Kingsgrave Review Summary

Appealing pixel art, satisfying progression: The game features appealing pixel art, a satisfying sense of progression, and rewarding exploration. Players found the world engaging, with well-designed puzzles and a good balance of challenge and relaxation. The game effectively blends familiar elements with its own unique style.

Nostalgic, Zelda/Metroidvania-like experience: The game is often compared to Metroidvania and Zelda-style games, with some reviewers noting similarities to Graveyard Keeper and Dark Souls. It offers a nostalgic feel and a classic sensibility.

Well-balanced and engaging puzzles: The puzzles are well-designed, striking a balance between being engaging and not overly difficult. Players found them logical and interconnected, leading to satisfying 'aha' moments without requiring excessive time or effort.

Good value for the price: Many reviewers felt the game was worth its price, especially when purchased on sale. The short length is acceptable given the low price, and the game provides a good playtime-to-price ratio.

Blends puzzles, combat, exploration: The game blends puzzle-solving, combat, and exploration elements, with a vast world to explore and a liked region-capturing mechanic. Combat is initially tricky but becomes easier as the player acquires new weapons and upgrades.

Lacks guidance and clear direction: The game lacks clear direction, tutorials, and guidance, leading to aimless wandering, frustration, and a reliance on trial and error. Progression is hindered by unclear directions, resource scarcity, and the need for excessive grinding, making it difficult to understand how to progress or locate essential resources.

Underdeveloped, unengaging story and puzzles: The story is underdeveloped, minimal, and unengaging, with a weak ending and little to no world-building or character development. The plot feels sparse and serves only as initial motivation, failing to explore the lore and characters beyond basic interactions. Puzzles are also uninspired and lack depth.

Short, repetitive, limited content: The game is short, lacks sufficient content, and has limited replayability. The overworld feels repetitive, and the game structure can feel monotonous, with access to most upgrades being granted very late in the game.

Clunky, unenjoyable combat system: The combat system feels clunky, unresponsive, and unenjoyable, with limited options and unimpressive mechanics. Weapon balance is wonky, and the attack and dash mechanics lack impact and feel unsatisfying. Some reviews mention long, unnecessary cooldowns.

Poor controller support/mapping: The game lacks controller remapping options and has poor gamepad sensitivity, making it inconvenient to play with a controller. Some players recommend using a keyboard and mouse instead.

Zelda-like Metroidvania ARPG hybrid: The game blends elements from multiple genres, most notably Zelda-like puzzle-solving and combat, Metroidvania-style exploration and progression gated by abilities, and ARPG resource management and character progression. Players explore a 2D world, collect resources, solve puzzles, fight enemies, and rebuild their kingdom. The game uses a top-down perspective.

Simple, linear progression; easy puzzles: The game features simple, linear progression with puzzles that are not overly difficult. While the map has some secrets, arenas, and puzzles, the overall structure is straightforward. The puzzles and combat are acceptable but unremarkable.

Exploration is key; small map: Exploration is a key aspect of the game, with players pushing map boundaries to find resources and unlock new abilities. The map, while relatively small, is hand-crafted and offers enough to explore. Thorough exploration is required to collect all lights of hope.

Excessive resources; one final boss: The game features only one boss at the end, which may come as an unpleasant surprise. The amount of resources needed feels excessive for the game's length, potentially requiring grinding before the final encounter.

Resources improve skills/stats: Rescued people and found resources can be used to build improvements and buy upgrades. The hero's skills and stats are upgraded by activating special points of interest through construction.

Good performance on Steam Deck: The game appears to run well on Steam Deck and when docked. However, one reviewer noted that the FPS on the OLED Steam Deck seemed to be locked slightly above 60, even with Vsync disabled, which may be an issue for some players.

Low PC hardware requirements: The game has very low PC requirements, making it accessible to players with low-end hardware. This is a positive aspect for players who may not have access to high-end gaming PCs.

Generally enjoyable, worth playing: Many reviewers recommend the game, citing its enjoyable gameplay and addictive qualities. However, some suggest it's not amazing or spectacular, but still worth picking up and playing. Some reviewers highly recommend the game, while others temper expectations.

Worth buying on sale: A common sentiment is that the game's value is tied to its price. Many suggest purchasing only on sale or at a discounted price, with some specifying acceptable price ranges. Some reviewers felt that the price was fair.

Mixed fun, unfriendly elements: Some reviewers mention the game having both fun and player-unfriendly elements. Some reviewers enjoyed the game despite its flaws.

Appeals to specific players: The game is recommended for players who enjoy specific genres or gameplay styles, such as puzzle-solving, exploration, grinding, or classic adventure games like Zelda. Some reviewers highlight similarities to Zelda: Link to the Past.

Needs more polish, bug fixes: Some reviewers encountered bugs and a lack of polish, leading to frustration and a decision to postpone playing until updates are released. This impacts the overall enjoyment and recommendation of the game.

Basic story, good setting: The game features a resurrected king who must rebuild his kingdom by fighting monsters. However, the story is simple and setting is good, but lacks depth and detailed explanation.

Enchantable boxes unlock doors: The game includes a puzzle mechanic involving boxes that can be enchanted with weapons to open doors. Floors with a specific symbol can clear the enchantments on these boxes, adding a layer of complexity to puzzle-solving.

Upgrades may trivialize challenge: Players unlock and upgrade weapons during exploration. However, one reviewer suggests avoiding weapon upgrades, as it can make the game too easy, potentially impacting the challenge and enjoyment.

Genre mix, not purebred: The game blends elements of arcade, puzzle, adventure, and crafting genres, but doesn't fully commit to any single one. It's a mix of Zelda, crafting, and puzzles.

Nice aesthetic: The game has a nice aesthetic. One reviewer supported the domestic game producer.