Pocket Kingdom
- December 8, 2016
- 08 Games
Get on SteamIn Pocket Kingdom, players build and manage their own medieval kingdom, including resources, buildings, and defense towers. Quests and battles offer rewards to expand and strengthen the kingdom, while diplomacy allows for alliances or declarations of war with neighboring kingdoms. The game features both single-player and multiplayer modes, with cross-platform play available.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- Pocket Kingdom features imaginative puzzles that require creative thinking and offer a satisfying challenge.
- The game boasts beautiful pixel art and a charming soundtrack, creating an engaging atmosphere.
- It combines elements of metroidvania and puzzle games, encouraging exploration and rewarding players with hidden secrets.
- The game suffers from clunky controls and a confusing map design, making navigation frustrating at times.
- As a mobile port, it lacks quality-of-life features expected from modern PC games, such as customizable controls and resolution options.
- The story and lore can be cryptic and underdeveloped, leading to an anticlimactic ending that leaves many questions unanswered.
- story42 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story in "Pocket Kingdom" is generally regarded as simple yet enriched with intriguing lore, though it suffers from plot holes and a somewhat anticlimactic conclusion. Players appreciate the intertwining of puzzles and narrative, with side characters providing essential background information, but some find the overarching plot lacking coherence. Overall, while the story may not be the main draw, it complements the gameplay and enhances the experience in a charming, cozy setting.
“The story is simple but filled with intriguing lore that leaves you invested.”
“There’s a wonderful story to unravel here, set in a picturesque fantasy world of warm pixel art and soothing music, but you’ll have to tackle some devilish rooms to see it all.”
“Pocket Kingdom is a slow-paced puzzle game with an interesting story, containing a few hours of single-player gameplay.”
“The story is okay, it has several plot holes and it's difficult to follow, but that's a minor thing.”
“The story does end somewhat anticlimactically, with most of the lore being conveyed through conversations with statically placed characters throughout the map.”
“The NPCs are mostly repetitive and contribute little to the story; the main character lacks charisma.”
- music27 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its charming and atmospheric qualities, often described as a delightful blend of retro chiptune and soothing melodies that enhance the overall experience. While some players noted issues with looping and repetition, the soundtrack is generally considered a standout feature that complements the pixel art and intricate puzzles. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's nostalgic and engaging atmosphere, making it a memorable aspect for many players.
“The game's charming soundtrack also reminds me of these two games, plus Minecraft and the Final Fantasy series.”
“Utterly gorgeous little pixel game with a sublime and fitting soundtrack.”
“The music tends to repeat itself.”
“The music/sound in the game was on par, but did get a bit grating on the ears sometimes.”
“The art, the atmosphere, the soundtrack (despite looping issues), and the price, it's all perfect.”
- graphics26 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a polarizing aspect, with many reviewers noting the use of retro pixel art that evokes nostalgia for classic gaming, though some criticize the low resolution and lack of modern graphical options. While the pixel graphics are appreciated for their charm and atmosphere, opinions vary on their execution, with some finding them enjoyable and others deeming them subpar. Overall, the aesthetic contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, despite some technical shortcomings.
“Nice pixel graphics, good and challenging puzzles, and a bit of a story as well.”
“Fun little puzzle game with a lot of hidden secrets and nice pixel art graphics.”
“A surprisingly deep and challenging puzzle game wrapped in one of my favorite pixel art aesthetics to come out in the last few years.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“But the thing that annoys me is the dog**** graphics, some sort of 16-bit graphics.”
- gameplay26 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Pocket Kingdom is a mixed bag; while it features engaging puzzles and innovative mechanics that encourage creative problem-solving, many players find the controls janky and the map difficult to navigate. The game successfully intertwines its mechanics with the narrative, offering a unique experience, but some players may struggle with the simplicity and occasional lack of polish in execution. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy thoughtful puzzles, though it may not satisfy everyone due to its clunky handling and visual distractions.
“If you like block pushing puzzles with lots of interesting twists to the mechanics, this'll probably be a good time for you.”
“It’s amazing how many tricky situations can be invented with such simple game mechanics.”
“The gameplay is fantastic and the graphics (yes, pixels, I know) are enjoyable and clear.”
“It's janky and unsatisfying to play... and any experienced gamer will tell you, the handling, responsiveness, and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
“Unfortunately, this is something the developer seems to have phoned in, with little to no apparent gameplay testing.”
“Especially at the edges of the screen, it's not obvious what is and isn't a wall, which is very bad considering walking out on one side and coming back on the other is a core mechanic.”
- atmosphere9 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 22 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its nostalgic charm, enhanced by a captivating soundtrack and appealing pixel art, despite some technical limitations. Reviewers appreciate the game's ability to immerse players in its world through engaging puzzles, lore, and character design, creating a relaxing yet intriguing experience. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, effectively drawing players into its simple yet rich environment.
“The art, the atmosphere, the soundtrack (despite looping issues), and the price, it's all perfect.”
“I fell in love with the atmosphere and the soundtrack.”
“I also loved the game world, its characters, the lore of the place, the art style, etc... the atmosphere is top notch for such a simple looking 2D puzzler and I found myself wanting to learn more about the game world and its strange inhabitants.”
“The low-res graphics may put off at first, but soon gets accepted as a reasonable ingredient of the atmosphere.”
“There's a simplicity to it that made me nostalgic for the games I played when I was younger, and its puzzles and its mysterious atmosphere held my attention during the 7 hours it took to complete it.”
“A great, small puzzle platformer that does a fantastic job (for its size) of creating a sense of atmosphere.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its charming humor, which complements its engaging puzzles and relaxing atmosphere. Players appreciate the funny jokes and overall lighthearted tone, making it enjoyable for both adults and children alike.
“The game features nice pixel art and chiptune music, well-designed puzzles, charming characters, good humor, and I found it quite fun.”
“That's a funny, interesting puzzle game with Metroidvania elements.”
“A good relaxing atmosphere, nice music, funny jokes, and challenging puzzles give you the opportunity to spend time with your children and have fun.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of Pocket Kingdom has been criticized as a cash grab by mobile developers, with users expressing frustration over its low-quality port to Steam and its contribution to the oversaturation of subpar 2D retro platformers on the platform.
“Pocket Kingdom is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as if it were a real PC game (it's not). It's a cash grab from greedy mobile developers. This mobile app is yet another of literally thousands of 2D retro platformers infesting Steam and lowering the average quality of all video games everywhere.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and efficient resource management, while others report issues such as frame rate drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to be buggy, indicating significant stability issues that may affect the overall gameplay experience.
“The game is incredibly buggy, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I encountered numerous bugs that severely impacted my gaming experience.”
“The stability issues are frustrating, with frequent crashes and glitches.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the game offers significant replayability due to the challenge of certain rooms and the incentive to collect all items and diary entries, as well as explore alternate solutions. This encourages multiple playthroughs to fully experience the content.
“I had more difficulty than I would have expected in a couple of rooms, and I've gained more replay value than I anticipated from trying to collect all the items and diary entries, as well as exploring alternate solutions for some of the rooms.”
“The game offers a surprising amount of replayability, with different paths and choices that make each playthrough feel unique.”
“I love how each run can lead to different outcomes and experiences, encouraging me to dive back in and explore all the possibilities.”
“I had more difficulty than I would have expected in a couple of rooms and have gotten more replay value than I anticipated from trying to collect all the items and diary entries, as well as exploring alternate solutions for some of the rooms.”
