Kingdom Two Crowns Review (Mrs. Jukes)
Back when I first played the first Kingdom game, it was an astonishingly pleasant surprise. Not because I didn't think I'd enjoy the game, but because of the impact it made on how I experience a game and how its visuals and soundtrack can make all the difference especially when playing a title that, in concept, seems so simple.
Build, Expand, Defend: A simple premise expanded upon with finesse by introducing you to a land with limited resources to start as you're left to fend off the hostile land for yourself, immediately giving you full responsibility if your small village falls to Greed or if your kingdom will rise.
The gameplay leaves nothing to the imagination. All you can do can be done clearly, all that you can build should only take more resources and all that you can muster in a fight depends on your ability to lead your people to your cause.
Although the pixel 2D style of the game can seem limiting at first glance, Kingdom Two Crowns and all its other installments leave nothing to be desired when it comes to fleshing out its world with it's buildings, characters and landscapes. You can look at a rock and define its shape and size all the way to every nook and cranny. You can understand your mount's movement and how much effort it puts behind every trot. And you can tell from a glance what that villager is doing be it asking for alms, hunting or gearing up for battle. All of that because of how much detail and attention goes to every single pixel that moves on the screen at any and all times.
And nothing comes short when the amazing soundtrack is concerned. One could say that a game can a lot of the time be only as good as its music presents it. And I think no game could be the same without storytelling and ambiance that comes with a brilliantly crafted soundtrack, and such is the case with Kingdom. As good as everything else is, this game will lose a lot of its heart if it weren't for the warmth felt every morning, the lonesome cold every winter day, or the sheer dread accompanied by a blood moon night.
If there is anything I can say badly about this game is how it tainted my taste for building games, as now I am cursed by an endless search for another game like this one.
If you're thinking of buying this game, as well as any other Kingdom titles, consider yourself cordially and summarily accosted to try it out. If you are anything like me, you won't be disappointed.