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
- Extremely fun to play with friends, especially in a Twitch stream setting.
- Engaging narrative with a lot of replayability due to varied events and outcomes.
- Only one person needs to own the game, making it accessible for larger groups.
- The game can feel unbalanced, especially for the monarch, making it difficult to win.
- Requires a minimum of four players, which can be a barrier for smaller groups.
- Some players may find the voting and decision-making process passive, leading to boredom.
- story137 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by a dynamic blend of humor, intrigue, and player-driven narratives, making it a standout in the multiplayer genre. Players engage in collaborative storytelling, where their choices and interactions shape unique and often comical outcomes, reminiscent of a "choose your own adventure" experience. While it may not satisfy those seeking deep strategy or single-player depth, it excels as a lighthearted party game that fosters memorable moments among friends.
“The game’s clever mix of diplomacy, backstabbing, and narrative-driven choices sets it apart from traditional strategy games, offering a fresh take on player-driven storytelling.”
“The interactive storytelling elements are full of wacky and funny dialogue and are great at creating moments.”
“The storytelling is magnificent and the game is highly engaging.”
“Some story moments were okay, but there was not much player interaction or game for the audience to participate in compared to Jackbox.”
“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?”
“The immense amounts of storylines and plots the game throws at us was comical.”
- gameplay72 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "King of the Castle" is characterized by its engaging multiplayer mechanics and intuitive interface, allowing for a unique blend of storytelling and strategic voting that keeps each session fresh and dynamic. While the game excels in creating fun social interactions and political maneuvering, some players feel that the gameplay can become repetitive due to limited mechanics and a heavy reliance on text-based narratives. Overall, it offers a captivating experience that thrives on player interaction, though it could benefit from additional depth and variety in its 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.”
“Very creative use of Jackbox/Kahoot mechanics to tell a story and have fun with friends.”
“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.”
“So you'll spend a huge amount of time not playing the game, but clicking through endless lines of poorly written visual novel text cutscenes because the developers couldn't work out how to relate their narrative through the game mechanics, and decided instead it would be better to compete with reading a book for your time.”
“Unfortunately, not much is offered in terms of gameplay.”
- humor68 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, engaging dialogue, and whimsical events that create a light-hearted atmosphere, especially when played with friends. Players appreciate the satirical undertones and the ability to generate hilarious stories through interactive storytelling, making each session a unique and entertaining experience. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with strategy, resulting in memorable moments and laughter throughout gameplay.
“The game’s writing is superb, filled with clever dialogue, humorous exchanges, and a deep sense of medieval world-building.”
“The setting of the game is wonderfully cohesive and avoids taking itself too seriously, resulting in a hilarious but occasionally thought-provoking experience that has been excellently artistically rendered.”
“The dialogue is hilarious and tongue-in-cheek, the events are engaging and can take surprising turns, creating moments of both heartwarming unity and darkly hilarious psychopathy.”
- graphics42 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's graphics feature a cartoonish medieval art style characterized by colorful character designs and simple backgrounds, which effectively complement its humorous narrative. While some players appreciate the charming visuals and engaging worldbuilding, others criticize the graphics as lacking depth and sophistication compared to other titles, describing them as mediocre and simplistic. Overall, the art style is seen as appealing and fun, particularly for multiplayer experiences, but may not satisfy those seeking more intricate visual designs.
“The light-hearted visuals serve to complement the often humorous tone of the game’s writing, making the more tense moments of intrigue and backstabbing all the more enjoyable.”
“The artwork is gorgeous, the writing is fantastic, and the game interface is really well designed and sleek looking.”
“The art style is lovely and the writing is often very, very funny.”
“While there are options to change the resolution for the game, all this does is scale up the simplistic low-quality vector art assets used to make the game, which makes little or no difference to the graphics quality.”
“Without any other substantial graphics tweaks, it's not possible for gamers to improve the mediocre 2D visuals.”
“While the artwork itself might be considered passable, the visual presentation here is negligible; it might as well be a slideshow or a YouTube video.”
- replayability28 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its high replayability, attributed to its cooperative gameplay, diverse events, and strategic elements that encourage communication and roleplay. Many players find it engaging and fun, especially in group settings, with a variety of content that keeps the experience fresh. While some note the need for balance improvements, the overall sentiment is that the game offers substantial replay value, making it a worthwhile choice for players seeking a unique and entertaining party game.
