Kingsway

 PC
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. GamesBeat
    Jul 21, 2017
    85
    I enjoyed the novelty of the interface along with the ability to experiment with maximizing different character classes. There are some genuinely cool moments that harken back to classic RPGs, especially around the boss fights. Because of the threat of perma-death, they felt especially tense and I had to psych myself up before I took on the Big Bad. Despite some repetitive content, the overall experience was fresh and fun.
  2. Giant Bomb
    Sep 20, 2017
    80
    Kingsway goes beyond being just a throwback to the past, and proves itself an entertaining game in its own right.
  3. Polygon
    Jul 24, 2017
    80
    Like all successful pieces of nostalgia, Kingsway knows the adventure on the screen is less important than the adventure in your mind. Kingsway took me far down those winding paths, deeper and deeper with each hesitant chitter of nonexistent hardware.
  5. Game Informer
    Aug 1, 2017
    78
    The gimmick of Kingsway is rather glorious, but the grandeur fades quickly as you take up your sword and staff for the third or forth completion run. The novelty of Kingsway is quite potent, but it just doesn’t have any staying power. As something to hammer out in a day and put down never to play again, it’s a fun diversion – but don’t count on it to keep you exploring the ever-changing island for much longer than that.
  6. CGMagazine
    Aug 28, 2017
    70
    A fun procedurally generated rpg adventure with a punishing difficulty that will require multiple playthroughs.
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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jul 21, 2017
    Goodness me, Kingsway is clever. It’s clever in so, so many ways. It’s clever in its absolutely spectacular presentation, but it’s far too clever to let that just be a gimmick – its peculiar appearance as a mid-90s Windows desktop could so easily have been a cute idea that hid an ordinary roguelite RPG, but instead it so very brilliantly influences how you play, and indeed the foibles of such an interface become crucial to how you experience it. It’s also really bloody tough.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 3 out of 11
  1. graspee
    Jul 19, 2017
    5
    Modeling the game like an operating system is a great idea but it would have been cooler if they put some things in there that weren'tModeling the game like an operating system is a great idea but it would have been cooler if they put some things in there that weren't directly to do with the game like a text editor, a calculator, a calendar, a simplistic spreadsheet etc. Instead you quickly realize that it's just the game elements like character screen, inventory etc. and that it's actually quite annoying that they behave like separate windows instead of being in fixed places not overlapping. It's nice that you can put elements where you want but enemy windows pop up where they decide to which often covers your important information. The game also does not save your window positions.

    As for those enemy windows popping up, that is the part of the game I most hate. I realize it's part of the gameplay that the enemy windows move while you are trying to click on them and that things like bombs and arrows pop up as fast moving windows you have to click on while doing everything else to be "realistic" but I don't want tests of hand/eye co-ordination requiring precision and speed on the mouse in an rpg. I would prefer the tactical grid combat of a true roguelike in place of this test of my real life dexterity and agility.

    I'm also not a fan of the roguelite progression where you earn gems while playing that you later use to give yourself permanent advantages. I'm especially not happy about one of those advantages being unlocking shortcut keys for various windows in the game. I'm not sure if this will even let you redefine a key once you have unlocked it but I would guess not.

    The bottom line is that what at first appears to be an innovative, deep rpg with procedural elements turns out to gimmicky, shallow, encounter-based rpg which enforces a certain method of user interaction. The gimmick (fake operating system) is only realized enough to suit the game which is an opportunity missed.

    (No linux version available)    … Full Review »
  2. ForkedEntry
    Jun 4, 2019
    8
    Fun game if you're looking for something new/different to do. The game is quite short, but it being randomly generated and having permadeathFun game if you're looking for something new/different to do. The game is quite short, but it being randomly generated and having permadeath keeps things exciting.… Full Review »
  3. sanji2
    Apr 11, 2019
    9
    its a good game you shoud realy spend your money for it i realy enjoyd this game so what are you waiting for go buy the game!!!
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