KINGDOM of the DEAD

Featuring some breathtaking hand-drawn visuals, KINGDOM of the DEAD is an innovative first-person shooter that’s going to put players on a whole nother level of supernatural horror. Traverse labyrinthian maps as you deal with the horrors of this black and white world, always keeping an eye on what might be lurking in the shadows.

The amazing style of KINGDOM of the DEAD, paired with its tight combat and amazing level design, make it a game well worth keeping on the radar of any horror fan. Let’s take a look at what we can expect from this unique horror experience once it releases.

Ink and Paper Horror

In KINGDOM of the DEAD, you play as Agent Chamberlain: a professor who now works as an Army General. Chamberlain joins a secret government program known as GATEKEEPER, with a mission that sounds too fantastical to be true: stop Death and his minions at all cost.

To defeat the forces of the Underworld, players will have to travel to eight different locations across the East Coast of the US. There await the Gates of Death: places of power where Death’s strongest servants rule. While the game will have you fight some lesser ghouls and monsters, the game’s bosses are some authentic eldritch abominations.

Taking inspiration from some 90s games like Thief: The Dark Project, difficulty plays a huge role in the objectives you’ll have to complete on each level. Beating the game on the easier difficulty won’t let players see the whole picture that the game has to offer, giving this title more than enough replayability.

Additionally, keeping the retro influences intact, the full version of the game will have cheat codes and a customizable color palette available. If you’re tired of the black and white look of KINGDOM of the DEAD, you could always add a splash of color to your eldritch explorations.

An Army Against the Dead

KINGDOM of the DEAD features a respectable armament of 8 weapons to fight the hordes of Death. This might sound like a small number at first, but that’s just the way retro first-person shooters are. Think of it as an evolution of the classic Doom formula.

These eight weapons feature a combination of close-range and distance weapons, including a sword and dynamite sticks. Each weapon works better for different situations, forcing players to think fast if they hope to survive some of the more intense encounters in the game.

Speaking of intense encounters, if there’s something great about KINGDOM of the DEAD, that would be its rich variety of enemies. Over 22 different minor enemies exist in the game, and that’s not counting the bigger bosses. All in all, players can expect to run into a multitude of baddies, skipping the issues of games like Doom 3, where you faced the same five enemies throughout the whole game.

At some points, the black and white ink style of the game can get in the way of the action. The darker locations can be just a bit too dark, especially when there are too many enemies on screen. Those with an OLED monitor will no doubt get an upper hand in these circumstances, as the improved contrast can be a godsend in this game.

Pros

• Huge enemy roster
• Colossal boss encounters
• Satisfying combat
• Amazing visuals

Cons

• Can be hard to see at times