This indie strategy game with 92% positive reviews leaves Early Access today

In 9 Kings, players take on the role of one of nine rival kings fighting for dominance in a medieval fantasy world. Each ruler comes with unique troops, buildings and abilities. Rather than constructing sprawling cities, the goal is to build the strongest possible kingdom on a small grid and defend it against increasingly powerful enemies.

Buildings, troops and spells are placed on the battlefield using cards. Positioning plays an important role: Some buildings strengthen adjacent units, while others generate additional resources. Since battles play out largely automatically, success depends primarily on building a clever kingdom layout and making the most of interactions between different effects.

Experimenting with increasingly powerful card combinations is a big part of the appeal. With enough tinkering and the right combination of effects, players can practically break the game's balance. The result can be enormous armies, nearly invincible units or attack values that reach completely absurd levels.

On Steam, 92% of more than 24,000 user reviews are positive. Players seem particularly impressed by the many opportunities to experiment with different builds. The accessible gameplay and addictive nature of the game also receive plenty of praise. However, there's still room for improvement when it comes to balancing, especially since luck can sometimes play a major role. On higher difficulty levels in particular, success can depend heavily on which cards are offered.

Version 1.0 adds new cards and a fresh game mode

The biggest addition in the full release is arguably Joker Mode. Here, players can put together their own starting deck of nine cards and even tweak the game rules. There's plenty more new content, too. 9 Kings now features more than 130 cards, over 140 decrees, more than 110 perks and over 80 quests. New abilities also provide even more opportunities to experiment with outrageous builds.

9 Kings normally costs $19.99 on Steam. Developer Sad Socket has yet to announce an exact time for today's full release. A launch discount hasn't been confirmed either, although one could still arrive when version 1.0 goes live. If not, it might be worth waiting for the next sale. According to SteamDB, the roguelike strategy game has previously been discounted by 55%, bringing its price down to $8.99. 9 Kings is rated "Verified" for the Steam Deck and should therefore run without major issues. The following trailer shows what the game looks like in action: