Early Access reviews are always a bit difficult to write. When criticizing a game in Early Access, it is important to specify to the reader that it is, in fact, in an experimental, unfinished state. Reminding a reader that a game is likely—almost guaranteed—to change from its current state throughout an Early Access period is critical if you’re going to point out a problem that very well could be removed by the time the reader has gotten the chance to read your review. It certainly isn’t fair to put the image in the head of the reader that the often flawed versions of games that I played are what they are definitely going to experience when they try them out themselves.
Ironically, however, it is much harder to review a game, especially one in Early Access, that has very few things, if any, that I feel need to change. When attempting to meet my word count quota for a review, it is much, much harder to stretch out everything I enjoy about a game than it is to critique and offer solutions for things I disliked. “I really like this feature” tends to write much shorter than “this sucks and this is why,” and reviewing an Early Access title that essentially feels like it doesn’t need to do much to change can often make me feel stumped when it comes to stretching my words.
This is precisely my issue in reviewing the Early Access state of 9 Kings.
9 Kings is a roguelike title with an emphasis on wave defense and base building. Essentially, you play each game of 9 Kings with a slowly expanding grid of buildable tiles upon which you place structures, defensive towers, or soldiers. Each turn, you are attacked, and it is up to you to defend your base using your armies, defense structures, or special abilities to kill the enemy army before it sacks your base.
The start of each round presents you with a choice of cards, each one providing you with a building, a unit, or a tile buff. Most buildings either buff the tiles around them or are unit-killing defensive towers, and your armies each occupy a space of their own, being modified by the buffs to the tiles they occupy. Your troops are made up of actual bodies, so each one that dies in battle must then be replenished.
Each round brings a randomized selection of said cards, and occasionally, shops or buffs show up to make things more interesting, with their choices always being random. Your tile space is limited, but if you have multiple copies of a building, you can combine them to create upgraded versions, which also goes for troops. If you can’t place a card, you have to mill it to start the round, which can create some interesting strategic plays when you have cards you want to play later, but not quite at that moment. Unlike other roguelike games, there is no “hub” or out-of-match progression, besides the unlocking of new Kings and difficulty modes.
The actual battles are completely automated, with your armies sallying out to meet the attacking enemy each turn and simulating a fight with each individual unit until the enemy is defeated or your castle is sacked. During these battles, the player can interact by using a leader-specific ability, such as a big rock or lightning bolt, and occasionally, you will have to battle big bosses, which adds a lot of flavor to the game.
How you play is determined by your King, of which the game currently has 7 of 9 implemented. Each King has a deck with their own special ability, map, music styles, and unlock requirements. I really enjoy how the game switches things up between Kings, adding a lot of variety to the game.
Now comes the part of the review where I struggle to think of what to say next, because frankly, I think 9 Kings is pretty solid. There is very little I would change about the game, and very little about it that feels unfinished. Besides the two missing Kings from the titular roster of nine, I think the game could release tomorrow, and I’d be pretty happy about it.
If anything, I wish that the game allowed for more upgrades than you currently get with your buildings and units. Everything upgrades to level 3, which doesn’t take long to reach, and at that point, you often don’t need or can’t play extra copies of those cards. Pushing it to five or six, I think, would make upgrading more satisfying.
There also isn’t a lot of visual flair to your units, especially when you upgrade them. While I know they are just simple pixel models, I think adding a little oomph to their designs as they upgrade would go a long way toward making the game more satisfying to play. I mean, nothing gives me dopamine quite like spending resources to make my personal killers look more fabulous, and I have consistently complained when RTS-style games don’t change the look of units when you upgrade them.
That’s really all I have to say about 9 Kings. The game is a rather short, progressively difficult roguelike about building towns and waging little wars. The game is incredibly interesting, fun to play, and in a surprisingly solid state, given that it’s only releasing into Early Access. I didn’t experience any bugs, and there’s very little I would change or improve upon. If 9 Kings has caught your interest, it is absolutely a buy in my book.
Pros:
- A fantastic pocket roguelike with lots of replayability, but that doesn’t require too much time commitment.
- Solid mechanics that change from game to game, depending on which King you play.
Cons:
- A lack of visual flair in units can be a little bit disappointing.
Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam PC Review code for 9 Kings. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! 9 Kings is available on Steam.
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