Everyone wants to leave the world a better place for the next generation to come and if we can’t do that then at least leave behind the knowledge needed to make that ideal place, whether that’s through our triumphs or our mistakes. Well in Kingdom: Two Crowns, try as you might to make your own reign last as long as possible, eventually you’ll end up passing your legacy down to the next generation. And while that passage will almost certainly result from mistakes you’ve made, you’ll also pass on your wisdom to help ensure those mistakes aren’t made again… or maybe not. Maybe you’re like me and suck at roguelike games, I dunno. Anyway I’m not here to judge, I'm just here to pass on my experiences.
A few years ago I received a copy of Kingdom: New Lands in a Limited Run blind box drop and was pretty stoked about it. I played the heck out of it until my little heart could take no more defeat, but loved every minute of it nonetheless. See, I might suck at roguelike games but I have a passion for them all the same. They tend to be the perfect type of challenge I’m looking for and they always have a way of keeping things fresh and fun despite said challenge. So, naturally once my ego healed I thought about coming back to New Lands and giving it another go but lo and behold my partner in crime just bought a very jam packed Humble Bundle that just so happened to contain Kingdom: Two Crowns. Yes Ma’am! My body was ready!!
Listen, the plethora of people that create/support the Kingdom games, and of course Raw Fury, know how to make some fan-freaking-tastic roguelike games that will crush your soul and make you like it. Since I played New Lands prior, my expectations were high since I knew what kind of experience these games were capable of offering despite their lovely simplicity. Once I sunk my teeth into Two Crowns of course it wasn’t hard to see the many things that had been improved upon and my expectations were quickly dashed, but for the better.
At its base New Lands is a roguelike and I think that ties in its strategy and base building aspects perfectly. You are tasked with moving from island to island and making each one thrive under your reign via subject management and a whole lot of gold coins earned through various means. Work with traders, have your archers double as hunters, or make farms to rake in that cash and put it all back into your land. If anyone wants gold more than you it’s those darn squashy Greed monsters, so upgrading your defenses is the main objective. However, you’re gonna need people to build it and defend it, and for that you’re gonna need money, so balance is key. Finding that balance though is the trickiest part and even after my many hours at the helm I still couldn’t tell you any sure fire strategies. Maybe the best strategy is just to have enough money on hand to roll with the punches? Don’t ask me, remember I suck.
There really aren’t any flaws in Two Crowns that I can think of. Not that the game is pristine perfect but instead the devs have faithfully stuck to their formula and it works really well. Two Crowns boasts some great quality of life improvements over New Lands in that even though the walls are generally weaker they added plenty of things to make defending them easier. Spear guys and fire catapults make short work of even the big slurpy Greed monsters, and maybe it’s just me but I feel like the archers and catapult guys are much more accurate right out the gate, even without activating the upgrade statues. There are more types of hermits to upgrade your buildings and such, which is immensely helpful. Also, I didn’t find the transitions between islands to be as steeply challenging. Maybe I just learned a few things but I definitely hesitated a lot less to move to new islands in Two Crowns than I did in New Lands.
Something I can see not meshing with some players however, is that even though Two Crowns gives you more to work with it also gives you more to lose. And let me tell you that loss can be devastating! You are sent back to the first island if you die (lose your crown) and while there will be some remnants of your previous run still scattered about, there will be a potentially overwhelming amount of work to be done to get it all back up and running. Trust me, it’s totally ok to walk away and come back, walk away again, drink some water, touch some grass, walk away again, etc. With that in mind, know you will be back for good once again because that sweet, sweet challenge is all too addictive and will lure you back in with its siren song of riches and success.
Originally posted on TwosomesUP. Hive blog powered by ENGRAVE.