KINGDOM of the DEAD

Kingdom of the Dead is a fast-paced horror FPS with a brilliant aesthetic and soundtrack. Though it lacks polish, this love letter to old school horror games proves to be a fun experience with some fun moments of hopeless terror.

75%Game Brain Score

graphics, music

stability, optimization

79% User Score Based on 252 reviews

Critic Score 71%Based on 9 reviews

Platforms

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About

KINGDOM of the DEAD is a single player shooter game with horror and historical themes. It was developed by DIRIGO GAMES and was released on February 10, 2022. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"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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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 252 reviews

graphics83 positive mentions

stability24 negative mentions

The game features a unique and striking hand-drawn art style that enhances the atmosphere.
The gunplay is satisfying, with a variety of weapons that feel impactful and fun to use.
The level design is diverse and engaging, with distinct environments that keep the gameplay fresh.

The game suffers from technical issues, including frame rate drops and bugs where enemies can get stuck in walls.
Boss fights are often too easy and lack depth, making them less engaging.
The game can feel repetitive due to limited enemy variety and simplistic AI.

graphics
153 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
44%
2%
The graphics of "Kingdom of the Dead" are widely praised for their unique hand-drawn art style, which combines black-and-white visuals with splashes of color to create a striking aesthetic that enhances the game's horror theme. While many players find the visuals captivating and reminiscent of classic FPS games, some note that the dark color palette can hinder visibility and that the animations may feel janky at times. Overall, the art style is considered the game's standout feature, contributing significantly to its atmosphere despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “What immediately sets Kingdom of the Dead apart is its striking hand-drawn aesthetic.”
- “The art style is phenomenal and probably the greatest draw to the game.”
- “Kingdom of the Dead sports a black and white hand-drawn, ink-and-paper art style with splashes of color to accentuate key aspects during the game, such as blood.”
- “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
113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
43%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its unique and atmospheric qualities that enhance the overall experience, particularly in creating a sense of dread and fitting the game's aesthetic. However, some players found the soundtrack to be overpowering or mismatched with the game's tone, leading to a less immersive experience. Overall, while the soundtrack is often highlighted as a standout feature, opinions vary on its effectiveness and integration within the gameplay.
- “The music is great, it really adds to the environment and gives it an extra freaky vibe.”
- “Combined with unsettling sound design and an eerie soundtrack, the game successfully evokes a sense of dread that fits its subject matter.”
- “The music and atmosphere made for a really fun, upbeat yet spooky setting, and I loved the color scheme.”
- “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
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
71%
7%
The gameplay of "Kingdom of the Dead" is characterized by fast-paced, retro-inspired first-person shooter mechanics that evoke the classic 90s era, offering a straightforward loop of enemy waves and exploration. While the game features striking visuals and a unique aesthetic, many players find the mechanics to be shallow and occasionally buggy, leading to a mixed reception regarding depth and challenge. Overall, it provides a fun, albeit short experience, but suffers from technical issues and a lack of innovation in gameplay design.
- “Kingdom of the Dead, developed by Dirigo Games and published by 505 Pulse, is a bold attempt to blend classic first-person shooter gameplay with a uniquely grim visual identity.”
- “The gameplay is fast and familiar, delivering the kind of twitchy, relentless combat that fans of classic shooters crave.”
- “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.”
- “- the prisoner mechanic is just tedious and restarting a level because a trigger to spawn enemies was right near a prisoner is just annoying.”
- “Yet, it's held back by its technical instability, occasionally shallow mechanics, and limited variety in mission structure.”
- “Gameplay-wise, Kingdom of the Dead unfortunately does nothing to entice or distinguish itself from many of its superior peers.”
story
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
70%
4%
The game's story is generally described as simple and episodic, serving primarily as a backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central focus. While some players appreciate its gothic horror elements and intriguing setup, many find the narrative weak, with limited dialogue and shallow character development. Overall, the story provides enough engagement to complement the action but lacks depth and replayability, often feeling repetitive across missions.
- “His mission is to close the gates of death that are allowing monstrous creatures to pour into the world.”
- “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.”
- “While the story is not the main focus, it does a great job of tying the gameplay, supernatural elements, and art style into a genuinely creepy package from start to finish.”
- “The story is simple and episodic, but it serves it well until it is done.”
- “Short review: decent idea, terrible execution: an FPS with a cliché story (which I believe was the point, but at least give me some humor), terribly trivial bosses and so on and so forth.”
- “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
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
31%
9%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its rich, immersive qualities, characterized by a beautiful hand-drawn visual style and an eerie soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the dark, spooky ambiance and unique level designs, which effectively draw them into the game's narrative. Despite some gameplay criticisms, the atmosphere remains a standout feature, making it a compelling reason to engage with the game.
- “Its strongest feature is undoubtedly its atmosphere, supported by a hand-drawn visual style that is both beautiful and unsettling.”
