izigame.me

Good game if you've never played Kingdom before. Boring and basic if you have. Imho, Eighties is basically an episodic and linear story that has the gameplay of a stripped down, nearly naked Kingdom game. I'm recommending it because the game somewhat accomplishes what it advertised. I'm assuming most of us who are buying this are probably Kingdom fans though; if you are, change and reduce your expectations to have an enjoyable experience.
As a standalone, Eighties can be an okay purchase if you're looking to play a simple, story-forward game that you can definitely finish in less than 10 hours (in normal mode). Just buy it at a discount lol. It's for you if you enjoy a game with light plot, great aesthetics and soundtrack, and limited gameplay. Also, consider that there's not a lot of replayability. Once you've reached the end and have watched all of the cutscenes, the game is over. There's nothing left to do or explore. And even if you play it again, you don't make any active choices to change the course of the story so its not like you'll unlock a new type of ending. You either defeat the greed or restart at some level. And sure, even though all of the other Kingdom games are like this, the heavy emphasis on the story makes Eighties feel way more concluded and final once you get to the end.
For Kingdom fans (especially Two Crowns fans who enjoy the other DLC), like no. There's no easy way to play Eighties and not compare its lack of features to previous iterations. Many of the unique features you'd find in Two Crowns like the pikemen/ninja/fishermen, farm/farmers, and certain structures (war horn, farm/stable, catapult, portals, etc) don't exist in Eighties and there are no good alternatives imo. I assume these reductions are because it doesn't work with the plot. Since the monarch is a teen in the eighties, there's no way you'd have a farmer or banker in your camp alongside the "workers/kids" you recruit (not without creative writing at least). My most critical note is that because there's not a lot to do, I got drowsy twice during my whole playthough and took a nap on both occasions. And to be super nitpicky, I so hate how the mounts move. So annoying to have to move back-and-forth numerous times just because the mount has an extended stop and doesn't fully stop moving once you literally lift your finger off the button. There are a few more nitpicky things but….ugh.
Sigh. I really wanted to love it. I don't regret the purchase but I also won't be playing it again. As beautiful as it is, I bought Eighties for interesting new gameplay which it sort of delivered. I didn't buy it just to experience subpar Kingdom gameplay in a new skin. Oh well.