Deal | Simple but “surprisingly complex” strategy game is just $2 instead of $20 on Steam for the first time

Anyone who enjoys city-building strategy but doesn't want lots of menus and micromanagement should feel right at home with Kingdom Two Crowns. Released in 2018, the game combines city-building strategy, tower defense and exploration, wrapping its pleasantly streamlined gameplay in charming pixel art. The Steam Autumn Sale now brings the first-ever 90% discount (according to SteamDB), cutting the regular price from $20 to $2.

In Kingdom Two Crowns, players ride through a medieval fantasy world on horseback, collect coins, recruit new residents and gradually turn a small camp into a fortified kingdom. During the day, the focus is primarily on building. New walls and towers protect the settlement, while farms generate income. At the same time, exploring the surrounding area is worthwhile, as new mounts, technologies and other useful discoveries await in forests and ruins. Once the sun goes down, however, things get dangerous. That's when the creatures known as the Greed appear, attempting to break through the defenses and steal the monarch's crown.

Unlike what one might expect from a strategy game, however, the title doesn't use a top-down perspective, instead opting for side-scrolling – and that creates a very different gameplay flow. The kingdom expands exclusively to the left and right, while players themselves have to ride back and forth between the two sides. This suddenly makes distance and timing important: Anyone who explores too far or finds themselves on the wrong side of the kingdom at the wrong time can quickly find themselves in trouble during a nighttime attack. At the same time, the side-scrolling concept also makes the strategy game well suited to controller play – and it is Steam Deck Verified.

Behind the rather simple core concept lies what GameStar's German review describes as a “surprisingly complex strategy game,” in which expansion, defense and resources constantly have to be balanced against one another. The reviewers also praise the charming pixel-art visuals and well-executed co-op mode: Two players can take care of different parts of the kingdom, opening up additional tactical possibilities – either online or via local split-screen. However, due to sometimes inadequate explanations, subjects that occasionally behave unpredictably and gameplay that becomes somewhat repetitive over time, the game ultimately earned “only” 81 out of 100 points. Nearly 40,000 Steam reviews are 90% positive.

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