I feel like I’ve been on a roll lately when it comes to spotting new and upcoming games. Yes, that does mean I’ve been spending an awful lot of time going through Steam, but it doesn’t count as procrastinating when it’s work. Trust me.
Anyway, the latest upcoming gem is Dungeons and Kingdoms, a game all about dungeon crawling and kingdom management. Who would have thought?
Now, I really enjoy this kind of genre matchup, and games like Crypt of the Necrodancer and Cult of the Lamb have shown just how great games can be when they combine some really beloved elements and mechanics into one.
This time, we’ve got a medieval kingdom sim blended with some good ‘ol soulslike dungeon delving, and from what I’ve seen so far, it looks great.
Dungeons and Kingdoms will have players follow a group of refugees from an unlivable homeland and be tasked with building them a nice place to call home. This game features all the genre staples you can imagine, like tree chopping, crop planting, building construction, and more.
When it comes to building, players will have access to over 500 pieces and will be able to save designs as blueprints to share on Steam Workshop. Following in some Sims’ footsteps, players will also be able to transform the terrain by smoothing out certain areas and creating mountains and hills, etc.
The game also features a day and night cycle, and some dead raiders and wild animals threaten the people you’re trying so desperately to keep happy and alive.
But that’s all just about the Kingdom part of the game. There’s also the dungeon part, which will see players exploring crypts and battling fearsome monsters, all in an effort to unlock unique resources and tech upgrades to improve the kingdom. Of course, lining your pockets with some treasure won’t hurt either.
As of this writing, Dungeons and Kingdoms is planned to arrive on Steam in early access sometime between now and 2025.