Kingdom of the Dead Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Kingdom of the Dead
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Kingdom of the Dead artwork

I headshot one fast zombie, taking pride in the cool reload animation triggered for my revolver when my screen suddenly flashes red. I don’t know what’s attacking me, so I run around some obstacles, trying to get a better view of the battlespace. I lose another half a heart of health before I catch sight of the demon bird that’s diving towards me.

By then I also have to deal with wizards throwing balls of light in my direction and at least one ax-wielding minotaur. Running is again a good idea, while I switch to my shotgun. I then close the distance to the magic-user and blast him in the face. The bull is next, and I might even switch to the revolver to conserve some ammo. Who knows what the rest of the level has to offer?

Kingdom of the Dead is created by Dirigo Games and published by Hook. The title is available on the PC using Steam. Players who pick it up will discover some classic concepts rendered in an intriguing new way.

Gamers take on the role of Agent Chamberlain, a kind of first-person shooter protagonist that comes out right of the ‘90s. He is a general, formerly a professor, and he is involved with a secret government agency called Gatekeeper. They work to make sure that the personification of Death and her minions cannot invade the United States by eliminating gates that this supernatural enemy opens up.

Kingdom of the Dead
Kingdom of the Dead
Kingdom of the Dead
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Kingdom of the Dead is as retro an FPS as a one-man development team can create in 2022. Move through environments, take down enemies, get more health, find extra weapons, load up on ammo, navigate varied environments, take down bosses. It will be familiar to anyone who has played Doom, although the closest direct relative is probably Hexen. And all the core mechanics work well.

Exploding barrels dot the landscape, practically begging players to lure enemies close to them. If you run out of ammo then a sentient sword, with a very unsettling eye, is the last resort melee. Headshots, especially when using the pistol, are incredibly satisfying and trigger a faster reload that helps a lot when groups of enemies are incoming. The player should crack open everything that looks like a container to get more ammo and should carefully explore areas to get extra health and potions. Environmental hazards kill instantly and pose as much of a danger as Death’s minions during frantic engagements.

It takes time and failure to learn how and when to best use each weapon. The dog-like zombies are more dangerous than they seem and are best handled from afar, backpedaling while using the shotgun. Bosses killed me quite a few times before I learned how to deal with them. Death birds are always a threat.

Kingdom of the Dead allows players to choose how hard they want to make a location. Start off at easiest to get a chance to get familiar with the main concepts. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by enemies. It’s easy to run out of ammo. But get through half a location with no loss of health and it makes sense to see what a higher difficulty has to offer.

The biggest problem with the game is its focus on classic ideas. The narrative isn’t very important. There are no extra mechanics to keep players engaged. The graphics will draw some in but will feel log quality to others. Kingdom of the Dead’s presentation greatly benefits from the choice to paint everything in black and white and red. The world is more oppressive, the enemies seem more threatening, the action sometimes takes on the quality of a half-nightmare. The downside is that sometimes enemy movement blends a little too much in with the environment.

Do not miss the Edit button in the Options area, which opens up some interesting filters (I love 1993). But the original graphics match the atmosphere of the game, which is even further enhanced by the very old-school sound design and the relatively subdued but also creepy soundtrack.

Kingdom of the Dead
Kingdom of the Dead
Kingdom of the Dead
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The Good

  • Old-school FPS
  • Black, white and red presentation
  • Enemy design

The Bad

  • Limited story
  • Classic mechanics
  • Limited soundtrack

Conclusion

Kingdom of the Dead is the work of a developer who understands what makes classic first-person shooters so fun and captivating. The game is unafraid to be a little unfair. It takes skill to chain headshots, it is hard to deal with big groups of mixed enemies, especially on the higher difficulties. But it feels very good when you ace a boss fight with just a bit of health left over.

I have been playing FPS titles since Wolfenstein 3D and I thoroughly enjoy what Kingdom of the Dead has to offer. Its biggest vulnerability is that a younger audience might not get the reference and fail to appreciate its tight mechanics. I hope that the mix of presentation and gameplay will get the title an audience that allows Dirigo to deliver on similar concepts in the future.

Review code provided by the publisher.

story 7
gameplay 9
concept 10
graphics 9
audio 8
multiplayer 0
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 
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Kingdom of the Dead screenshots (26 Images)

Kingdom of the Dead artwork
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