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Kingdom Two Crowns is a very fun 2D strategy game with minimalist 3-button controls, beautiful pixel art design, fantastic music. It gives the player enough to do and to think about, but at the same time, the simple design takes away a lot of the control and leaves it to the hands of the AI. A caveat to veteran Kingdom players, this game seems to be a bit easier, so be aware of that when you head in.

When it comes down to the simple-design, the three buttons can work well for some people and make it more frustrating for others. If you have played the previous Kingdom games before, you will know exactly what I am talking about. When you have a single button to use money, and the other two keys makes your monarch move left and right, you can imagine that perhaps the inability to control a lot of what goes on might be a bit frustrating.

If you have never played a Kingdom game and can't make up your mind, I would recommend that you go start from Kingdom: Classic. I know there's plenty of embellishments and additions since the original game, but the fundamental gameplay concept and the series of things to do are almost the same. If you can't get past that in terms of the value of the concept and gameplay, then definitely don't bother with this game. You can make it easier and look up YouTube videos or watch someone stream one of the games. Though I would have to discourage you from doing that, because part of the fun in playing this game, and either of the other two is to discover on your own what you can and cannot do.

Does this game offer more than the previous titles in the series? Yes. Yes in that there are more things to do, there are some small but clearly puzzle-esque elements in this game that you have to just figure out through experimentation and playing. Of course, what kind of puzzles can you add with the simplistic style of the game? I don't mean to be a jerk, but you really should play to find out. I have spent enough hours to say that I have played this game enough to know more or less what I should be doing. But maybe I shouldn't say that, because I just lost a crown before sitting down to type up my review.

The other big addition found in this game is the availability of local coop and online coop. You can play with two people managing the game instead of one. This doesn't seem to make it more difficult. I was goofing around and tried a little bit of two-hand split-screen as a single player. I couldn't get it to workout too well, because I had trouble actually managing everything in a timely fashion. Even still, it made everything feel a little easier. I could not feel that the game was any more difficult with two people. (Someone correct me if I am wrong here.)

At the end of the day, you will either love this game or hate it, I think. There's not much middle ground here. If you love it, you might play until sunrise the next morning, even though the game can be saved and you can quit at any time. If you hate it, you might get past a few day/night cycles in-game, which is only a matter of minutes in reality, and then never touch it again. The simple but effective strategies that you will develop to take this game along its course is what makes this game fun.

You move left, you move right, you use money with the third button. There's not a lot here seemingly, but the discovery, roadblocks, and overcoming these obstacles is what makes this game amazing in its own way. If you are seriously thinking about playing any of these games in the series, just trust your instincts and dive in. Don't watch any videos, don't read any more about it, just play. (This is why I didn't make a video, and why I am not really talking about the specifics of the game details within. It's up to you to make those really awesome discoveries and to figure out what works and what doesn't work.)

The graphics are pixel-style but are amazing. I remember being absolutely stunned by the details in the original Kingdom: Classic when I played. Some people might not be into pixel artwork, but it's truly remarkable how well an atmosphere and environment some pixel artists can put together. Compared to the original Two Crowns is only better in this department.

I do think this game has a rather outstanding soundtrack.

It's easy enough for everybody to learn it. Once again, it's a game without words, so there's no reading, only discovering by playing.

Is this game worth $20 USD, which is the base price? I think so.

-Your actions are going to be repetitive, so brace yourself.
-Lack of ability to manage your soldiers may drive you to drink. If your stronghold is being attacked from one side, half of your soldiers are fighting to their death, while the other half are shooting idly at bunnies and deer on the other side.
-Funds and the seemingly constant shortage. This will take you some time to get used to. It's potentially run-killing/time-consuming in the early game if your investments don't have a good enough return yield.
-You may have to try for a long long time going after some of those achievements, they are tough.

Kingdom Two Crowns is really good, so you should definitely give it a try. The coop might make the game a bit easier, and I do believe that it is a bit easier compared to the previous games at baseline. Perhaps in trying to make the game progression a little bit more friendly, this is a slight tone-down that seems reasonable. It would be nice to have difficulty options.

This game is going to see some additional free updates with time, so it will be exciting to keep an eye on for the future as well.

Simple and fun, but complex in unexpected ways and potentially frustrating at critical moments. Discover it for yourself.

8/10

I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.

[quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/32732116-IndieGems/]Follow our curator page: [b]IndieGems[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote] [i]Kingdom Two Crowns[/i] is a very fun 2D strategy game with minimalist 3-button controls, beautiful pixel art design, fantastic music. It gives the player enough to do and to think about, but at the same time, the simple design takes away a lot of the control and leaves it to the hands of the AI. A caveat to veteran [i]Kingdom[/i] players, this game seems to be a bit easier, so be aware of that when you head in. When it comes down to the simple-design, the three buttons can work well for some people and make it more frustrating for others. If you have played the previous [i]Kingdom[/i] games before, you will know exactly what I am talking about. When you have a single button to use money, and the other two keys makes your monarch move left and right, you can imagine that perhaps the inability to control a lot of what goes on might be a bit frustrating. If you have never played a Kingdom game and can't make up your mind, I would recommend that you go start from [i]Kingdom: Classic[/i]. I know there's plenty of embellishments and additions since the original game, but the fundamental gameplay concept and the series of things to do are almost the same. If you can't get past that in terms of the value of the concept and gameplay, then definitely don't bother with this game. You can make it easier and look up YouTube videos or watch someone stream one of the games. Though I would have to discourage you from doing that, because part of the fun in playing this game, and either of the other two is to discover on your own what you can and cannot do. Does this game offer more than the previous titles in the series? Yes. Yes in that there are more things to do, there are some small but clearly puzzle-esque elements in this game that you have to just figure out through experimentation and playing. Of course, what kind of puzzles can you add with the simplistic style of the game? I don't mean to be a jerk, but you really should play to find out. I have spent enough hours to say that I have played this game enough to know more or less what I should be doing. But maybe I shouldn't say that, because I just lost a crown before sitting down to type up my review. The other big addition found in this game is the availability of local coop and online coop. You can play with two people managing the game instead of one. This doesn't seem to make it more difficult. I was goofing around and tried a little bit of two-hand split-screen as a single player. I couldn't get it to workout too well, because I had trouble actually managing everything in a timely fashion. Even still, it made everything feel a little easier. I could not feel that the game was any more difficult with two people. (Someone correct me if I am wrong here.) At the end of the day, you will either love this game or hate it, I think. There's not much middle ground here. If you love it, you might play until sunrise the next morning, even though the game can be saved and you can quit at any time. If you hate it, you might get past a few day/night cycles in-game, which is only a matter of minutes in reality, and then never touch it again. The simple but effective strategies that you will develop to take this game along its course is what makes this game fun. You move left, you move right, you use money with the third button. There's not a lot here seemingly, but the discovery, roadblocks, and overcoming these obstacles is what makes this game amazing in its own way. If you are seriously thinking about playing any of these games in the series, just trust your instincts and dive in. Don't watch any videos, don't read any more about it, just play. (This is why I didn't make a video, and why I am not really talking about the specifics of the game details within. It's up to you to make those really awesome discoveries and to figure out what works and what doesn't work.) [h1]Graphics[/h1] The graphics are pixel-style but are amazing. I remember being absolutely stunned by the details in the original [i]Kingdom: Classic[/i] when I played. Some people might not be into pixel artwork, but it's truly remarkable how well an atmosphere and environment some pixel artists can put together. Compared to the original [i]Two Crowns[/i] is only better in this department. [h1]Music[/h1] I do think this game has a rather outstanding soundtrack. [h1]Audience[/h1] It's easy enough for everybody to learn it. Once again, it's a game without words, so there's no reading, only discovering by playing. [h1]Pricing[/h1] Is this game worth $20 USD, which is the base price? I think so. [h1]Some Potential Frustrations[/h1] -Your actions are going to be repetitive, so brace yourself. -Lack of ability to manage your soldiers may drive you to drink. If your stronghold is being attacked from one side, half of your soldiers are fighting to their death, while the other half are shooting idly at bunnies and deer on the other side. -Funds and the seemingly constant shortage. This will take you some time to get used to. It's potentially run-killing/time-consuming in the early game if your investments don't have a good enough return yield. -You may have to try for a long long time going after some of those achievements, they are tough. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] [i]Kingdom Two Crowns[/i] is really good, so you should definitely give it a try. The coop might make the game a bit easier, and I do believe that it is a bit easier compared to the previous games at baseline. Perhaps in trying to make the game progression a little bit more friendly, this is a slight tone-down that seems reasonable. It would be nice to have difficulty options. This game is going to see some additional free updates with time, so it will be exciting to keep an eye on for the future as well. Simple and fun, but complex in unexpected ways and potentially frustrating at critical moments. Discover it for yourself. 8/10 [quote]I received the product for free. I did not receive any compensation to write this review. The opinions represented here are entirely my own and were not influenced in any way.[/quote]