UNDYING - "KINGDOM" | Game Brain — video game discovery

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In "Undying - Kingdom," Anling fights to lead her son Cody through a zombie apocalypse and her own infection, with their survival dependent on the player's choices and interactions with various characters. Every decision impacts the story's outcome, making for a unique and potentially tragic journey. Trust is fragile, and the line between friend and foe blurs in this brutal world.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 296 reviews

story66 positive mentions

grinding18 negative mentions

The game features an amazing and emotional story that keeps players engaged.
Unique gameplay mechanics that involve teaching and protecting the son, Cody, add depth to the survival experience.
The art style and graphics are visually appealing, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.

A significant portion of gameplay revolves around tedious resource gathering, which can feel like a grind.
The combat mechanics can be clunky and unresponsive, making encounters frustrating.
Many players report bugs and issues with the game's mechanics, leading to a less polished experience.

story
182 mentions
36 % positive mentions
60 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The story of "Undying" is generally praised for its emotional depth, focusing on the poignant relationship between a mother and her son in a zombie apocalypse, which resonates with players. However, many reviews highlight that the gameplay mechanics, particularly resource gathering and quest design, often detract from the narrative experience, making it feel repetitive and frustrating at times. While the core story is compelling and has potential, it suffers from pacing issues and a lack of polish, leaving some players wanting a more cohesive and engaging storytelling experience.
- “A very touching story and fun gameplay.”
- “The story hooks me up with how the mother tried to teach everything to her son while trying to survive her nightmare of being bitten by a zombie and slowly turning into one.”
- “The story is emotional and gripping.”
- “Boring - 80% of gameplay is resource gathering/allocating; to proceed with the story, you need to find resources, craft, and all that.”
- “The quests are mostly 'go fetch me this,' which feels terrible considering the incredible speed of the game; many times you will spend half a day traveling to a quest location, only to have an NPC tell you to fetch an item, requiring you to reset the entire day.”
- “The story is rubbish!”
gameplay
97 mentions
33 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious due to an overemphasis on resource gathering and poorly explained mechanics, which detracts from the overall experience. While some appreciate the emotional depth and innovative mechanics, particularly involving the child character, others criticize the lack of balance and intuitive design, leading to frustration and a sense of being overwhelmed. Overall, the game shows potential with its engaging story and unique concepts, but it requires significant refinement and polish to enhance the gameplay experience.
- “Amazing, emotional, and tactical gameplay with a great story. If I could turn back time, I would buy it again.”
- “Tons of stuff to do right out of the gate, decisions that actually impact the gameplay and the story, and the zombie infection mechanics are really interesting and affect your gameplay depending on what symptoms you choose to contract.”
- “It offers a fresh take on the survival genre by intertwining mechanics with a powerful narrative, making it a must-play for those who appreciate games with a strong emotional core and thought-provoking themes.”
- “Boring - 80% of gameplay is resource gathering/allocating; to proceed with the story, you need to find resources, craft, and all that.”
- “Every gameplay aspect feels rushed and unfinished.”
- “You simply do not have enough time to explore all this game has to offer without getting overwhelmed, especially when by its own mechanics, you can't do anything past midnight without taking a major risk.”
emotional
34 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game "Undying" is highlighted by its touching narrative centered on the relationship between a mother and her son in a zombie-infested world, evoking strong feelings of investment and empathy from players. While the story is praised for its depth and heartwarming moments, some reviewers note inconsistencies in translation and gameplay mechanics that can detract from the emotional experience. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to create a compelling emotional journey, despite some criticisms regarding its execution and storytelling depth.
- “Overall, 'Undying' is a memorable and emotionally charged indie survival game that stands out for its storytelling and the unique relationship between its main characters.”
- “The narrative is carefully crafted, keeping players on the edge of their seats while also allowing for a deep emotional connection with the characters.”
- “Undying is more than a game; it's a captivating, emotional journey.”
graphics
28 mentions
54 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning and charming art style, which effectively brings the fantastical world to life. Many reviewers appreciate the minimalist and low-poly design, noting that it enhances the emotional storytelling without overwhelming the player. Overall, the visuals are described as beautiful, cute, and well-suited to the game's unique narrative, contributing to an engaging and immersive experience.
- “The game features stunning graphics that bring its fantastical world to life.”
- “The low-poly art style is a visual treat, and the music sets the perfect tone.”
- “The atmosphere, graphics, and music are brilliant.”
- “I don't love this art style, but it is what it is.”
- “It's this war of mine on a more personal and much upgraded level and graphics.”
- “The minimalist art style and the gender flip of the dad-poc trope makes it compelling.”
music
20 mentions
50 % positive mentions
35 % neutral mentions
15 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful soundtrack and its ability to enhance the atmosphere. However, several players expressed frustration over the frequent pauses in music during loading screens and menu transitions, which detracts from the overall experience. While some found the background music to be somewhat boring, others felt it effectively complemented the game's emotional tone.
- “I think the game's main musical motif is lovely.”
- “The OST of this game is beautiful.”
- “Accented by the sad and melancholy soundtrack, Undying is a game that definitely gets you in the feels—especially, if like me, you are yourself a parent.”
- “Loading screen transitions, opening menus, or the inventory completely pauses the game's music (and this happens way more than it should).”
- “It's an awesome experience except for one thing... the music pauses anytime you do anything and it's really annoying and ruins the atmosphere.”
- “Visual style is lovely, although I find the background music a bit boring, but the gameplay makes up for it.”
grinding
18 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, with many noting that resource management, crafting, and repetitive tasks detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the emotional depth of the story that keeps them engaged despite the grind, others feel that the excessive back-and-forth and lackluster combat make the gameplay feel unnecessarily drawn out. Overall, the grinding is a significant element that can lead to frustration, but it doesn't completely overshadow the enjoyment of the game for many players.
- “It is a lot of grinding.”
- “Some areas, such as the police station, feel horribly tedious and are just genuinely a waste of time.”
- “What I got was checklists and grinding.”
stability
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is criticized for being unbalanced and buggy, with missing textures and issues that hinder gameplay, particularly after extended playtime. While some glitches are present, they are generally not severe enough to render the game unplayable. Overall, it appears that the game was released before being fully polished.
- “Unfortunately, it is horribly unbalanced and buggy.”
- “Its buggy, missing textures, and general guidance; honestly, it feels like the game was not remotely ready.”
- “Still a little buggy when you get about 20 days in; with the choice selections, it seems to struggle a bit and not allow the selections to be chosen.”
atmosphere
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
75 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is generally praised for its captivating graphics and music, effectively immersing players in a zombie apocalypse setting. However, some users find the music interruptions during gameplay to be distracting and detrimental to the overall experience. Despite this, the atmosphere remains engaging, especially at higher difficulty levels where resource scarcity adds to the tension.
- “The atmosphere, graphics, and music are brilliant.”
- “You can really feel the zombie apocalypse's atmosphere.”
- “The game is very engaging with its atmosphere, especially when played on a high difficulty level.”
- “It's an awesome experience except for one thing: the music pauses anytime you do anything, and it's really annoying and ruins the atmosphere.”
- “The game is very catchy with its atmosphere; however, playing on a high difficulty level, I was constantly short of supplies and had almost no time to explore the world.”
- “You can really feel the atmosphere of the zombie apocalypse.”
replayability
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits high replayability for many players due to its layered narrative and the ability to retain skills and items across playthroughs. However, some users feel that the replay value is limited, leading to a lack of motivation to continue after a certain point.
- “The replay value is high, as players find themselves drawn back to uncover additional layers of the narrative and explore alternate paths within the game.”
- “Good replay value, especially as you can keep some skills and items from one game to another, which makes it easier the next time you play.”
- “I saw so little replay value from the game at this point that I just had to quit at day 25. If I were to bother to play the game over again when it's done, I would have to be entertained, but I wasn't.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by dark and absurd elements, with players noting instances of unexpected comedic responses to serious situations, such as a character's suicidal thoughts met with a lighthearted reaction. This juxtaposition creates a unique and often jarring comedic experience that resonates with players.
- “The other funny thing is that I may have missed a progression gate somewhere.”
- “There are a lot of funny responses, like a mother trying to commit suicide and Cody just answering a few sentences down the line, 'hahahahaha.'”
optimization
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-150 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players noting significant performance issues and inefficient quest design that leads to unnecessary backtracking, detracting from the overall experience.
- “The cooking quest could be better optimized, as running back and forth feels like a waste of time.”
- “The game's optimization allows for smoother gameplay, making it easier to focus on strategy rather than technical issues.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have optimized the resource management system, making it more intuitive and efficient.”
- “I ran Cyberpunk on launch but can't run this poorly optimized piece of garbage.”
- “There's a cooking quest which frankly could be better optimized, as running back and forth is just wasting time.”
character development
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game features intricate character development, enhanced by plot twists and unexpected turns that significantly enrich the overall narrative experience.
- “The game weaves a rich tapestry of plot twists, character development, and unexpected turns that elevate it beyond the typical gaming experience.”
- “The depth of character development is truly impressive, making each character feel unique and relatable.”
- “I was amazed at how the characters evolved throughout the story, with their backstories and motivations adding layers to the gameplay.”