Necroking

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 209 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Necroking Game Cover
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"Necroking" is a single-player Adventure game where you become the Necroking, harnessing dark necromancy powers to command an army of undead minions and conquer desecrated settlements. With real-time tactical gameplay, vast skull deckbuilding, and roguelite elements, every playthrough is unique with procedurally generated levels and unpredictable challenges. The pixel art visuals immerse you in a beautifully haunting world.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

84%
Audience ScoreBased on 209 reviews
gameplay27 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game offers a fun and engaging deck-building experience with a charming necromancer theme and cute pixel art.
  • It provides good replayability with multiple difficulty levels and a variety of units and strategies to explore.
  • The price is very reasonable for the amount of content and enjoyment it offers, making it a great value.
  • The game can feel too easy and repetitive, especially on lower difficulty levels, leading to a lack of challenge.
  • There are issues with balancing, as certain units and strategies can dominate gameplay, reducing the need for diverse deck-building.
  • The game suffers from some bugs and UI issues that can disrupt the experience, such as slow loading times and unclear mechanics.
  • gameplay66 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a mix of engaging mechanics, including a unique deck-building system and turn-based combat that allows for strategic depth, though it suffers from a lack of challenge and depth as players quickly master the systems. While many players appreciate the polished design and addictive nature, some criticize the repetitive gameplay and excess mechanics that feel tacked-on, leading to a sense of missed potential. Overall, the game offers a fun experience with captivating art and sound, but it may not provide enough variety or difficulty to sustain long-term interest.

    • “The mechanics to change up battles can be quite interesting with units flung around or the turn order reversing every turn; I quite enjoyed it and it occasionally caught me in a misplay.”
    • “The gameplay system is so interesting and fresh, but it's held back by a lack of progression.”
    • “With over 30 types of units and real-time strategic gameplay, the game offers an experience that’s both accessible and deep, making it ideal for relaxed sessions as well as strategic challenges.”
    • “It's not and you can see that a lot of effort has gone into the game but there's a lack of descriptions and direction in the game. There isn't really a difficulty curve that encourages players to develop better strategies and a better deck over time, and there's a glut of excess resources and mechanics that don't really do much and feel pretty tacked-on.”
    • “Simply put: this game is a thousand yards long and as shallow as a puddle; entire systems and gameplay loops are broken due to poor design choices.”
    • “The only flaw is the lack of depth and lack of difficulty; it is tremendously fun to learn the battle system and learn the many mechanics powering the various units, but once one understands how the game works, completing it on the highest difficulty is trivial.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style and smooth animations, creating an appealing aesthetic that enhances the overall experience. While some reviewers note minor issues and a lack of subtlety in execution, the art direction is generally considered a strong point, contributing to the game's fun and casual atmosphere. Overall, the visuals are described as cute, well-crafted, and a significant factor in the game's addictiveness and enjoyment.

    • “The pixel graphics and animations are excellent, smooth, and charming.”
    • “Graphics and audio are top tier, the gameplay is simple but hard to master, and the overall feel of the game is incredibly addicting and well polished.”
    • “The mechanics are unique, the cards have pretty cool abilities, and the art style is amazing.”
  • story17 mentions

    The game's story is generally considered minimal and simplistic, often described as a basic quest to defeat an evil king, with a mix of charming characters and a light-hearted tone that contrasts with its darker themes. While some players appreciate the cute and subversive take on the necromancer archetype, others find the narrative lacking depth and coherence, leading to mixed feelings about its overall execution. Despite these criticisms, the story serves as a backdrop to the engaging deck-building mechanics and replayability, making it a fun experience for those who prioritize gameplay over narrative complexity.

    • “It's a fun deck builder with a bit of story to make the first complete run more interesting.”
    • “Charming story where the lich for once is not the antagonist.”
    • “It has a well-made turn-based combat and a fun and flexible deck-building mechanic with resource management aspects that adds more to the strategic aspect of the game, a good challenge depending on the difficulty level with many different biomes, a great assortment of cards and a story that develops in complexity along with your progress, the characters are simple yet quite appealing in an exquisite pixel art style.”
    • “Also the story is next to nonexistent.”
    • “Instead the 'story' boils down to 'go kill the evil human king that is more evil than you'.”
    • “5) story can be improved significantly.”
  • music12 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding the overworld tracks cute and enjoyable, while others criticize the battle music as boring and repetitive. While the soundtrack is described as mediocre by some, others appreciate its retro vibe and how it complements the game's art style. Overall, the music is seen as functional but not universally appealing, with a desire for more variety and depth in future installments.

