Kingdom: New Lands

73%
Game Brain Score Based on 7,738 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
Kingdom: New Lands Game Cover
Set forth and conquer the lands in this brilliant strategy title
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Kingdom: New Lands is a 2D side-scrolling strategy game where you play as a monarch building and defending your kingdom against nightly attacks from mysterious creatures. Explore new lands, gather resources, and recruit loyal subjects to help grow and protect your realm. With each playthrough offering a unique experience, it's up to you to adapt your strategy and survive the ever-changing landscapes and challenges.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Android
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Tablet
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

73%
Audience ScoreBased on 7,738 reviews
gameplay497 positive mentions
grinding176 negative mentions
  • gameplay1,602 mentions

    The gameplay of "Kingdom: New Lands" is characterized by its simple mechanics and minimalist design, which some players find addictive and engaging, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking depth. Many reviews highlight the steep learning curve due to poorly explained mechanics, leading to frustration, especially when mistakes can result in significant setbacks. Overall, the game offers a blend of strategic planning and resource management, but its pacing and reliance on trial-and-error can detract from the experience for some players.

    • “The gameplay is unique, the pixel art is great, the music is beautiful, and it requires well-thought-out strategies to win, which is quite challenging.”
    • “The gameplay combines elements of resource management, exploration, and tower defense, providing a rich and engaging experience.”
    • “The simplicity of the visuals belies the complexity of the gameplay, creating a unique and enchanting experience.”
    • “I spent 4 hours in the game, and another 1 reading tutorials, and I still don't understand some of the mechanics.”
    • “The game seems great and I want to play it, but everything in the gameplay is horrible and time-wasting.”
    • “The poorly explained, highly repetitive gameplay gets frustrating very quickly.”
  • graphics918 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful pixel art style, which combines simplicity with stunning visual effects like dynamic weather and day-night cycles. Many players find the art style charming and immersive, enhancing the overall gameplay experience, while the accompanying soundtrack further elevates the aesthetic appeal. However, some critiques mention that the graphics may not appeal to everyone, particularly those who prefer more modern visuals.

    • “The game design/graphics: everything from the characters & animals, to the scenery, lighting, the weather that changes with the seasons... it's stunning if you like the pixel art style.”
    • “The game's pixel art style blends beauty and simplicity, creating a visually captivating experience.”
    • “The graphics are a love letter to classic pixel games, but utilized in brilliant fashion, with real-time reflections in the ever-present water, and dynamic lighting based on time of day and how deep you have ventured into the woods.”
    • “It's tedious, it's unintuitive, it's boring... so many decisions to keep its aesthetic purity just make the game a big failure to me as a player.”
    • “As expected from any modern 'charming' indie game, it's just a brick of shit slathered in nice pixel graphics with calm music to appeal to a very bland audience.”
    • “Gameplay is quite good, but these graphics are terrible.”
  • music874 mentions

    The music in "Kingdom: New Lands" is widely praised for its beautiful and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the game's serene and immersive experience. Players appreciate the soundtrack's ability to evoke emotions, with tracks that range from calming to eerie, perfectly complementing the pixel art visuals. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's charm and replayability.

    • “The music is fitting too, mostly peaceful and relaxed, other times eerie and foreboding, very well composed.”
    • “The ambient sound design, combined with the mesmerizing soundtrack, sets the mood and draws you into the world.”
    • “The music and ambience is amazing and I can lose myself for hours, I've played it heaps on my phone too.”
    • “The soundtrack of the previous game is reused, along with new ones for this game, which hold up to the quality of the previous tracks.”
    • “I mean, I have the kingdom 'classic, new lands & two crowns' but still if I want the OST for Kingdom New Lands, I am going to have to buy the game again.”
    • “The music is appropriate and non-persistent, being used to maximum effect by setting the mood of a new day, or the ominous horror of trying to endure a blood moon as you sit helplessly and pray that your defenses hold out until morning.”
  • atmosphere256 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Kingdom: New Lands" is widely praised for its beautiful pixel art, immersive soundtracks, and a calming yet engaging environment that enhances the gameplay experience. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a serene and enchanting world, balancing moments of tranquility with the tension of strategic survival. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals and atmospheric music contributes to a captivating and memorable gaming experience.

