REVIEW : KINGDOM of the DEAD (PC)
There is violence against non-human characters in KINGDOM of the DEAD, and some elements such as blood or partial dissection may be disturbing to some viewers.
It has a unique graphic aesthetic (Return of the Obra Dinn, perhaps? ), and it’s a fast, old-school first-person shooter, so it may be a masterpiece for some. It plays similarly to 90s shooters and their modern re-imaginings (Amid Evil, DUSK, Ion Fury), so if you liked them, you’ll appreciate this. In black and white, shoot, slash, and jump (with some red). There are no lootboxes, and the gampad is supported. The game is enjoyable, but not as enjoyable (or as large) as the aforementioned titles. This shooter puts you through a lot of pain, but not as much as your gaming rig – my fans
A visually attractive shooter with enjoyable combat and a wide variety of stylish, unique levels that move at a fast pace. I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m having a lot of fun with it so far, and it’s definitely worth a look. It was clear from the start that this game was incomplete. I like the effort put into the style, but the game as a whole feels unfinished. The level design is poor, the monsters are simple, and the game has a janky feel to it.
I was hesitant to purchase this one. Furthermore, the game’s makers were briefly attempting to obtain positive ratings in an unethical manner, but it appears that they realised their mistake (or had it highlighted to them). With shooters like this, I can tell right away if they’ll be good just by looking at them. Simple run-and-gun games with a solid feel from the outset nearly always turn out to be decent overall. So, despite the fact that I’ve just completed the first level, I’m already inclined to offer my opinion. The final line is that playing it is a blast. The weapon sounds aren’t very loud, but they’re adequate—based on previous gameplay footage, it appears that the shotgun and rifle had the same sound effects in the past, which would’ve been confusing.
Each of the four guns I’ve had the opportunity to use, a revolver, shotgun, rifle, and gatling gun, has its own set of sound effects. Except for the bosses I battled in the first level, the game’s sensation of impact on adversaries appears to be a very strong aspect, which I believe is largely owing to targeted dismemberment (you can blow the arms, legs, and head off of certain enemies). Someone remarked that the game was too slow, but that was not my perception. Ordinary movement speed is modest, but sprinting appears to have no limit, allowing you to go quickly. The only issue, as far as I can see, is that you must keep L-shift (or whichever button you have sprint connected to) pressed. There should be an autorun button, similar to the ones seen in the classic Doom games, so that you can always move at top speed.
The game’s large-scale conflicts and graphic presentation are its highlights. I encountered a large number of attackers at once on many occasions in just the first level, on the second-highest difficulty. In the first level, there was virtually little dead air. For a first level, the enemy variety was outstanding. Some only use melee weapons, while others use guns. Some fire standard straight-line projectiles, while others fire homing projectiles. You can shoot the missiles and destroy them in mid-air before they strike you, which is a lovely addition. The first level was challenging enough at the difficulty I chose (I died a couple of times), but the two monster fights were a letdown—the bosses were far too easy to defeat. I noticed a complaint concerning AI. For a swarm shooter game like this, I haven’t noticed anything odd about the AI.The enemies in these games aren’t particularly intelligent, but they do present a challenge because there are so many of them thrown at you at once, and their varied behaviours necessitate a bit of strategy and triage in dealing with them (in this game, for example, there are bird enemies that divebomb you while you’re dealing with melee enemies and projectiles at eye level). I don’t have much to say about the aesthetics other than that I appreciate the black-and-white approach. A few effects stuck out, such as the bird adversaries’ feathers floating around and eventually drifting to the ground once they were shot.
In addition, the volume of content appears to be adequate for the price. According to game reviews (not on Steam, but on game review sites), the game takes roughly 5-7 hours to complete (one guy mentioned that it took him about 7 hours on “normal” difficulty specifically). That seems about accurate, given that there are eight levels and the first one took me just under an hour to complete, and I don’t play games very fast.
Running leaps off inclines might seem a little floaty at times, almost as if you’re being tossed in an unnatural way. Certain sounds, particularly opponent noises, have a crackle to them—not sure if this was intentional. Furthermore, opponent noises in general seem messed up, bordering on cartoonish at times. For a while, the music might not have started when it was supposed to. Also, every now and again, an opponent would clip through the ground after being slain, or its lower body would sink into a surface while it was still alive and roaming around. It strikes me as odd that you can’t use your sword to break padlocks, but only fire them off. Finally, the crosshair turns crimson when it passes over already-dead foes, despite the fact that it should remain white. Hopefully, the developer will be able to resolve these issues.
