iconography are clear.”
- replayability48 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game boasts high replayability, driven by a mix of quirky events, strategic elements, and engaging roleplay opportunities, making it particularly enjoyable with friends. Many players appreciate the variety of content and the developers' commitment to adding more, enhancing the game's longevity. While some note the need for balance improvements, the overall consensus is that the game offers a fun and unique experience that encourages repeated play.
“Ridiculously fun game to play with friends with tons of replayability.”
“The devs of the game are very friendly and passionate about the game, and with how much content and replayability it has, you can really feel the love for creating.”
“Amazing writing, stories, choices, and hours of fun and replayability.”
“Overall, while a fun game for one or two sessions and priced as such, it needs extensive balance changes for it to have better replay value. As it stands, it's a party game you play to break the mold rather than set aside time for.”
“I've only played one game, so I'm not sure of all the replayability or how strategic it would become, but I enjoyed it greatly!”
“I hope they continue to add content to the game to allow for a ton of additional replayability for a long time to come.”
- music26 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its captivating and beautifully composed soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience without being disruptive. Reviewers appreciate how the music complements the game's charming artwork and witty writing, creating an engaging atmosphere that enriches the gameplay. Overall, the musical score is considered a standout feature, adding depth and enjoyment to the game's narrative events.
“A cherry on top is the great musical score which sets the scene perfectly.”
“Through the combination of the witty writing, delightful art, and bop of a soundtrack, the gameplay never feels simplistic.”
“The art is so gorgeous to look at; the music is captivating without being disruptive; and the writing has an incredible sense of humor.”
“Would you advertise a music volume slider or vsync?”
“The schemes are unique, art is elegant, and the music is enthralling.”
“From the background music to the art style to the community engagement and the price tag of the game.”
- grinding16 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 88 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and overly linear, often requiring excessive repetition of the same events without meaningful variation or strategy. The lack of consequences for team decisions and the underutilization of certain stats contribute to a sense of monotony, leading some to suggest a rework to enhance engagement. Overall, the grinding experience feels unbalanced and uninspired, making it a significant drawback for many players.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It’s very linear after playing a few games; once you replay a region more than a few times, you know the outcome. It can get very tedious replaying the same event over and over.”
“Stats underutilized; things like low military, trade, and farming don’t matter unless you are near 1-2. There’s little strategy outside of an RNG check.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "King of the Castle" is highlighted by its engaging and humorous dialogue, which allows for a range of emotional experiences from heartwarming unity to dark comedy. While the repetitive nature of faction storylines can diminish the experience over time, the game's ability to evoke varied emotional outcomes keeps it captivating and enjoyable.
“The dialogue is hilarious and tongue-in-cheek, the events are engaging and can take surprising turns, and voting ranges from heartwarming moments of unity to darkly hilarious psychopathy.”
“While the gameplay loop of factions having only a few select unique storylines can get quite repetitive after experiencing all the craziness a few times, I find the ability for varying emotional outcomes of the group to be a testament to just how captivating 'King of the Castle' can be.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with users reporting frequent bugs, particularly with Twitch integration, and a lack of responsiveness from developers regarding these issues. While the gameplay can be enjoyable, it is heavily reliant on having a full group of players, as even minor drop-outs can severely disrupt the experience. Overall, the game's functionality is inconsistent, detracting from its overall enjoyment.
“The game's Twitch integration has proven to be buggy, and the other bugs appearing do not get noticed by the devs. The game itself is fun when it works, but the fact that it rarely works correctly is a problem.”
“You need at minimum three other players to play alongside you in order to play at all, and this is absolutely a game of 'the more the merrier', especially in non-Twitch mode when having the minimum number of players can mess up your ability to play with buggy drop-outs.”
- character development2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Users express a desire for enhanced character development through modding capabilities, allowing for the addition of custom character designs and events, though they acknowledge the potential challenges in implementing such features.
“I think the only thing I'd want to see (and a few of my friends also thought) would be some ability for modding to add in character designs, events, and so on; although I have no idea how viable that would be to add.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly dependent on group size and engagement; larger groups that fully immerse themselves in the experience tend to have an incredible time, while smaller groups may find it less enjoyable.
“For smaller groups, it will likely be much less fun, but if everyone really gets into the whole atmosphere, it is an incredible time.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has drawn criticism for its reliance on frequent mandatory preroll and midroll ads, particularly affecting all but the smallest non-affiliate+ streamers, leading to a potentially disruptive viewing experience.
“I hope you like frequent mandatory preroll and midroll ads from all but the smallest non-affiliate+ streamers!”
