The King is Watching
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
The King is Watching Media
The King is Watching - Official Release Window Animated Trailer | tinyBuild Connect 2025
Play New Demo of The King is Watching Now! | Steam Next Fest 2025 trailer
The King is Watching - Official Gameplay Overview Trailer | Convergence Showcase 2024
Critic Reviews for The King is Watching
Overall, I had an absolute blast with The King is Watching. The main gameplay loop is extremely well thought-out and incredibly engaging, and I can't wait to continue playing the game and seeing what all the Kings and advisors bring to the table. Speaking of, I feel my gaze needs to fall on to Steam again now. The King needs to watch his subjects, after all.
The King is Watching integrates city building, strategy, and resource management into a seamless and incredibly satisfying gameplay loop. A few tweaks would be nice, but it's still an original experience that exudes passion from every elegant pixel. It's like when the boss is away at work and you take it outrageously easy, with one difference: here you're the boss; you're the King.
Review in Italian | Read full review
The King is Watching is a satisfying, if slightly homogeneous, tetris-like roguelite base builder. While it struggles a bit with variety and uneven meta-progression, its gaze mechanic is a simple and clean hook that, alongside a creative setting and range of kings, makes for an almost comforting building manager run after run. The only problem is, that may not be enough to steal player's gaze away from the wealth of other roguelikes it's competing with this year.
The King is Watching is one of the most addictive roguelite strategies of this year. It has excellent visuals, humor and variability in settlement development. So far the game has problems with randomness and balance, but this only makes the playthrough more interesting.
The ways in which the game lets you lay out your run are very satisfying, mainly handled by prophecies. After a few battles, you gain the ability to choose the enemy layouts, intensity, and rewards of the next fights. These choices grant some of that feeling of control, but the exact rewards are still left up to chance. As is the curse of rogue-likes, sometimes you'll just get unlucky. Being offered productions you can't afford and resources you don't need is maddening, but it adds to the satisfaction of a run where it all comes together.
The King is Watching is a surprisingly clever and challenging roguelike with a unique twist. The line-of-sight mechanic is a clever invention that keeps the gameplay constantly exciting. Add to that the building and defense components, along with dozens of unlockables, spells, kings, and advisors, and you have a game that remains captivating. The learning curve is steep, the runs are (sometimes too) long, and there's room for some minor improvements, particularly in terms of save options and visual optimizations. But what matters is that every run feels like a new puzzle. For fans of roguelikes, kingdom builders, and strategic puzzle games, The King is Watching is an absolute must-have.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The King is Watching is a smart, surprisingly deep blend of roguelike systems and city-building mechanics that manages to innovate where many similar titles simply reiterate. While screenshots may not sell the experience at a glance, what welcomes players in The King is Watching is a rich and endlessly repayable gem.
The King is Watching is one of those games that looks simple superficially but hides a surprising amount of depth once you dig deep enough. It's tough, endlessly replayable, and driven by a core mechanic that's both fun and smart. The game respects your time, challenges your mind, and never asks for more money post-purchase.
