KINGDOM of the DEAD

About

"Kingdom of the Dead" is a rogue-like first-person shooter set in a sprawling, procedurally generated catacomb. Fight through hordes of the undead using a wide array of weapons, while managing your hunger and sanity. Your ultimate goal is to uncover the mystery behind the kingdom's decay and find a way to escape.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 444 reviews

graphics154 positive mentions

stability38 negative mentions

The game features a unique and visually stunning hand-drawn art style that enhances the overall atmosphere.
The gunplay is satisfying, with a variety of weapons that feel impactful and enjoyable to use.
The level design is diverse, with each level offering distinct environments and challenges.

The AI is simplistic and predictable, often leading to unchallenging encounters.
There are numerous bugs and technical issues, including enemies getting stuck in walls and inconsistent sound design.
The game can feel repetitive, with limited enemy variety and easy boss fights that lack depth.

graphics
280 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
43%
2%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a unique and beautiful hand-drawn art style, primarily in black and white with occasional splashes of color, which many players find captivating and a major draw. However, the visuals can sometimes hinder gameplay due to poor visibility and performance issues, such as frame drops and lack of graphical settings adjustments. Overall, while the aesthetic is praised, it often overshadows the gameplay, which some reviewers found to be mediocre or repetitive.
- “That art style is absolutely downright beautiful, and the ability to change the color scheme whenever is also a really neat addition.”
- “The art style is phenomenal and probably the greatest draw to the game.”
- “The graphical quality (design-style, architecture, etc.) are mesmerizing and are alone worth the cost of the game, but I find the levels intriguing and an element on their own.”
- “Ran poorly, with no way to adjust any major graphical settings other than changing resolution.”
- “This game actually hurt my eyes when playing because of the extreme light and dark employed as a result of the graphic design.”
- “The art style is fine by itself but when you pair it with the lighting and the level design it just doesn't work.”
music
204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
44%
8%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its unique and engaging soundtrack that complements the game's aesthetic, while others criticize it for being overly loud or mismatched with the game's tone. Many players appreciate the retro and synthwave influences, noting that while the music can enhance the atmosphere, it sometimes detracts from immersion or feels out of place. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a highlight for some, but a significant drawback for others, leading to a polarized reception.
- “The music is zany and the color really complements the theme.”
- “Really clever work and fun emergent gameplay with a killer soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is extensive and so so good, perfectly fits the vibe.”
- “The music absolutely ruins the experience, honestly.”
- “Directional audio really isn't much of a thing here, the general sounds of levels are oddly loud and go on far too long, and the music is extremely loud unless turned down from default by a substantial margin.”
- “It doesn't help that the music in the first mission is terrible and completely breaks the immersion.”
gameplay
156 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
70%
8%
The gameplay in "Kingdom of the Dead" is characterized by a simple, run-and-gun mechanic that emphasizes movement and weapon swapping, but it often lacks depth and challenge, leading to a repetitive experience. While the game features a unique visual style and a solid atmosphere, many players feel that it prioritizes aesthetics over gameplay quality, resulting in a mix of fun moments overshadowed by bugs and generic enemy design. Overall, the gameplay is enjoyable for its retro charm but could benefit from more polish and complexity to enhance the overall experience.
- “Gameplay-wise, it’s a run n’ gun shoot 'em up with a heavy focus on movement and agile navigation, swapping weapons to pound the dead back into the dirt with precision aiming and even dishing out a sword that can be charged for a devastating attack!”
- “A unique visual style and a simple but effective gameplay loop with a solid mix of weapons and enemies make for a fun, if short game.”
- “Music is great, visuals are awesome since they recapture the era this type of game was made in, and the gameplay is amazingly fun.”
- “Bosses aren't terribly well done either, dying quickly and not having much to learn mechanically.”
- “Gameplay-wise, Kingdom of the Dead unfortunately does nothing to entice or distinguish itself from many of its superior peers.”
- “But this game is very mediocre in its gameplay, sadly.”
story
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
5%
The game's story is generally described as simple and entertaining, serving primarily as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a deep narrative experience. Players navigate through missions with straightforward objectives, encountering a mix of engaging set pieces and repetitive elements that can lead to a sense of redundancy. While some reviews highlight intriguing story elements and character interactions, the overall execution is seen as lacking depth, with limited replayability and a reliance on familiar tropes.
- “• [u]Intriguing storyline[/u]: the game features a compelling storyline with twists and turns that keep players engaged and eager to uncover the mysteries within.”
- “As she explores the kingdom, she encounters other souls who have not yet fallen under the king of the dead's sway, and they join her in her quest to free the enslaved souls and defeat the king of the dead once and for all.”
- “Though the dialogue and story are limited, they are really well done and set up a compelling vampire hunter D-style relationship between hunter and weapon.”
- “Short review: decent idea, terrible execution: an FPS with horrible sound (not the actual soundtracks, which are... decent, again. but the entire sound system is completely junked), buggy enemies, cliché story (which I believe was the point, but at least give me some humor), terribly trivial bosses and so on and so forth.”
- “Overall every mission has the same pacing of the same weapons with about the same enemies, so it gets redundant quickly and it's not satisfying enough to keep me engaged.”
- “There is a story, but like the more simple games of times past, it is more of a backdrop to the game rather than the driving force behind it.”
atmosphere
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
64%
31%
5%
