Kingdom Eighties: A Neon Adventure of Micro-Strategy and Base Building
If you grew up in the '80s, or just have a deep love for its pop culture landscape, Kingdom Eighties will tap right into your nostalgia. This pixel-art strategy game takes the established formula of the Kingdom series and gives it a righteous '80s makeover complete with a synth-heavy soundtrack.
It's a little bit Stranger Things, a little bit Goonies, and a whole lot of fun.
The Greed are back!
The core gameplay of Kingdom Eighties remains much the same as previous entries. As the young monarch of a fledgling summer camp, you ride your BMX across a side-scrolling world.
Your mission is to build structures, recruit helpful citizens, and survive the relentless attacks of the Greed, shadowy creatures obsessed with stealing your hard-earned coins (and your crown!).
The '80s twist in Kingdom Eighties is that instead of medieval towers and archers, you're building arcades and lemonade stands.
Your trusty steed can even be swapped for other iconic 80s rides like skateboards and the legendary DeLorean. It's these clever thematic details, along with the constant references and jokes woven into the world, that truly make Kingdom Eighties shine.
Simple yet strategic
The gameplay loop is easy to grasp: collect coins, spend coins, survive. Yet, Kingdom Eighties is deceptively deep. You'll quickly learn to prioritize where to allocate your hard-earned cash. Do you upgrade your walls, build a new resource stand, or recruit more archers? Do you dare venture deeper into the forest to find a new citizen, risking a stronger Greed attack? Balancing expansion, defense, and resource generation creates constant, satisfying tension in a way that reminds me of tower defense games.
Short but sweet
The main knock against Kingdom Eighties is its relatively short campaign. Seasoned strategy fans will likely breeze through it in a few hours, which begs the question of replayability.
The different islands you explore do provide some variation, but the core gameplay loop ultimately repeats itself. It's fantastic in small bursts, a bit like a great 80s movie marathon, but it might leave you wanting more in the long run.
Let’s cut to the chase
Kingdom Eighties is a joyous love letter to a bygone era. If the idea of building an '80s inspired summer camp to fend off monsters while rocking out to a neon-drenched soundtrack sounds appealing, this game is a no-brainer.
It won't replace hardcore strategy titles, but its breezy style and infectious charm make it a worthwhile addition to your library.
