The King is Watching Reviews
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 King is Watching brilliantly combines roguelike progression with real-time strategy by making your workers only function under your direct gaze. With its 1.0 release addressing major concerns like mid-run saves, this pixel art kingdom builder offers surprising strategic depth through diverse unit synergies and risk-reward prophecies. Despite some UI annoyances and artificial progression gates, it's a dangerously addictive "one more run" experience.
The King is Watching is one of those unexpected surprises—a game no one anticipated, yet it delivers an innovative experience blending roguelike mechanics with strategy elements. While it may seem complex at first, the deeper you dive, the more rewarding it becomes. If you’re looking for a fresh experience that challenges your planning and decision-making at every step, this title definitely deserves a spot in your library.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
The King is Watching is a strategic gem hiding behind cute sprites and a duck with nerdy specs. It’s a roguelite builder that dares to do something different, even if that sometimes means being confusing or needlessly punishing. There’s a joy in experimenting within the King’s Gaze; rotating your influence to power a barracks before the goblins crash the gates desperately, and a real sense of satisfaction when a plan comes together. While the lack of a save system and progression hurdles are definite thorns in the crown, Hypnohead still crafted a refreshingly weird and mechanically rich experience. With tinyBuild behind them, we’re hopeful for updates, tweaks, and perhaps a few more ducks. The King Is Watching receives a Thumb Culture Gold Award. A worthy kingdom, ruled with charm, chaos, and just a little quackery.
The King Is Watching strikes a smart balance between kingdom-builder and roguelite, offering a run-based experience that’s both strategic and refreshingly unpredictable. Its layered meta progression and clever prophecy system give each attempt a sense of momentum, encouraging experimentation and long-term planning.
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 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 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.