The atmosphere in "Kingdom of the Dead" is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, featuring a dark, spooky aesthetic complemented by beautiful art direction and a retro-horror soundtrack. Players appreciate the game's ability to create a unique and eerie world that enhances the overall experience, despite some gameplay shortcomings. The combination of atmospheric visuals, sound design, and level uniqueness makes it a standout element of the game, drawing players into its haunting narrative.
- “The immersive atmosphere of Kingdom of the Dead successfully creates a dark and atmospheric world that draws players into its eerie and captivating narrative.”
- “This is a truly unique experience: a brilliant setting with heaps of atmosphere that deserves to be done justice.”
- “The art direction is an obvious standout here, and they've managed to create a really compelling atmosphere to play in.”
- “Just don't look at the trailer and expect the same head-nodding, blood-pumping atmosphere as I did.”
- “Kingdom of the Dead is a bit janky, but I've had a good time with it. I think it's worth playing for the art style and atmosphere alone, if you like how it looks.”
- “To be clear, the overpowering element of this game isn’t just in its gameplay, but in its atmosphere.”
stability
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that disrupt gameplay, such as enemies getting stuck in walls, clipping through geometry, and performance problems on certain platforms. While the visual style is praised, the overall execution is marred by these technical shortcomings, leading many players to express frustration and recommend against it until improvements are made. Overall, the game's stability is considered unacceptably poor, detracting from the experience despite its potential.
- “However, the game is buggy.”
- “Overall, the game is fun, but buggy to an unacceptable degree that prevents me from being able to recommend it.”
- “A game with great style (which is inconsistent in its goals), acceptable substance, but unacceptably buggy gameplay, which is why I refunded it (because numerous times per level on the first level, I was getting stuck in level geometry and either having to hope an enemy knocked me back out of it, or restart the level...because no 'return to checkpoint' button exists).”
optimization
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including poor performance and framerate drops, particularly during boss encounters and in the first level. While it runs on Steam Deck without major visual glitches, controller support is problematic, requiring a mouse for UI navigation. Overall, players feel the game needs several patches to improve performance and quality of life.
- “Steam Deck compatibility: the game technically runs without obvious visual glitches; however, the very first level has performance issues, and the game controller support is incredibly poor, leading to various weird issues and requiring a mouse for the UI.”
- “Just needs a few patches for optimization.”
- “Some bosses have the added 'challenge' of endlessly spawning adds into the arena, which accomplishes little besides being an annoyance and tanking the framerate in a game already suffering from performance issues.”
- “Performance is miserable and has very clearly no proper loading system.”
- “It's just rough, and in desperate need of a patch or two to help performance, explain some things better, quality of life, etc.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as limited, primarily due to the absence of meaningful side quests or alternative paths after completing the main storyline, which may affect its long-term appeal. However, some players find it enjoyable for score-hunting and appreciate its value at a low price point, suggesting it has a decent replay factor for certain audiences. Overall, opinions are mixed, with a significant emphasis on the game's short length impacting replayability.
- “That definitely has some replay value if you're the kind of score-hunter with proficiency in older arena shooters, even if there's no unlockables for any placement.”
- “The fact that it is only $15 at the time of writing this review makes it a must-own with its replay value.”
- “There can be some improvements, but overall this is a fun game with a good replayable factor!”
- “Limited replayability: once the main storyline is completed, the lack of meaningful side quests or alternative paths diminishes the game's replayability, potentially reducing its long-term appeal.”
- “Very short, not sure there's much replayability.”
- “That definitely has some replay value if you're the kind of score-hunter with proficiency in older arena shooters, even if (to my knowledge) there's no unlockables for any placement.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by a dark and absurd tone, blending mundane tasks like killing undead with comedic elements, such as enemies awkwardly fixating on players while fleeing. Players appreciate the entertaining missions and music, though some find the gameplay too easy, which can diminish the challenge and comedic tension. Overall, it strikes a unique balance of humor that is both grim and funny.
- “The music and the missions themselves are definitely entertaining (perhaps lacking in difficulty) and present as humorously mundane as killing droves of undead and sealing portals is quite literally your profession.”
- “Dark, pulpy, funny, and grim, it strikes a singular balance that you really won’t find anywhere else.”
- “I do feel like the game can be a little too easy on some levels even on the hardest difficulty; if you are even an average FPS player on keyboard and mouse, the headshots just stack up, making some fights hilariously easy.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly during combat with non-humanoid enemies that complicate headshot mechanics. Despite this frustration, many suggest that the game is worth purchasing when on sale.
- “The game just felt very tedious by the end, but it is worth picking up while on sale.”
- “When facing non-humanoid enemies that you can't headshot easily with the pistol and rifle, combat becomes tedious.”
- “The game just felt very tedious by the end, but it is worth picking up while on sale.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for its unpolished execution, particularly regarding the integration of ads, which detracts from the overall experience. While the gun mechanics are generally well-received, the awkwardness of ad placement and certain animations, like the revolver selection, contribute to a feeling of sluggishness and lack of refinement.

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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Kingdom of the Dead
Thesixthaxis.com
60%

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4h Median play time

3h Average play time

2-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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