King's Orders Review Summary

A fun and enjoyable game built around a praised core concept and messenger-based travel delays, though clunky controls, buggy instability, and poor diplomacy AI drag it down.

Core concept is praised: The game's central idea of issuing orders via messengers with inherent delays is widely lauded for being interesting, unique, and well-executed. Many reviewers highlight the concept as the game's strongest asset, with potential for depth and replayability.

Game is fun and enjoyable: Players consistently report that the game is fun to play and provides an enjoyable experience once they get into it. The core gameplay is described as simple but not boring, with a cool gimmick that keeps engagement high.

Delayed information mechanic is unique: The fog-of-war effect created by delayed reports and unreliable messengers is a standout feature that adds depth and tension to gameplay. This mechanic is frequently mentioned as a fresh and immersive take on strategy gaming, setting it apart from other titles in the genre.

Game is easy to learn: Reviewers note that the game is not overly complicated and can be picked up quickly, even by those unfamiliar with grand strategy games. The tutorial is thorough, and the UI is intuitive, allowing players to learn the mechanics within an hour.

Strong immersion and atmosphere: The game successfully creates an immersive medieval atmosphere, with players feeling like actual rulers making decisions in a strategy room. The aesthetic, music, and overall presentation contribute to a compelling experience that draws players in.

Bad diplomacy AI: Players report that the diplomacy AI is unhinged, with friendly factions throwing insults and far-away factions declaring war unexpectedly. The diplomacy system is also described as broken and monotonous, with bots getting stuck.

AI does not recruit: The AI on normal difficulty fails to recruit troops and makes poor strategic choices, leading to an unbalanced game. This reduces the challenge and makes the game too easy.

Clunky and inconvenient controls: Players report that the controls are clunky and inconvenient, requiring excessive clicking for every action, making the game feel unplayable. This feedback is supported by multiple clusters highlighting the same issue.

Poor and tedious UI: The UI is criticized for being poorly designed, requiring more clicks than necessary for basic actions and being difficult to navigate. This is a common complaint that significantly impacts the user experience.

Bugs at ARK level: Players describe the game as buggy, comparing the level of bugs to ARK: Survival Evolved, which suggests a high frequency of technical issues. The specific comparison indicates the severity and impact on gameplay.

Letter system for commands: Orders are primarily issued through letters, which deliver commands, reports, and information. Everything from military orders to economic management is handled via letters, making it the core interaction method.

Messenger mechanic with travel delays: A core mechanic is the messenger system, where orders take time to travel and can be intercepted. This adds a layer of tactical depth and realism to command.

Grand strategy game with campaign: Players describe the game as a grand strategy title featuring a Grand Campaign mode where they manage kingdoms and command generals. This establishes the core genre and scope of the experience.

Manage cities, armies, sieges: The gameplay involves managing cities, retinues, and armies, participating in sieges and battles, and conquering land. This highlights the strategic and military management aspects of the game.

Diplomacy system with trading: Players can engage in diplomacy with other nations, including trading, bribing, and declaring wars. A dedicated diplomacy window and system are present, making it a key feature.

Game is buggy and unstable: Multiple reviews report frequent bugs and crashes, including one requiring a full system restart. This suggests significant technical issues affecting gameplay.

Save system causes problems: Players encountered save failures and performance issues during saving, with one review noting the game failed to save four times. Another mentions loading manual saves sends the player to the main menu.

Performance varies among players: While some reviews describe the game as smooth and performant, others report instability, indicating inconsistent optimization across different systems.

Audio settings not working: The tutorial voiceover remains too loud despite adjusting the master volume, indicating an audio bug that affects user experience.

Recommended by most reviewers: The majority of clusters explicitly recommend the game, with many praising its unique mechanics and strategy gameplay. A smaller portion recommends it conditionally based on sale price or genre preference.

Worth buying on sale: Several reviewers emphasize the game is only worth purchasing at a discounted price, often citing the current price as too high for the content. A few mention specific price points like $15 or a movie ticket cost.

Strong negative recommendations: A few reviewers strongly discourage purchasing the game, calling it a scam, not worth playing, or recommending alternatives like other strategy titles. Others mention unresolved bugs and AI issues that make it unplayable.

Unfinished current state: Multiple reviewers note the game feels unfinished or broken, recommending waiting for updates before purchasing. Some suggest checking back after several months or major patches, while others fear issues may never be fixed.

Mixed recommendation for genre fans: The game is generally recommended for fans of grand strategy, paradox, or Total War titles, but with caveats. Some reviewers note it's too niche or only suitable for those already invested in the genre.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Story completion: 12.0h.

The game hooks players with its unique mail-ordering system and easy-to-learn tutorial, but quickly becomes tedious and clunky as the empire expands and the novelty fades, leading to a clear drop in enjoyment.

Friction: Tutorial drags on; Steep learning curve; Tutorial voiceover volume issue; Tutorial pause setting broken.

Grand Strategy Enthusiast: Meticulous management, roleplaying diplomacy, and valuing control over a nation. Motivation: Deep strategic and diplomatic simulation with historical flavor. Stance: buy.

Accessibility Newcomer: Follows tutorial, expands aggressively, plays casually without optimization. Motivation: Quick conquest and power progression without heavy learning curve. Stance: buy.

Frustrated Veteran: Attempts to engage with diplomacy and warfare but hits AI and bug walls, leading to frustration. Motivation: Seeking a challenging and functional complex strategy, but unable to enjoy due to flaws. Stance: no buy.

Good value for price: Reviewers find the game reasonably priced, especially when purchased on sale, and consider it worth the asking price despite its shortcomings.

Compared to other strategy games: The game is frequently compared to titles like EU4, Total War, and Radio General, with mixed opinions on its mechanics and UI.

Compared to Crusader Kings: Many reviews compare the game to Crusader Kings, describing it as a lighter or alternative version, and some suggest its mechanics could have been improved by borrowing from that series.

Lack of Chinese localization: Multiple reviews request Chinese language support, noting the absence of official localization and fan translations due to the text-heavy nature of the game.

Active developers and bug reporting: Developers are seen as responsive, with a bug report button and quick fixes, and they are active on forums and in-game surveys.