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 addictive experience, allowing players to engage in micromanagement and build their kingdom from a small village to a thriving empire.
- Despite its simplicity, the game provides a satisfying gameplay loop and can be enjoyable for casual players looking for a laid-back city-building experience.
- The game lacks essential features such as a pause button and the ability to delete or deconstruct buildings, leading to frustration when mistakes are made.
- Resource management is poorly balanced, with towns often experiencing starvation despite having surplus food in neighboring towns due to an ineffective trading system.
- Many players find the user interface confusing and cluttered, making it difficult to manage multiple towns and resources effectively.
- gameplay20 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a fun yet brief experience, lasting under an hour, which may limit its overall appeal despite its low price. While the core city management mechanics are enjoyable and offer potential for strategic play, they are marred by unclear mechanics, frustrating food management, and a lack of tutorial guidance. The game features a simplistic art style and a relaxing atmosphere, but its repetitive nature and rough edges may deter some players.
“The core city management gameplay loop is fun, even if it's a bit rough around the edges.”
“Fun to learn the mechanics of the game; I restarted a few times after realizing some strategic ways to play.”
“It is interesting to discover the mechanics while trying to feed the people.”
“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.”
- graphics15 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming and simplistic pixel art style, complemented by a calming pastel color palette and relaxing soundtrack, which many players find appealing. However, there are frequent graphical bugs and a lack of detail that detracts from the overall experience, with some users noting that the simplistic visuals can lead to a boring gameplay experience. Overall, while the art style is generally well-received, there are areas that need improvement, particularly in terms of functionality and detail.
“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.”
- music11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally described as charming and relaxing, contributing to a zen-like atmosphere. However, some users find the repetitiveness of the same original soundtrack across multiple mini-games to be tiresome, despite acknowledging that the music itself is pleasant. Overall, while the soundtrack enhances the gaming experience, its lack of variety can detract from long-term enjoyment.
“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.”
“The music is relaxing.”
“So simple even a button to control music volume is not there!”
“They seem to reuse the same OST for all their mini-games; it gets tiring to hear the same music after trying three 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.”
- grinding7 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 easy to engage in, it often feels incomplete and reminiscent of older, less polished games, leading to a sense of frustration with the limited focus on farming and resource management. Overall, the experience is described as a good time that can feel repetitive and lacking depth.
“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.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is criticized for its limited replayability, with users suggesting that additional features like varied raid types or different objectives could enhance it. However, some mention that a procedurally-generated map does provide a degree of replay value.
“- Procedurally-generated map, offering 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).”
- story1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game lacks a predefined storyline, but players find enjoyment in crafting their own narratives, adding a personal touch to the experience.
“The story is virtually non-existent, but I found it enjoyable to create my own narrative.”
“The plot is weak and lacks depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The characters are one-dimensional and fail to evoke any real emotional connection.”
