Kingdom, Dungeon, and Hero
- July 1, 2024
- Kraken Studios
- 380h median play time
Get on Steam"Kingdom, Dungeon, and Hero" is a fantasy strategy and adventure game with a board game feel, allowing 1-2 players to form armies, manage resources, negotiate agreements, and explore dungeons in a hex-based map. Players can build and configure armies, hire heroes, and research tactics to increase their kingdom's power. The game offers the ability to create an infinite number of maps with the integrated editor, and supports both co-op and PvP modes in split-screen.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of strategy, wargaming, and RPG elements, providing a variety of gameplay styles including conquest, dungeon crawling, and hero management.
- The user interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy for players to navigate and manage their kingdoms, armies, and heroes.
- The developer is highly responsive to community feedback, frequently releasing updates and improvements, which enhances the overall gaming experience.
- The AI is often unresponsive and lacks strategic depth, making it easy for players to dominate without facing significant challenges.
- Many players find the game lacks variety and depth in its mechanics, leading to repetitive gameplay and a feeling of disconnection between different game elements.
- There are technical issues such as long turn times and occasional bugs, which detract from the overall enjoyment and polish of the game.
- gameplay28 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its solid mechanics, blending of RPG elements with kingdom management, and engaging war strategies, making it approachable and intuitive for players. While many mechanics are well-received, some lack clear explanations and can feel disjointed, indicating a need for refinement. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic yet innovative experience, though it may require further polishing to enhance clarity and depth.
“It appeared it would have awesome diplomacy and conquering/war mechanics with allies and a variety of tactics and units.”
“The blending of light RPG adventuring mechanics and kingdom management along with a competent and fun war game.”
“The hex-based map and board game feel are a perfect blend of nostalgic charm and modern gameplay innovation.”
“Conquering the map is entertaining and challenging, but there doesn't seem to be any other kind of objective-based gameplay.”
“And some of these mechanics are currently bugged and not working as intended, if at all.”
“The game certainly has potential, but it needs some work on the key mechanics to make them feel more refined, more impactful, and less disjointed from each other.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The graphics are generally described as clean and functional, with crisp visuals and a well-organized layout, particularly praised in the hex and counter style. However, some reviewers note that the art style feels dated and lacks immersion, with comparisons to early 2000s pixel art and a clunky interface. Overall, while the graphics are effective for gameplay, they may not impress those seeking modern visual flair.
“It is clean, logical with crisp graphics and excellent layout.”
“The graphics were beautiful!”
“The game's atmospheric soundtrack and stunning visuals transport you to a realm of wonder and terror, making it easy to become fully invested in the story and its characters.”
“But no, once again, small indie developers prove that good games are such because of the systems, rules, and gameplay mechanics, as opposed to flashy animation and graphics.”
“Interface is clunky and graphics are sub-par.”
“The graphics are very wargame-style - counters on a hex grid, but that's fine.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game's story is enriched by an excellent written narrative and backstory, complemented by atmospheric visuals and a captivating soundtrack that immerses players in its world. Players appreciate the ability to create their own fantasy scenarios through an editor, allowing for emergent storytelling as they build heroes, technologies, and cities over time. However, some critiques highlight a weak AI that struggles with the game's complex political scenarios, which can detract from the overall experience.
“The combination of wargame and hero management keeps the game fresh and allows for emergent storytelling!”
“The written narrative and backstory to the game is excellent.”
“The game's atmospheric soundtrack and stunning visuals transport you to a realm of wonder and terror, making it easy to become fully invested in the story and its characters.”
“The rest of my time is afk long story.”
“Great design marred by a weak AI that doesn't know how to handle the politically complex multi-agent 'story' scenario that is the capstone for the game.”
“The idea of playing this game with a blank screen and slowly building up your heroes (an immortal race of heroes who work across the ages!), technologies (alchemists! … give them libraries, names and backstory?), diplomacy (emissaries! … again, give them names and backstory?), cities (barracks, markets, etc), and armies, slowly building up across the ages would be awesome.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's strong replayability due to its diverse maps, multiple nations, and extensive content, ensuring that no two playthroughs are alike. The inclusion of modding options and an editor further enhances replay value, allowing for personalized experiences and exploration of various scenarios. Overall, the game is praised for its immersive nature and significant potential for repeated enjoyment.
“The replay value with different maps and many nations just got me more excited.”
“Replay value - no game will be the same.”
“I see a lot of replayability here, and modding potential for all your favorite fantasy settings.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players find it horrendous and repetitive, others praise the atmospheric soundtrack for enhancing the immersive experience and complementing the visuals. Overall, the music is described as phenomenal by some, despite a limited number of tracks, contributing positively to the game's narrative and RPG elements.
“The game's atmospheric soundtrack and stunning visuals transport you to a realm of wonder and terror, making it easy to become fully invested in the story and its characters.”
“The music is phenomenal, even if there are only a few tracks.”
“It has some good music and decent writing that adds much flavor to the locations and RPG elements.”
“The music is horrendous; it sounds like a marching band looped endlessly.”
“The soundtrack is repetitive and lacks any real creativity.”
“The audio quality is poor, making it hard to enjoy the music.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players note that while the game resembles a 4X title, it avoids typical grinding pitfalls by maintaining a consistent level of challenge throughout, preventing the experience from becoming trivial or tedious after achieving certain milestones.
“The game feels like a never-ending grind, where progress is painfully slow and repetitive.”
“Grinding in this game is more of a chore than an enjoyable experience, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“It might seem like a 4X game, but the lack of runaway conditions makes the grinding feel tedious and unfulfilling.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent crashes, softlocks, and PC freezes that hinder gameplay.
“Constant crashes, soft locks, and PC freezes.”
“The game is incredibly unstable, making it nearly unplayable.”
“Frequent crashes ruin the experience and make it frustrating.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmospheric soundtrack and breathtaking visuals create an immersive experience that captivates players, drawing them deeply into the story and its characters.
“The game's atmospheric soundtrack and stunning visuals transport you to a realm of wonder and terror, making it easy to become fully invested in the story and its characters.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its quick turn mechanics and smooth overall performance, indicating effective optimization.
“The turns are quick, and the game's performance is smooth.”
“The optimization allows for seamless gameplay, making every session enjoyable.”
“I appreciate how well-optimized the game is; it runs flawlessly on my system.”
