KINGDOM of the DEAD

Kingdom of the Dead is a classic FPS experience that shines thanks to its horror element and its unique audiovisual approach.

Kingdom of the Dead is a true love letter to arena shooters and the horror genre. This game stands out among its peers and its visual design, as well as its soundtrack, highlight how unique DIRIGO's style is. It won't be for everyone, as the same things that make the experience tight and replayable can paradoxically make it repetitive and unengaging. Despite this risk, anyone with an interest should absolutely check out Kingdom of the Dead and enjoy some good old-fashioned demon hunting.

Retro inspired first person shooters don’t come any more stylish than KINGDOM of the DEAD. A fantastic soundtrack is matched by a macabre hand drawn art style to create an atmosphere that feels unique to this game. It has a few bugs and some anticlimactic boss battles but there’s a lot to love about this game beyond those rough edges.

Kingdom of the Dead is a fast-paced horror FPS with a brilliant aesthetic and soundtrack. Though it lacks polish, this love letter to old school horror games proves to be a fun experience with some fun moments of hopeless terror.

There’s no depth here, no sense of ambition to do anything novel with the genre. But it’s just a good time, and picking out super-long-distance headshots is never not satisfying. Don’t expect to have your life changed, but do expect some 90s-ish FPS entertainment.

It is not on the same level as other retro-inspired shooters, such as DUSK, but one thing I always say is that not every game has to be the best, just as long as the player found it fun, and with Kingdom of the Dead, I found it entertaining from beginning to end. Kingdom of the Dead is worth checking out for people who want to step away from complexity for a bit and just shoot something without having to think much about it. Sometimes life needs simple things to have a good time.

KINGDOM of the DEAD is a pretty damned good horror FPS with enough compelling ideas to stand on its own. The monochrome, hand-drawn visuals really sell the game’s Lovecraftian-noir tone, without interfering with gameplay. Plus, its varied additional mission objectives make its difficulty settings feel more multi-layered. Still, with its short play-time, minimal plot, and lack of unlockable content, it won’t be engaging for everyone. However, for those looking for some retro FPS fun, KINGDOM of the DEAD is a unique enough experience to be worth the recommendation.

Poor visual presentation and bugs hold back Kingdom of the Dead from truly shining.

KINGDOM of the DEAD has some potential to be a good old-school FPS game, but bugs, strange design decisions, poor variability of weapons or enemies and uninteresting bossfights pull it down.

As things stand, Kingdom of the Dead is a great proof of concept that is still an enjoyable retro FPS but doesn’t quite live up to the aesthetics. I’m keen to see what the developer produces next though as they clearly have a real flair for design and a love of old school FPS games.

While its technical shortcomings are hard to ignore, there’s an undeniably solid shooter buried beneath Kingdom of the Dead‘s bumps and bruises. With fantastic presentation and a satisfying arsenal of weapons to wield, it’s a worthwhile throwback to a simpler time when monster closets were plentiful, and stopping to reload your guns was unheard of. If you’re a fan of DOS-era shooters and don’t mind a bit of jank, there are far worse ways to spend a weekend.

Quotation forthcoming.

There’s plenty of life in Kingdom of the Dead as it fills the brief of an action-packed retro FPS with competence. There’s considerably less genuine personality, however, to make the most of its premise and stand out from the crowd.