Kingdom Two Crowns

Game Review: Kingdom Two Crowns

Score: 8.5/10

As a fan of strategy and simulation games, I couldn't beat the chance of putting "Kingdom Two Crowns" under my microscope. The sequel had taken everything I loved about the original "Kingdom" game and expanded on it in a way that literally held me captive. 

Visuals and Atmosphere (9/10)
The game runs on charming pixel art, dripping with nostalgia and detail, while everything earthly is suddenly awash with me and my adventures in the royal business. On these very lands filled with plush forest, quiet waters, and rough mountains—the sweet flagship of my kingdom. Animations were super smooth with characters that expressed their own animation with personalities. The ambient soundtrack is equally bewitching—just seductive enough to inspire both exploration and strategy. Then there is the night cycle, which amps up the intensity, and suddenly protecting my kingdom from all the lurking dangers becomes the centerpiece of suspenseful and exciting atmosphere.

Gameplay and Mechanics (8/10)
In "Kingdom Two Crowns," I play a monarch working to build and operate a kingdom while defending it against mysterious attackers called the Greed. Gameplay is a hilarious mix of resource management and strategic planning, not unlike "SimCity" and "Terraria." The newly introduced co-op multiplayer allows a companion to hop in—an awesome feature that ramps up the fun as we work together to build the kingdom.

Simple controls but hard to master.  That's where the challenge starts. I found exploring the map all the way to gather resources, recruit subjects, upgrade my crown, and basically everything in between a decision that would mean life or death for my kingdom. Mounts, by the way, positively impact the overall exploratory appeal; their various strategic uses were something I enjoyed playing around with.

Difficulty and Progression (7.5/10)
While there is an easy mode, there was the odd spike in difficulty that felt a bit cheap, especially after a long day's work with barely any progress against sudden nocturnal raids. Then, there is the problem that the game doesn't allow one to pause in the middle of a raid, leaving one with overwhelming feelings. Besides that, while mechanics are pretty rudimentary, I really wished for a longer tutorial, especially for trying to use troop management. That was an instance where the feeling of satisfaction was only too despairingly worth chasing through those harsh moments.

Comparison to Previous Titles (8/10)
Having experienced the old "Kingdom," I realized that "Two Crowns" was a very maturely conceptualized evolution. The addition of cooperative play, several new mounts, and that improved visual quality puts it ahead of its predecessor. The original's simplicity remains, but with added depth, just as with the original "Celeste" taking "Towerfall" to dizzying heights in terms of barriers of challenge.

Final Thoughts
"Kingdom Two Crowns" manages to put strategy into play while infusing cooperative play for good measure. Its cuteness is coupled with entertaining mechanics and the feel of co-op that makes it outstanding in the indie industry and strategy genre alike. Although certain areas of pacing and outright complexity have their own challenges, gazing away toward fun is such bliss. If you're an existing series fan or newcomer, "Kingdom Two Crowns" deserves your hours of appreciation—especially with a companion for the journey. 

Pros:  

• Charming visual art and sound design
• Fun cooperative multiplayer
• Simple but deep game mechanics

Cons:  

• Difficulty spikes can be quite brutal
• Lacks truly comprehensive tutorials

Overall Score: 8.5/10
I'd happily recommend "Kingdom Two Crowns" to anyone seeking an interesting strategy title that weaves creativity with elements of survival.