“The game has a good mixture of silly stuff, actual strategy, and random events that make replayability high for me.”
“Loads of replayability and extremely fun when people play it from a roleplay perspective.”
“The game has a rich and humorous storyline, with huge replayability and plenty of strategy.”
“Overall while a fun game for one or two games and is priced as such, it needs extensive balance changes for it to have better replay value, as for now it's a party game you play to break the mold rather than set aside time for.”
“Idk why they're undervaluing this game, but it is far too intricate and replayable to be worth a mere $5.”
“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!”
- music15 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 13 % 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. Players appreciate the chill and serene main theme, as well as the catchy tunes that complement the game's humorous and engaging narrative. Overall, the musical score is considered a standout feature that enriches the gameplay and adds to the game's charm.
“An online friend recommended this game to me and I immediately fell in love with the cute artwork, beautifully composed soundtrack, and a variety of hilarious events and their consequences!”
“The music is amazing; I love the main music when looking at the map—so chill and serene <3”
“A cherry on top is the great musical score which sets the scene perfectly.”
“Would you advertise a music volume slider or vsync?”
“The schemes are unique, art is elegant, and the music is enthralling.”
- grinding12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and overly linear, as the farming and trade mechanics often feel arbitrary and lack meaningful impact on gameplay. Many express frustration with the repetitive nature of events and the lack of strategic depth, particularly when team dynamics do not penalize conflicting goals. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as underwhelming, with calls for a rework to enhance engagement and variety.
“It’s very linear after playing a few games; once you replay a region more than a few times, you know the outcome, which can get very tedious as you end up replaying the same event over and over.”
“Often it feels like the numbers for farming and trade could be any number, and it really doesn't matter except for the goals.”
“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.”
- emotional5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- -40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is enhanced by unique features like the emotional support cat and customizable ship decorations, fostering a sense of ownership. Players appreciate the engaging dialogue and the ability to choose factions, which leads to varied emotional outcomes, from heartwarming unity to dark humor. Despite some repetitiveness in storylines, the game's emotional depth and supportive community contribute significantly to its appeal.
“The inclusion of unique items, such as the emotional support cat, and the ability to decorate your ship add a touch of personality and ownership to the overall experience.”
“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, 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.”
“The emotional depth of the story feels lacking, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
“I expected a gripping narrative, but the emotional moments fell flat and felt forced.”
“The game tries to evoke feelings, but the execution is so poor that it leaves you feeling indifferent.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by visually diverse environments and a dynamic day-night cycle that heightens tension and exploration. Players report that the immersive atmosphere significantly enhances the overall experience, particularly in larger groups where engagement is high.
“Visually diverse and atmospheric environments.”
“The atmospheric tension and sense of discovery created by the day-night cycle enhance the thrill of venturing out, knowing the risks and rewards are amplified.”
“If everyone really gets into the whole atmosphere, it is an incredible time.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Character development is enhanced by a cartoonish medieval art style featuring vibrant designs, though players express a desire for modding capabilities to introduce additional character designs and events, indicating a potential area for growth in customization.
“The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character as their stories unfold.”
“Each character has a unique backstory that adds layers to their personality, making every interaction feel meaningful.”
“The progression system is well-designed, giving players the opportunity to shape their characters' abilities and traits in a way that feels rewarding.”
“The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters on a meaningful level.”
“I was disappointed by the limited progression options for characters, which made the gameplay feel repetitive and uninspired.”
“The characters seem one-dimensional, and their arcs don't evolve in a way that keeps the player engaged or invested in their stories.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant issue, with frequent bugs and a lack of developer responsiveness to these problems. While the gameplay can be enjoyable, it is heavily reliant on having a full group of players, as playing with fewer participants exacerbates the instability and connectivity issues.
“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.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy is heavily criticized for its reliance on frequent mandatory preroll and midroll ads, particularly affecting users who watch larger streamers, while smaller non-affiliate streamers are less impacted.
“I hope you enjoy frequent mandatory preroll and midroll ads from all but the smallest non-affiliate streamers!”
“The monetization model feels overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without constant interruptions.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, which makes the game feel less rewarding.”
