Kingdom Eighties answers the question ‘What would happen if you mixed Kingdom with Stranger Things?’. That boils down to Synthwave vibes, arcades and high schools instead of the medieval fantasy settings we’ve experienced so far. Within moments of starting our hands-on demo, it’s clear that this has to be one of the most effective reimaginings of a game I’ve ever seen, and if you’re a returning Kingdom player, and perhaps one that’s a fan of Stranger Things or the 80s, every action is likely to be accompanied by an exclamation of amazement or joy.
Want to check out Kingdom Eighties for yourself? A game demo will be made publicly available during Steam Next Fest, starting on 19th June.
The 80s’ aesthetic starts with that Synthwave soundtrack and hops straight into the classic transportation of the era, the BMX bike. You ride left and right on a 2D plane, expanding your base of operations and defending against the arrival of the Greed. Unlike the previous Kingdom games there’s no hobos to recruit to your cause here, but you can co-opt smaller kids to help you out. They’ll still become archers (wearing classic Robin Hood fancy dress) or repairmen, but it may come with a slight pang of guilt about child labour. Still, they don’t die if the Greed get hold of them, so it’s all clearly just for fun, and not a safeguarding issue at all.
Instead of constructing walls like a wooden fort, your base’s defences are built from traffic cones and road blocks, and instead of a central camp you’re operating out of a High School. You don’t tend the fields, but you can set a kid off on an electric mower to earn some cash by doing chores, or have a nearby house operate a yard sale. Though it doesn’t look quite the same, this is still fundamentally the same game, and if you’ve played any of the Kingdom titles you’ll know how hypnotic and intoxicating its simple strategy gameplay is.
You’re not on your own out here though, even if you are the one wearing the crown (thanks to carrying the bloodline of the Monarch). You’re joined by your very own Scooby Gang/Hellfire Club/whatever Elliot’s friends are called in ET, who join you on your quest. They follow you on their bikes, and will speed through the approaching Greed if you need them to, giving you an extra final line of defense if things haven’t gone to plan. They’ll also use their unique skills at points as well, bringing a new element to the series.
There’s also more of a narrative at work here, told with cartoon cutscenes that evoke 80s animation, complete with wavy VHS scan lines. During the demo you have to help Wiz find his missing gear so that he can help you with the technology needed to lower the bridge that links the school to the nearby town. The added context helps to give a little more drive to proceedings, even if you’re still doing much the same tasks as you have done previously. There’s a new siege mechanic here though, your friend Champ pushing a dumpster along that acts as a mobile wall and allows you to take the fight straight to the Greed’s portal, allowing you to take back the stolen tech.
The demo drops you into Chapter 2, but it feels as though progression in Kingdom 80s is a lot more fast paced than previous games. Even at this stage on Normal difficulty there’s a real challenge to building up your base, moving the narrative forward, and defending against the Greed, asking you to juggle multiple aspects at the same time. I found myself zipping backwards and forwards on my BMX a lot more than I was expecting, and when it all goes wrong Kingdom 80s has easily retained the ‘one more go’ drive of the other games in the series.
Kingdom 80s is shaping up to be a worthy successor to one of the best indie strategy games of all time, and the switch to an 80s aesthetic feels absolutely perfect. Things are definitely strange in this town, and I can’t wait to see exactly what they are.
