Kingdom: New Lands

 Switch
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 6
  3. Negative: 0 out of 6
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  1. NintendoWorldReport
    Sep 15, 2017
    90
    I have immensely enjoyed my time with Kingdom: New Lands. The set up of randomly generated island variations makes every playthrough both exciting and scary, and the feeling of branching out and fortifying your base is very satisfying. This is not a very action-heavy game, but more a dynamic adventure with the highs of triumph and the lows of defeat all wrapped up in a beautiful simulation game. With a great challenge, subtle and organic strategy and a gorgeous presentation, Kingdom: New Lands brings an excellent title to the Switch, one you won't want to miss.
  2. GamingTrend
    Sep 14, 2017
    90
    Kingdom: New Lands is the same survival simulation game you'll find on Steam, but it feels even more at home on the Nintendo Switch. While the lack of tutorial and clearly defined goals can potentially lead to frustration and some difficult first starts, Kingdom's simple controls lead you right into an incredibly engrossing game. The gorgeous pixel graphics shine on the Switch's screen, and the changing of day to night, and summer to fall is not only visually stunning, it's an ever present reminder that winter is coming. Based upon the principle that nothing lasts, with each new game Kingdom asks: How long can your crown survive?
  3. Switch Player
    Sep 29, 2017
    80
    Kingdom: New Lands is a great experience. At a first glance, it looks like a kingdom management game with a very simple gameplay premise; carefully built with an astonishing beautiful pixel art style. Under its subtle design philosophy, though, lies a deep experience that is both frustrating and fascinating.
  5. FNintendo
    Sep 30, 2017
    60
    Kingdom: New Lands may look impressive and feature a very immersive sound component but the game's limits become visible early on, when its simplicity turns more into an obstacle than an asset. The feeling of repetitiveness also becomes dominant early on, which doesn't contribute for an experience that at first seems to set the stage for something grand and ambitious.
  6. Destructoid
    Sep 25, 2017
    60
    When it hits those lows, it's not unplayable, but it's dang close. I'm more apt to put it down after a particularly choppy run, but I still find myself coming back to it after a while. Despite its technical flaws, I still want to see all of the different areas, and learn all of their secrets.
  7. Nintendo Life
    Sep 14, 2017
    60
    A deceptively simple idea that can become laboured and bewildering as well as oddly compelling, Kingdom: New Lands is certainly a curious take on the strategy genre. Its ambiguous, incredibly minimalistic nature will initially intrigue and could easily frustrate in equal measure. Fans of roguelikes or tower defence-style games may prefer more complexity, as the simple mechanics give you control over choices rather than actions and rely on astute observation and perseverance, rather than on skill or improvisation. There is a balance to learn and a set of rules to be discovered, but even with the admittedly gorgeous aesthetic - and progressing beyond the initial stages to where the dilemma of ambition over security ramps up - it may still not be enough of a pay off to reward your time. Definitely one to consider, albeit carefully.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 42
  3. Negative: 6 out of 42
  1. lostmyhippo
    Nov 18, 2017
    5
    This game has a lot going for it. I did find it enjoyable and addictive. But I think there are 2 fundamental flaws which left me feelingThis game has a lot going for it. I did find it enjoyable and addictive. But I think there are 2 fundamental flaws which left me feeling overall frustrated and disappointed with it, and that I overpaid for it.

    1. You cannot fast forward. There are periods of waiting for time to pass and it seems nuts that you can't fast forward (a la Sim City 2000 of old). If you have enormous amounts of free time you might not mind but if you have to sleep or work then this is an issue.

    2. There is no helpfile explaining the rules of the universe you are playing in (e.g. what a random shrine does if you pay it coins, what is the impact of building a mill on your farmers mortality, what prerequisites you need to satisfy to upgrade your base and so on, even what the overall objective is). Various people have commented online that trial and error nature of learning these rules is enjoyable, but I disagree as this is too time consuming so the satisfaction is not sufficient to warrant the time investment. You can find some info online but it's not a very efficient way of looking up the information.    … Full Review »
  2. Schnippshly
    Aug 8, 2018
    0
    At first I found myself surprisingly addicted to this game. However, I can't get past the second level because multiple times now I've hadAt first I found myself surprisingly addicted to this game. However, I can't get past the second level because multiple times now I've had game-breaking bugs related to builders not cutting down trees or building walls.
    If not for that I would have kept going, but regardless, the game is way too simple and tedious. There's just not much to it. It's not very consistent and many things are unclear, like who is the guy that spawns at a level 4 base? Some kind of tax collector who doesn't collect taxes? Why does the trader sometimes charge me a coin and sometimes doesn't, and just how long does he have to sit in my base before he drops money, and how much longer before I can pay him to leave?
    A lot of stuff is just poorly designed. Level 1 farms never produce money. You can't tell an archer to get out of a tower, even if the tower is not useful at all. Why is destroying the trader and destroying villager spawns an option? Sometimes you will have to because the randomly generated levels will generate very poorly (they often do).
    The absolute worst part is the traveling. You have to be constantly traveling, which takes a long time. Your horse can run, but he has to rest for longer than the amount of time he can run (or you can stand still for 5 seconds to eat some grass as long as there are no trees within 100 miles). The game looks nice at first, but it's the same crap over and over. There will be huge stretches of screen with nothing in them at all. Your territory can be huge, but there's hardly anything to put down in it. You can make farms, walls and towers, that's it. You can pay an archer shrine to power up your archers. You run around. Just so shallow.
    Even free would be too high a price for so much wasted time.    … Full Review »
  3. Malef
    Jun 21, 2020
    5
    Nice game... in general. Units are governs by simple rules, most of the time it is good, but at another time it is ruining the whole session.Nice game... in general. Units are governs by simple rules, most of the time it is good, but at another time it is ruining the whole session. Lack of commands like "hide behind walls" or "hold your ground" is really annoying.… Full Review »
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