    • “Kingdom: New Lands excels in creating an immersive and atmospheric experience.”
    • “The atmosphere created by the art style and music in this 'expansion' is downright mesmerizing at times.”
    • “One of the best indie games I have had the pleasure of playing, it is relaxing with a haunting atmosphere and makes for a good time whether you have 5 minutes or 5 hours.”
    • “The relaxing atmosphere is completely destroyed by the massive amounts of frustration I've experienced in simply learning how to play the game.”
    • “Don't let the relaxing atmosphere fool you, it can be very unforgiving.”
    • “So while I recommend it, I'm only recommending it under specific circumstances, one that you're really into tower defense strategy type games where you build up an army and do upgrades, you really like the atmosphere and look of this game, and if you're not a hundred percent on those then at least make sure to get this game on sale for five to ten dollars, it's really not worth more than that.”
  • story220 mentions

    The game's story is largely criticized for its minimal presence, with many users noting that it lacks a coherent narrative or depth, making gameplay feel repetitive. While some appreciate the atmospheric and environmental storytelling that allows for personal interpretation, others express a desire for a more structured storyline to enhance the experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that while the game can be enjoyable, it would benefit significantly from a more developed narrative.

    • “It's story rich, immersive, exciting, and fun to play!”
    • “The subtle hints and environmental storytelling add layers to the world without the need for explicit narratives, letting players create their own stories through their kingdom-building endeavors.”
    • “Beautiful original soundtrack, amazing pixel art graphics, and a very mysterious backstory to the land.”
    • “The only problem with this game is a lack of story because without the story the gameplay is quite repetitive and by the first hour you have almost seen everything this game has to offer.”
    • “There's not really any story or ending, it's just a big loop.”
    • “If you're looking for a game with a story, a game with high quality graphics, or a game with depth then don't buy this game.”
  • grinding202 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players describing it as tedious, repetitive, and often frustrating. Many reviews highlight the excessive back-and-forth movement required for tasks, the slow pace of gameplay, and the lack of engaging mechanics, leading to a feeling of monotony. While some players find initial enjoyment, the grind quickly becomes a chore, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “Repetition is not tedious.”
    • “There is no farming mechanics, only slots you can hold: you have small waterfalls marking where they can be placed.”
    • “A bit grindy...sometimes.”
    • “This game gets tedious real fast, frankly.”
    • “It's incredibly tedious and is almost a waiting simulator, but these negative qualities are redeemed by the graphics and music.”
    • “Once you have found a winning strategy, there is little to no reason to deviate from it and the soothing and calming slow pace of the game tends to become tedious with the added repetitions.”
  • replayability193 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising the added content and unlockables that enhance replay value, while others find it limited due to repetitive mechanics across similar islands. Many appreciate the engaging gameplay and procedural elements that offer a fresh experience with each playthrough, but some feel that once the game is mastered, it lacks long-term appeal. Overall, the new version has improved replayability compared to the original, but opinions vary on its longevity.

    • “A remarkably polished, minimalist strategy with surprising depth and plenty of replayability.”
    • “The mechanics are incredibly easy to learn, but hard to master, so it has great replayability.”
    • “Fast play, beautiful atmospheric artwork and soundtrack, thoughtful mechanic balancing, and an overall well-rounded gaming experience that offers great replayability.”
    • “Limited replayability (same mechanics in all the islands), gets repetitive fast.”
    • “I had a lot of fun with this game for the first dozen hours, but despite the significant improvements made from Kingdom Classic, it still lacks the long-term replay value to keep you coming back.”
    • “There is a point when you've explored everything it has to offer and most probably won't consider it replayable past that.”
  • stability52 mentions

    The game has been consistently criticized for its stability issues, with players reporting persistent bugs such as disappearing characters, erratic AI behavior, and performance problems across multiple years. While some improvements have been noted, many users still experience significant glitches that can disrupt gameplay, leading to frustration and a lack of confidence in the game's reliability. Overall, the game's stability remains a major concern, detracting from an otherwise enjoyable experience.

