Kingdom Shell
- October 5, 2023
- Cup of Pixels
- 20h median play time
Get on SteamIn Kingdom Shell, the magical Shell that protects the Kingdom has shattered, unleashing nightmarish creatures. Players control Elias, a half-blood who may be the Kingdom's only hope. Explore the Kingdom, battle enemies, complete quests, and engage in challenging boss fights, all presented in stunning hand-drawn pixel art. Stop the impending catastrophe and uncover the Kingdom's lore.
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful pixel art and a captivating atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
- Combat mechanics are enjoyable, with a variety of bosses that provide a fair challenge and require players to learn their patterns.
- Exploration is rewarding, with numerous secrets and upgrades to discover, making backtracking feel worthwhile.
- The healing system is frustrating, as players must purchase potions that do not refill at checkpoints, leading to potential resource management issues.
- The game has a steep difficulty curve, especially in the early stages, which may deter newcomers to the genre.
- Some design choices, such as the limited camera controls and inconsistent hitboxes, can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- story56 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story in "Kingdom Shell" is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of rich lore inspired by ancient fairy tales and folklore, but often delivered in cryptic snippets that can be hard to follow. While some players appreciate the engaging narrative and environmental storytelling, others find it generic or overly complex, with a lack of urgency and coherence. Overall, the game offers a compelling yet uneven storytelling experience that complements its exploration and gameplay elements.
“The narrative draws from ancient fairy tales and folklore, offering a compelling storyline that unfolds as players progress.”
“The world of Kingdom Shell is really cool and the environmental storytelling is gripping.”
“Unique and interesting story that leans towards darker themes of prejudice, classism, and grief, among other facets.”
“The story is impossible to follow; the pause menu desperately needs some kind of dialog log system that allows you to keep track of what has happened in this world.”
“The story was a bit cryptic, but it kind of made sense in the end when I got all of the lore.”
“That said, there's no urgency to anything; the story pieces often come as something of a side thought, with random NPCs popping up to provide exposition on nouns that you've long forgotten.”
- gameplay43 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is characterized by engaging combat mechanics and exploration, with a mix of platforming and unique boss encounters that enhance the overall experience. However, players have noted issues with the death penalty system and some platforming mechanics that can feel inconsistent. While the game offers a solid metroidvania experience with diverse environments and secrets, it lacks innovation and can be frustrating for those not skilled in the genre.
“A charming metroidvania with fairly typical upgrades and some nice combat mechanics.”
“If you like exploration, smooth mechanics, and perfectly enjoyable difficulty, this is an excellent metroidvania.”
“The game is an enjoyable experience that focuses on exploration with different environments and well-done graphics and gameplay.”
“One drawback is the penalty for dying, which is mechanically gloating, as if death alone wasn't punishment enough. I handily avoided it by just quitting on death (or quitting before I died if a boss fight was going poorly) until the very end.”
“The dev is extremely hardworking in fixing some of the more egregious bugs in the game, but unfortunately, the more I play, the more I realize the problems with this game are in its fundamentals, such as the game economics, death mechanics, level design, and enemy design.”
“I'd say my biggest critique of the game is the death mechanic.”
- music29 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many players praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the visuals. While some tracks are described as calming and fitting for various environments, others noted that certain biomes feature repetitive music that can become grating over time. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a strong aspect of the game, contributing to its unique personality and enjoyment.
“The gorgeous visuals are accompanied by a fitting soundtrack that, while a bit more on the retro side, still felt like it belonged.”
“Shoutout to the excellent soundtrack as well; Samdee nailed the vibe on every track and really elevates each location.”
“Overall, the atmosphere and soundtrack of this game is great.”
“The music is irritatingly repetitive, the heal system cripples your desire to actually fight anything or explore, and the camera/screen judders whenever it scrolls in classic GameMaker Studio 2 style.”
“By that point, the repetitive music tracks of the first two biomes had been grating on me.”
“At first, I thought the music was alright, but after 15 minutes in either of the first two biomes, the tracks actually get very annoyingly repetitive because they repeat the same short pattern, just in different ways.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 77 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received praise for their beautiful pixel art and unique aesthetic, with many reviewers highlighting the charming and whimsical art style that enhances the overall experience. While some areas, particularly the early biomes, are noted as lacking detail compared to later sections like "top city," the varied environments and smooth animations contribute to a visually engaging exploration. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, complementing the gameplay and atmosphere effectively.
“Very good metroidvania with beautiful pixel graphics.”
“Great pixel art graphics, smooth animations, a solid soundtrack and challenge that ramps up over the course of the game.”
“Gorgeous graphics that showcase the varied game environments and enemies.”
“Overall, the aesthetic is somewhere between blasphemous and Momodora.”
“The map itself opens up nicely after the halfway point, with the artistic design and aesthetic of the top city and royal palace being truly excellent, but the early portions of the game lack that general flair and, in the case of the sewers, are truly basic and almost unfinished-looking in comparison.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its captivating pixel art, atmospheric lighting, and a strong soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the unique and immersive world, complemented by interesting text and artistic designs, creating a somewhat gloomy yet beautiful ambiance. Despite some mixed opinions on gameplay, the atmospheric elements remain a standout feature.
“The game features detailed pixel art and atmospheric lighting, creating a visually stunning and immersive world.”
“Overall, the atmosphere and soundtrack of this game is great.”
“I just started playing it and I can say that I love it; good artistic designs, beautiful atmosphere, good bosses, good soundtrack.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find grinding largely unnecessary as enemies primarily drop gold coins rather than experience or valuable items. While traversal between areas is generally smooth, some feel that save points are too sparse and distant from bosses, leading to minimal grinding needed at the beginning of the endgame.
“Grinding is unnecessary because enemies do not drop experience or valuable items other than gold coins.”
“Some grinding is required at the start of the endgame.”
“Traversal between areas was generally non-tedious, although certain save points were a bit too far from the bosses and a bit scarce.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game's optimization is excellent, with flawless performance and a high level of polish.
“Lastly, there's performance and polish, which I'm happy to report were both flawless.”
“Good performance.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users express confusion regarding the emotional dynamics of character interactions, particularly how certain enemies exhibit inconsistent behaviors towards player engagement, such as allowing or disallowing physical contact in different contexts. This inconsistency may detract from the emotional immersion and coherence of the game's narrative.
