Sunset Kingdom
- January 17, 2020
- Sokpop Collective
- 4h median play time
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Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Sunset Kingdom features charming pixel graphics and a relaxing soundtrack, creating a cozy atmosphere for players.
- The game offers a fun and engaging experience with a satisfying gameplay loop of building and managing a kingdom.
- Despite its simplicity, the game provides a decent amount of entertainment for its low price, making it accessible for casual gamers.
- The lack of a pause button and the inability to delete or deconstruct buildings can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- The food distribution system is poorly designed, often resulting in towns starving while others have excess food, complicating resource management.
- The game feels unfinished and lacks depth, with limited objectives and mechanics that can lead to repetitive gameplay.
- gameplay40 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is described as a fun yet brief experience, lasting under an hour, which may limit its appeal despite its low price. While the core city management mechanics are enjoyable and the art style is pleasing, players find the gameplay loop somewhat repetitive and muddled, with unclear mechanics and frustrating elements like food distribution and building removal. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from execution issues and a lack of depth, making it more suitable for casual players.
“So, the game is very pretty, and the mechanics are fun albeit a little muddled.”
“Rough around the edges, but the core city management gameplay loop is fun.”
“Fun to learn the mechanics of the game; I restarted a few times after realizing some strategic ways to play.”
“It's such a small game; it's a decent colony/city-builder game, but from start to end there's less than an hour of gameplay.”
“- Food, as others have pointed out, is a very frustrating mechanic in the game.”
“The core gameplay is confusing, with a lot of unclear mechanics (especially if you have more than one town, as each town is independent and cannot reach everything) without any tutorial or hints.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a simplistic and charming pixel art style, often described as cute and calming, which complements the overall relaxing gameplay experience. However, players have noted frequent graphical bugs and a lack of detail, which can detract from the aesthetic. While the visuals are generally appreciated for their zen-like quality, some users feel that improvements are needed in certain areas, such as the road system.
“I really love the artwork style and the simple menu too.”
“Like all Sokpop games, it has simple but charming pixel graphics and a chill soundtrack that's easy to space out to while playing the game.”
“The incredibly simplistic visuals and pastel colour palette make this a great game for a quiet evening.”
“There are frequent graphical bugs and annoying sounds.”
“It's too easy to ruin the aesthetic of the game.”
“There are no graphics, audio, control, or any other sort of options you can choose to personalize your experience.”
- music22 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as relaxing and charming, contributing to a zen-like atmosphere. However, many users express frustration over the repetitiveness of the same original soundtrack being reused across multiple mini-games, which can detract from the overall experience. While the music is appreciated for its chill vibe, the lack of volume control and variety is noted as a downside.
“Like all Sokpop games, it has simple but charming pixel graphics and a chill soundtrack that's easy to space out to while playing the game.”
“It's super relaxing and it has great music.”
“Simple graphics and relaxing music that give the game a sort of zen feel.”
“So simple even a button to control music volume is not there!”
“There's also the fact that they seem to reuse the same OST for all their mini-games; it gets tiring to hear the same music after trying 3 different games. Not that it's a bad OST, mind you, it's just the repetitiveness.”
“There's a part of the song that I'm not sure if it means there's pirates/raiders nearby or if it's just part of the music.”
- grinding14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be shallow and tedious, particularly as they near the endgame, with some suggesting that additional options could alleviate the monotony. While the grinding is described as easy and manageable, it often feels incomplete and reminiscent of older, less polished games. The necessity to balance farming and resource gathering adds to the grind, as players cannot specialize towns without risking their survival.
“Shallow and tedious as you approach the endgame, but still a good time that goes by fast.”
“The option for 5 or 10 would have made this a lot less tedious.”
“Feels incomplete and tedious, almost like this was a student project, or like an old school flash game.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is criticized for its lack of replayability, with several users noting that it could benefit from additional features such as varied objectives or procedurally-generated maps to enhance replay value. While some suggest that these improvements could easily be implemented, the current state leaves much to be desired in terms of replayability.
“- Procedurally-generated maps offer a fair amount of replayability.”
“I don't see any replay value here either.”
“The only other complaint I have is that it lacks a bit of replayability, and I think it wouldn't be hard to add a couple of features which add that - e.g., different types of Viking raids, or a different goal (number of towns/number of civilians, something like that).”
“- Procedurally-generated map, offering a fair amount of replayability.”
- story2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game lacks a predefined storyline, but players find enjoyment in crafting their own narratives, enhancing the overall experience.
“There's no storyline, but it's fun to create one.”
