Almost two years after the launch of Kingdom Two Crowns, the game of Raw fury It was updated a second time a few weeks ago, further expanding the genius of its curious approach to strategy and city building.
With a free expansion in collaboration with the Bloodstained from Igarashi, Dead Lands It is not limited to adding a couple of visual details here and there, but adds new mechanics that could well serve as preview of a hypothetical fourth installment. In fact, I hope they are.
From mere management to being part of the action
From the usual kingdoms we end up jumping to Feudal Japan and now, with Dead Lands, it is time to cling to a gothic aesthetic in which the frames are beings from beyond the grave and the Red Moon gains even more prominence.
Luckily, dealing with the hordes of enemies coming out of caves and portals is now much easier thanks to the ability to switch between monarchs. Extracted from BloodstainedMiriam, Gebel, Alfred and Zangetsu are more than just an observer when it comes to going to war.
Counting each one with special ability -in order of appearance a blast capable of freezing enemies, the possibility of turning into a bat and moving at high speed, that of creating an invincible copy, and a sword attack-, joining the fight makes you feel more than just an administrator.
To the idea are added the attacks of each mount, whether they are the beetle's traps or the golem's barriers, which opens New strategies and a more careful attention to the combat part. Especially during the phases of Red Moon.
How to step forward by walking backwards
With the possibility of changing between each other from a building destined for this purpose, being able to stop the enemy troops on one side like Miriam, and then change Gebel and fly at high speed to the other end of the kingdom to continue casting a cable is a real hoot.
Otherwise, it is the same addictive formula that we already fell in love with at the time and, to the surprise of those who have already put a considerable amount of hours in the original game, that it continues to be so addictive seems like magic.
If there is something that fascinates me about the Kingdom saga, it is how it has managed to create such a solid formula based on simplify classic mechanics as much as possible of strategy games. It seems to me one of those design exercises that deserve a loud applause for how you step forward by walking backwards.
More surprising than the mere fact that it continues to receive news almost two years after its launch is the fact that Dead Lands it is a free expansion. It may not be large enough to warrant the purchase of the game if it has not yet captured your attention, but certainly a golden opportunity to enjoy the saga again if you have already done so in the past.
