Kingdom: New Lands
A 2D side-scrolling roguelike strategy game about building and defending a kingdom.
Kingdom: New Lands is a strategy game released in 2016, developed by Noio (based in Amsterdam) and Licorice (based in Iceland), and published by Raw Fury. It launched on 9 August 2016 for Windows, macOS, and Xbox One. As a sequel to the 2015 game Kingdom, players guide a mounted monarch who builds and defends a realm against creatures known as the Greed. The monarch can recruit builders and archers to strengthen their base, working toward the goal of ruling five islands. Owners of the original game received New Lands as a free update. Versions for iOS and Android arrived in March 2017, followed by a Nintendo Switch release in September 2017, and a PlayStation 4 version on 16 January 2018. Critical reception was mixed to generally positive at launch.
In terms of gameplay, Kingdom: New Lands is a 2D side-scrolling strategy title with roguelike elements. The player character is a monarch on horseback, tasked with building a kingdom and defending it each night from the Greed. The monarch must also repair a ship to travel between five procedurally generated islands, each more challenging than the last. Starting with two villagers and a few coins, the monarch recruits subjects and assigns them roles—builders to construct defenses, or archers to fight the Greed and hunt rabbits for coins. Coins hire new villagers from camps outside the kingdom, build walls, or repair useful structures. Subjects receive tools when coins are spent on equipment, but if attacked by the Greed, they lose their tools and become beggars. The monarch must fend off escalating waves of the Greed to prevent them from stealing the crown, which ends the game.
The Android and iOS versions were initially announced for release on 31 January 2017, but were delayed to "later this winter" on 27 January 2017. The iOS version ultimately launched on 9 March 2017.
According to Metacritic, the Xbox One version received "generally favorable" reviews, while the Nintendo Switch release garnered "mixed to average" scores. Nintendo World Report praised the visuals, lighting, and strategic depth but noted frame rate issues. Nintendo Life rated it 6/10, highlighting the pixel art and soundtrack as strengths while finding the gameplay too simplistic for some. Destructoid reported technical problems with the Switch version.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Kingdom: New Lands
- Developer
- Noio · Licorice
- Publisher
- Raw Fury
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · macOS · PlayStation 4 · Nintendo Switch · Xbox One · iOS · Android · tvOS
- Released
- Windows, macOS, Xbox One · 9 August 2016 · iOS · 10 March 2017 · Android · 11 March 2017 · Switch · 14 September 2017 · PS4 · 16 January 2018
- Genre
- Strategy, Roguelike
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Kingdom: New Lands is a 2D side-scrolling strategical and roguelike game. The player character is a monarch mounted upon a steed, who must build a kingdom and defend it at night from monsters called the Greed. The monarch must progress between five procedurally generated islands by repairing a ship, with each island being more difficult than the last. The monarch begins with two villagers and a small number of coins. To build the kingdom, the monarch must recruit subjects and give them jobs, such as builders that construct defenses, or archers that attack the Greed and hunt rabbits for coins. Coins can be spent to hire new villagers found at camps outside the kingdom, or used to construct walls and repair useful buildings. Recruited subjects can be given jobs if the monarch spends coins to buy equipment, but if the villagers are attacked by the Greed, they lose their tools and become beggars. Monarchs must keep the constantly increasing waves of Greed at bay, in order to prevent them from stealing the monarch's crown and causing a game over.
Reader's Guide
Kingdom: New Lands is significant as a follow-up to the 2015 game Kingdom, and was offered as a free update for owners of the original version, which expanded its reach. The game received mixed to generally positive reviews on release, with critics noting both strengths and weaknesses. Nintendo World Report praised the visual effects, lighting, and strategic elements of gameplay, but said the frame rate had noticeable issues. Nintendo Life rated the game 6/10, citing the pixel art and soundtrack as strengths, but noted that some players would find the gameplay elements too simplistic. Destructoid found the Switch version to have technical problems, while Jeuxvideo praised the soundtrack and content additions over the original Kingdom, but said the AI did not always work as intended. The game's release across multiple platforms—including mobile and console versions—helped it reach a broad audience, though the Android and iOS versions were delayed from their initially announced January 2017 release to March 2017.
Did You Know?
- Kingdom: New Lands was a free update for owners of the original 2015 Kingdom.
- The game was developed by Amsterdam-based Noio and Iceland-based Licorice.
- The Android and iOS versions were delayed from 31 January 2017 to March 2017.
- The monarch loses the game if the Greed steal their crown.
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