Necroking

84%
Game Brain Score Based on 201 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 201 reviews
gameplay26 positive mentions
grinding5 negative mentions
  • The game features charming pixel art and animations, creating an enjoyable visual experience.
  • It offers a fun and addictive deck-building mechanic with a variety of units and strategies to explore.
  • The gameplay is accessible for newcomers while still providing depth for experienced players, making it a great entry point into the genre.
  • The game can become repetitive quickly, especially as the difficulty is low and the combat lacks variety.
  • There are significant balancing issues, with some units being overpowered and the overall challenge diminishing as players progress.
  • The deck resets after each chapter, which undermines the sense of progression and can lead to a lack of motivation to continue playing.
  • gameplay66 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by clear and accessible mechanics that allow for strategic depth, though many players find it becomes repetitive and lacks meaningful challenge over time. While the deck-building and resource management elements are engaging, there are concerns about the game's balance, depth, and clarity, with some feeling that it has untapped potential and could benefit from further refinement. Overall, the game offers a fun experience with a charming aesthetic, but it may not sustain long-term interest due to its simplicity and lack of progression.

    • “The gameplay is really fun and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys deck-building roguelikes!”
    • “It's got a great atmosphere, really good style, and unique gameplay.”
    • “The mechanics are unique, the cards have pretty cool abilities, and the art style is amazing.”
    • “It's not that the game lacks effort, but there's a significant absence of descriptions and direction. The gameplay doesn't encourage players to develop better strategies or decks over time, as there is very little strategy required and not much synergy between cards.”
    • “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 difficulty; it is tremendously fun to learn the battle system and the various mechanics, but once one understands how the game works, completing it on the highest difficulty is trivial.”
  • graphics16 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style and smooth animations, creating an adorable and engaging aesthetic. Reviewers appreciate the artistic direction, noting that the visuals enhance the overall experience, even if some feel the gameplay could have been more thoughtfully integrated with the art. Overall, the graphics are considered top-tier, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and atmosphere.

    • “The pixel graphics and animations are excellent, smooth, and charming.”
    • “I love this game: it's simple, fun, super cute, and I dig the pixel fantasy aesthetic.”
    • “The mechanics are unique, the cards have pretty cool abilities, and the art style is amazing.”
  • story16 mentions

    The game's story is described as minimal and somewhat simplistic, primarily revolving around the quest to defeat an evil king, which some players found underwhelming or misleading compared to the advertised "dark and twisted journey." While the narrative features charming characters and a unique twist on the typical necromancer trope, it lacks depth and engagement, leading to mixed feelings about its execution. Overall, the story serves as a light backdrop to the gameplay rather than a central focus, with potential for improvement noted by several reviewers.

    • “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'.”
    • “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.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability due to a variety of cards and combinations, engaging gameplay, and solid pixel art. However, some users noted that once completed, the game may lack replay value, suggesting that additional in-game events could enhance this aspect. Despite minor flaws, many players find it enjoyable and worth revisiting.

    • “The variety of cards and combinations offer a great replayability value.”
    • “Tons of replayability, solid pixel art, fun gameplay loop, amazing price!”
    • “Nice game, cheap and has a lot of replayability.”
    • “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 tasks feeling repetitive and unchallenging. While there are more units to unlock, they are often hidden behind excessive grinding, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment. Many feel that the game could benefit from a more balanced approach to unit availability to enhance long-term engagement.

    • “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

    Reviewers praise the game's atmosphere, highlighting its groovy music, unique art style, and immersive pixel art that enhance the overall experience. The combination of roguelite elements and procedurally generated levels contributes to a fresh and engaging environment, making each playthrough feel 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.”
    • “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.”
    • “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 disrupts the emotional engagement during battles, as it can lead to a sense of detachment when players can win without active participation.

  • 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.”
    • “The monetization system feels exploitative, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending a lot of money.”
    • “It's frustrating that the game constantly pushes in-app purchases, making it feel more like a cash grab than a fun experience.”
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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