    • “The art style and music is a great plus, too.”
    • “Cool pixel art and retro soundtrack, very cheap for how much fun I had.”
    • “What I like though, is the concept, art style, music (which is quite groovy) and the atmosphere.”
    • “The music direction, while not directly offensive, gets really stale after a while. The game is just too easy, and yet from what I hear, the hardest difficulty isn't really even 'hard,' just really long and tedious.”
    • “The soundtrack is mediocre.”
    • “The overworld music is somewhat cute, but the 'music' during the fights, even the boss fights, is just really boring.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many players enjoying the variety of cards and gameplay mechanics that encourage multiple playthroughs. While some users noted a lack of replay value after completing the game, the majority found it fun and worth revisiting, especially for achievement hunters. The balance of gameplay and engaging art style further enhances its replayability appeal.

    • “The variety of cards and combinations offer a great replayability value.”
    • “Tons of replayability, solid pixel art, fun gameplay loop, amazing price!”
    • “Well turns out to be pretty fun, well balanced, and replay value is also high.”
    • “I would rank this 8/10, fun game, very enjoyable, but those minor flaws take a toll on the score. Now that I've finished the game, there's no replayability to it, I would guess.”
    • “In-game or map events could also increase replayability.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and monotonous, with early farming activities feeling repetitive. While there are more units to unlock, they are often hidden behind excessive grinding, leading to a sense of frustration rather than engagement. The game's difficulty does not significantly enhance the experience, as it primarily extends the grinding process.

    • “But unfortunately, it quickly turns into a farming game.”
    • “I see that there are more units in the game, but they're hidden behind hours of grinding.”
    • “E.g. early game farming souls is monotonous.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its unique blend of groovy music, engaging pixel art, and a strong art style, which together create an immersive experience. The incorporation of roguelite elements and procedurally generated levels further enhances the atmosphere by ensuring each playthrough feels fresh and distinct.

    • “What I like though, is the concept, art style, music (which is quite groovy) and the atmosphere.”
    • “It's got a great atmosphere, really good style, and unique gameplay.”
    • “The roguelite elements, procedurally generated levels, and an extensive unlockable skill tree ensure fresh, unique runs, while its pixel art creates an immersive atmosphere.”
  • humor2 mentions

    The humor in the game is described as genuinely good, with a particular fondness for the "sp00ky skeletons" and their comedic appeal, earning an overall positive reception.

    • “Has genuinely good humor, and the spooky skeletons are always the best, especially the spooky funny skeletons.”
    • “I like the funny bone man! 8/10 :)”
  • optimization2 mentions

    Players have noted that while they can optimize their gameplay, doing so often leads to a significant slowdown in the game's pace, particularly on higher difficulty levels where resource conservation is crucial. This results in prolonged battles that can extend for dozens of rounds, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “Even in spite of every problem the game has, I persevered and learned, optimizing my gameplay, until I realized that doing so would dramatically slow the game down.”
    • “Even in spite of every aforementioned problem the game has, I may have persevered and learned, and optimized my gameplay, until I realized that doing so would dramatically slow the game down.”
    • “On the highest difficulty, at the most optimized level of play, where the player is forced to be as conservative as possible with their resources, fights that are four to five enemy 'waves' long can take dozens of rounds.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Users express frustration with the game's auto-pause feature, which interrupts the emotional engagement during battles, as it detracts from the immersive experience and the intensity of gameplay.

  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization of the game has been criticized for deceptive advertising and poor design, leading reviewers to recommend avoiding it altogether.

    • “I have to recommend that people avoid this game due to deceptive advertising as well as the fact that it's not a well-designed game at all.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

6hMedian play time
6hAverage play time
6-6hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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