Kingsgrave
- April 17, 2024
- Egg or Chicken Games
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"Kingsgrave" is a single-player Role Playing game where you play as a monarch rising from slumber to save your kingdom from a deadly disease. Restore the kingdom by unlocking new abilities, building houses, and slaying enemies to bring the smallfolk back home. Banish the plague creatures, sharpen your combat skills, and obtain more power to clear the lands of rotting monsters and bring life back to the wastelands. The game takes about 5 hours to beat.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Xbox
Reviews
- Kingsgrave offers a charming and nostalgic gameplay experience reminiscent of classic Zelda games, with engaging exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat mechanics.
- The game features a satisfying progression system where players can unlock new abilities and upgrades by rebuilding their kingdom and solving puzzles, providing a sense of accomplishment.
- Despite its short length, the game is enjoyable and well-priced, making it a good choice for players looking for a fun, casual gaming experience.
- The combat system is often criticized for being clunky and slow, with long cooldowns and spongy enemies that can make battles feel tedious.
- Many players found the lack of guidance and direction frustrating, leading to confusion about where to go next and how to solve certain puzzles.
- The story is minimal and lacks depth, with a lackluster ending that leaves players wanting more in terms of narrative and character development.
- gameplay36 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a core loop of exploration, combat, puzzle-solving, and resource management, which many players find engaging and enjoyable. However, some critiques highlight a lack of depth in mechanics and storytelling, with certain gameplay elements feeling obscure or underdeveloped. Overall, while the game offers a fun and chill experience, it may not satisfy those seeking a more challenging or intricate gameplay experience.
“The core gameplay loop is explore, fight, solve puzzles, obtain new abilities, gear and upgrades, and rebuild your kingdom using the resources you find and survivors you rescue along the way.”
“The gameplay is engaging and keeps you hooked from start to finish.”
“An interesting metroidvania wrapped in a simple, but gradually becoming more complicated action gameplay, with a sprinkle of well-calculated resource management, and entertaining puzzles.”
“The actual gameplay loop and purpose leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Too short, lack of content, and seriously lacking the most basic descriptions and instructions for gameplay.”
“The combat was awkward and the gameplay loop quickly grew boring.”
- story26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story in the game is largely considered minimal and lacking depth, with many players describing it as bare-bones and not particularly engaging. While some appreciate the unique aesthetic and gameplay mechanics, the absence of a compelling narrative or character development leaves much to be desired, making it feel more like a casual experience rather than a rich storytelling adventure. Overall, players suggest that the game could benefit from a more fleshed-out story to enhance the overall experience.
“Players will navigate through a dark, story-rich world filled with intricate puzzles.”
“I enjoy the aesthetic, and while I don't have a firm grasp on anything significant story-wise, the gameplay is enough to keep me going.”
“Many people will no doubt say that a game doesn't need to have a story or NPCs to interact with, and these people would be correct for many titles, but Kingsgrave doesn't feel like one of those games.”
“Story is pretty bare-bones.”
“But there is nothing to get invested about in the story or characters.”
“There is no story or world here.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful pixel art and nostalgic charm reminiscent of classic Zelda titles, creating an immersive and aesthetically pleasing experience. While some players noted that the visuals alone may not compensate for other gameplay shortcomings, the overall artistic style contributes positively to the enjoyment of the game. The rich environments and engaging artwork enhance the fun, making it a worthwhile choice for fans of pixel graphics and action RPGs.
“Rich map with lots of little puzzles and battles whilst surrounded by glorious artwork.”
“Graphics: beautiful pixel art.”
“This game brings back the nostalgic vibes of the original Zelda with its charming graphics and immersive world.”
“I think there could be something here if the creators refined at least one aspect of the game, whether it be combat, management, story or visuals.”
“I can live with games with clunky combat but a good story or poor visuals, but interesting resource management decisions.”
“Very fun game and well worth it if you like pixel graphics and unique action RPGs.”
- grinding13 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some appreciate the balance between challenges and the engaging progression system, many describe it as tedious and repetitive, particularly in resource farming and exploration. The combat can feel monotonous, and the necessity to grind for materials or upgrades detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a perception of the game as casual and lacking depth.
“Even after unlocking more weapons and upgrades, it feels really tedious, and combat is the primary verb throughout the game.”
“Having to farm life essence for other resources can get tedious, and the hit detection of some weapons (the spear) could be a lot better.”
“Terrible unrewarding mandatory exploration, everything is basically a giant fetch quest, combat is an absolute braindead slog, and the final boss is just AoE spam that requires you to either spend half an hour running around it poking single hits before dodging away, or run around grinding resources for twice that long just so you can up your damage to only spend 20 minutes running around in circles hunting and pecking instead.”
- music6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its epic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience, setting the perfect tone for gameplay. However, some users noted that the transitions between different music themes could be jarring, occasionally creating a sense of urgency even in calm moments. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature deserving of special attention.
“🎨 and let's not forget about the epic soundtrack, which sets the perfect tone for your conquests.”
“Gameplay - good, music - good, design - awesome!”
“[u] the music and sound are worthy of special attention.”
“While not a bug, the music kind of swung between normal and what I assume was a battle theme, which was slightly annoying and made me think I was in danger even when there was nothing on screen.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game is described as a short indie experience, lasting around 4-5 hours, with minimal replayability. While players enjoyed it, many recommend waiting for a sale due to its brevity and lack of content to revisit.
“Quite a chill and short indie game, not much replayability, but worth it for what it is.”
“Personally loved the game; I would recommend waiting for a sale though since it's a bit short (about 4-5 hours to beat the game + 1 hour to finish off the achievements) with no replayability.”
“But unfortunately, I don't believe there is any replay value at the current point.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits stability issues, particularly with achievements that may unlock prematurely or fail to activate as intended. Overall, while some players find these bugs minor, they contribute to a perception of the game being somewhat unstable.
“Achievements are pretty buggy - not a big deal to me, but some will unlock early and others will not unlock when they should.”
“The game is somewhat buggy.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a gloomy ambiance that complements the gameplay, enhanced by metroidvania elements, all while being offered at a great price.
“It's all about gameplay and a nice atmosphere.”
“Gloomy atmosphere, elements of metroidvania, great price.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted as amusing, but some players feel it falls short compared to similar titles, particularly those with more engaging mechanics like auto ranged attacks.