- “The art direction is an obvious standout here, and they've managed to create a really compelling atmosphere to play in.”
- “This is a truly unique experience: a brilliant setting with heaps of atmosphere that deserves to be done justice.”
- “Coming hot off the heels from a massive disappointment, and seeing the amount of character and atmosphere present in just the intro of this made me have high hopes...that were almost immediately dashed to the ground the moment control was assumed, and while the first error was figured out and corrected, the second made the game literally unplayable to me.”
- “Just don't look at the trailer and expect the same head-nodding, blood-pumping atmosphere as I did.”
- “To be clear, the overpowering element of this game isn’t just in its gameplay, but in its atmosphere.”
stability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is notably poor, with numerous reports of bugs and glitches affecting gameplay, such as AI pathing issues, audio problems, and environmental clipping. Players frequently encounter frustrating technical issues, including enemies getting stuck in walls and performance drops, which detract from the overall experience. While the game has potential with its unique visual style, the prevalence of these stability issues has led many to express disappointment and frustration.
- “There have been reports of bugs such as AI pathing issues, audio glitches, and environmental clipping.”
- “A game with great style (which is inconsistent in its goals), acceptable substance, but unacceptably buggy gameplay, which is why I refunded it. 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.”
- “Overall, the game is fun, but buggy to an unacceptable degree that prevents me from being able to recommend it.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant performance issues that vary by system and playstyle. While some enjoy the gameplay, they express frustration over framerate drops, particularly during boss encounters and in the initial levels, indicating a need for patches to improve overall performance and quality of life. Additionally, controller support is criticized, further detracting from the experience.
- “For an indie title of this scale, some rough edges are expected, but it’s important for players to be aware that performance may vary depending on their system and playstyle.”
- “It's just rough, and in desperate need of a patch or two to help performance, explain some things better, quality of life etc.”
- “Kingdom of the Dead has solid combat and good level design, but it's let down by an absence of challenge and some severe performance issues.”
- “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.”
- “Steam Deck compatibility: the game technically runs without obvious visual glitches; however, the very first level has performance issues (the second didn't, didn't test it on all the levels) and the game controller support is incredibly awful. I had all sorts of weird issues, and the UI requires a mouse.”
- “Performance is miserable and has very clearly no proper loading system.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it modestly enjoyable, particularly for score-hunters, many note that the lack of meaningful side quests and alternative paths significantly limits long-term appeal. A few reviews highlight its value at a low price point, suggesting that it offers enough fun to warrant multiple playthroughs, but overall, the consensus leans towards limited replayability after completing the main storyline.
- “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's 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!”
- “Replayability is modest but present.”
- “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.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a dark, pulpy tone that blends the absurdity of mundane tasks, like battling undead, with comedic moments, such as enemies awkwardly fixating on players while fleeing. Players find the humor both entertaining and unique, though some note that the game's ease can diminish the challenge, leading to hilariously simple encounters. Overall, the humor effectively enhances the gameplay experience, making it memorable and engaging.
- “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.”
- “Sometimes I even saw melee enemies running past me while their heads and eyes were fixated on me, and it was funny to see their heads move around to look at me all the time while their bodies were running away to a location where I was before.”
- “Dark, pulpy, funny, and grim, it strikes a singular balance that you really won’t find anywhere else.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to frustrating mechanics like the prisoner system and the need to restart levels. Combat against non-humanoid enemies also contributes to the overall sense of monotony, making the experience feel laborious by the end, though some still recommend it if purchased on sale.
- “The prisoner mechanic is just tedious, and restarting a level because a trigger to spawn enemies was right near a prisoner is just annoying.”
- “The game just felt very tedious by the end, but it is worth picking up while on sale.”
- “Therefore, when you are facing non-humanoid enemies that you can't headshot, as is most easy with the pistol and rifle, combat becomes tedious.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for its unpolished execution, particularly in how ads are integrated, which detracts from the overall experience. While the gun mechanics are generally well-received, the sluggish movement and awkward animations further highlight the need for refinement in the monetization approach.

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71%Critics’ scoreBased on 9 critic reviews

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4h Median play time

5h Average play time

2-10h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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KINGDOM of the DEAD is a shooter game with horror and historical themes.

KINGDOM of the DEAD is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 5 hours playing KINGDOM of the DEAD.

KINGDOM of the DEAD was released on February 10, 2022.

KINGDOM of the DEAD was developed by DIRIGO GAMES.

KINGDOM of the DEAD has received mostly positive reviews from both players and critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its stability.

KINGDOM of the DEAD is a single player game.

Similar games include Forgive Me Father, Vomitoreum, Forgive Me Father 2, Blood West, Project Warlock II and others.

KINGDOM of the DEAD

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