    • “The game is mostly bug-free, but I have encountered one bug consistently: once an order has been placed with a coin (like telling workers to chop down a tree), that order can be ignored by all workers until you save, quit, and reload your save.”
    • “It's a neat game, but it is so buggy.”
    • “I can't recommend a product where success is ruined because the game is buggy.”
    • “The game is a bit buggy, especially concerning the AI of your villagers; sometimes this can be fixed by saving and reloading your game, but often I have lost half a village because I assigned a tree to be cut down in an area that was then overrun by monsters.”
  • humor30 mentions

    The humor in the game is often described as a mix of absurdity and frustration, with players finding amusement in the quirky behaviors of NPCs and unexpected glitches, such as a king glitching out of a boat. While some mechanics can be overly punishing, many players appreciate the comedic elements that arise from chaotic situations, like builders ignoring their tasks to engage with enemies. Overall, the game balances humor with challenge, creating a unique and entertaining experience.

    • “I'm a souls player, so rage quitting is very familiar to me, but let me tell you; there is nothing like watching all 8 of your builders run straight out of the village and into the enemy just to push a goddamn boat that should be sailing on its own anyway; which is hilarious considering the only build order the builders do ignore to run behind the walls is building the boat.”
    • “The only odd occurrence was that when leaving the island, my king decided to glitch out of the boat and left the screen, but that did not affect my progress in the game as I was able to move on to the next island anyway... so that was rather hilarious than frustrating.”
    • “It's funny that you can play this game with four buttons and still find a reasonable challenge.”
    • “Not funny”
    • “Not funny”
  • emotional20 mentions

    The game evokes strong emotional responses from players, particularly through the heart-wrenching experience of losing a beloved pet dog, which many found deeply affecting. Its poetic and beautiful presentation, combined with a minimalistic yet evocative soundtrack, enhances the emotional connection to the game world, despite some players feeling a sense of futility in their efforts as they progress. Overall, it fosters a wholesome yet challenging atmosphere that can lead to significant emotional investment.

    • “When you find the pet dog, look after them well; the enemies can take the dog and run, which was heartbreaking!”
    • “Beware, you can develop a strong emotional attachment to your new little kingdom.”
    • “This is one of those games that manage to feel poetic, beautiful, and touching, while actually offering really interesting gameplay.”
  • optimization18 mentions

    The game's optimization appears to be inconsistent, with some users experiencing severe stuttering and performance issues on high-end rigs, while others report smooth gameplay even on low-spec machines. Troubleshooting suggests potential problems with multithreading, as adjusting core affinity can alleviate some issues but introduces others, indicating a need for further optimization. Overall, the game's performance varies significantly depending on the hardware configuration.

    • “Runs smoothly even on a potato-powered laptop.”
    • “Originally, I believe this was a mobile game, and I have to say this is an amazing port to the PC because of the great optimization. Though the controls are very simplistic, the gameplay itself requires time to understand its underpinnings.”
    • “I feel that the game is best played with optimization in mind and with the goal of leaving each island as quickly as possible.”
    • “I couldn't get this game to stop stuttering on my Alienware.”
    • “I get constant frame skips, stutters, and abysmal performance on a high-end gaming rig that has 6 cores at 3.8GHz, 64GB of RAM, and a 980Ti with a 144Hz G-Sync display. After a couple of hours of troubleshooting, I'm starting to suspect sloppy multithreading code. If I set the affinity of the process to a single core, the framerate smooths out, but I'll see the core spike and then the audio thread starts glitching and stuttering. If I set the game to use more than one core, there are no audio glitches, but I start getting framerate hiccups and stutters. YMMV.”
    • “Severe performance issues.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling that it detracts from the overall experience. Users have noted long startup times and excessive advertising for other titles, which undermines the game's initial appeal and leads to disappointment regarding promised new features.

    • “The game is gorgeous and I loved it at first, but it became a cash grab, convoluted, and pretentious for no reason.”
    • “- Oddly long startup time for a new game with ads from the developers' other games.”
    • “- The advertising would have you believe that there are new features, such as new mounts (bears and elks) and new characters.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

Buy Kingdom: New Lands

Play time

20hMedian play time
50hAverage play time
10hMain story
37hCompletionist
6-70hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 68 analyzed playthroughs

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