Don’t Sleep On Kingdom Of Night: Complete Steam Review & Breakdown
Kingdom Of Night drags you straight into a 2.5D action-adventure world packed with rich detail, thick atmospheric dread, and an unmistakably eerie 80s town vibe. Despite taking its sweet time to get the ball rolling, the story hooks you deep once it finds its footing, keeping you glued to your chair for massive play sessions. Throw in three distinct character classes, deep skill trees, and a bizarrely brilliant Dungeons & Dragons-inspired sub-game, and you have got a journey full of memorable weirdos and brutal boss fights that constantly begs for one more hour.
[Specs] [Gameplay] [Performance] [Settings]
Specs
- Developer Website: Black Tower Entertainment
- Publisher Website: Playstack
- Store Link: Kingdom Of Night on Steam
- Download Size: 555.3 MB
- Save System: 5 Save Slots, 1 Autosave Slot, Save and Load Anytime
- Multiplayer: Local Two-Player Support (No Online)
- Features: Steam Achievements, Full Controller Support
Kingdom Of Night Steam Review Gameplay
Combat in the main game swings between melee and magic depending on whether you roll as a Rogue, Knight, or Barbarian, complete with dedicated skill trees to upgrade your abilities. Combat relies heavily on a lock-on system that takes a bit of getting used to and can feel awkward at first, but timing your dashes to dodge attacks while keeping an eye on your stamina bar makes for tight fights. You earn EXP (and it pops up as you earn it) as you slice through a massive variety of cool-looking enemy designs, watching your EXP bar fill up while managing a shortcut button system for health-replenishing food and drink. Outside the main hack-and-slash, there is an incredible D&D-inspired sub-game where you play as a Necromancer or Sorcerer; here, you bring up a spellbook and physically type out attacks to cast them in a system that feels a lot like Magicka, just slightly less deadly.
Exploration shines across the detailed 2.5D world as your map slowly fills in with mission objectives and points of interest, though you will run into randomly locked cars and houses along the way. The main questline is complemented by heaps of optional side quests, multiple-choice dialogue encounters with stat requirements, and a backpack inventory split into drag-and-drop categories. Your character stats update live in a handy notebook as you level up, and while all cutscenes remain in-game and text-based, puzzle and horror elements constantly pop up alongside massive boss fights that reward you with a sweet end-of-battle performance breakdown. It is definitely one of those games where the screenshots do not do it justice, as the images do not capture the atmosphere and fun of the game.
Kingdom Of Night Steam Review Performance
- Visuals: Decent pixel art graphics paired with self-contained visual effects and high-detail 2.5D locations.
- Audio & Music: Great soundtrack that shifts seamlessly from chilled background tunes to spine-chilling layers of uneasiness.
- UI & Mechanics: Clear tutorial pop-ups, a central help menu, pop-up EXP indicators, and a loot system with addictive sound design.
Settings, Customisation & Control Details
- Display & Video: Resolution settings, Fullscreen mode, Camera Movement (Floating or Fixed), and Camera Shake toggles.
- Gameplay & Text: Instant Text toggle, Mouse Targeting, and Lock-On Mode options.
- Audio & Language: Language selection, plus Master, SFX, and Music volume sliders.
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Kingdom Of Night Steam Review
Summary
Is Kingdom Of Night Actually Worth Your Time? The Positives
Once I sat down, slapped my headphones on, and got stuck into Kingdom Of Night, I was totally sold on long play sessions poking around its top-notch 2.5D world. The pixel art looks decent, the music pulls off a brilliant trick of sliding from chilled tunes into pure uneasiness, and the atmosphere gives off a massive Stranger Things vibe that helps set the scene. The story gets its hooks into you after a slow start, delivering great self-contained sequences, memorable characters, and a neat backpack inventory setup. Upgrading the Rogue, Knight, or Barbarian skill trees keeps character progression satisfying, while the loot drops make a brilliant noise that feels dead rewarding. On top of that, the Dungeons & Dragons-style sub-game where you play as a Sorcerer or Necromancer typing out spells like a less-lethal Magicka is an absolute stroke of genius, especially when paired with local two-player co-op for big boss encounters.
What Makes Kingdom Of Night Annoying? The Technical & Design Flaws
It isn’t all smooth sailing in the dark, though, starting with a main combat lock-on system that feels properly awkward until you get your head around it. The main storyline takes a bloody slow time to actually get moving, which might test your patience before the good stuff kicks in. Exploration can be a bit frustrating when you find cars and houses that feel completely randomly locked for no good reason while poking about town. Then there is the quest log; it uses a Rolodex design that is simply annoying and clumsy to mess about with when you are trying to check objectives in a hurry.
The Final Gert Lush Verdict: Should You Buy Kingdom Of Night?
Kingdom Of Night is a game you absolutely owe it to yourself to play if you love atmospheric action-adventures. It manages to balance a great story, solid class customisation, fun exploration, and a ridiculously cool typing-based spellcasting sub-game into the game. Despite the clumsy quest log and the initial awkwardness of the combat lock-on, the sheer charm, excellent soundtrack, and memorable moments make it an easy recommendation.
