Kingdom III: Rising Realms Announced, Hands-On Impressions

Surprise: Raw Fury announced "Kingdom III: Rising Realms" as part of Gamescom. We had the opportunity to play the third installment of the micro-management and tower defense mix and gather our initial impressions.

Micro Management Meets Tower Defense

The "Kingdom" games are known for their unique gameplay blend of micro-management and tower defense elements. However, the management aspect is quite light, and it doesn't quite feel like a typical tower defense game. Despite "Kingdom" having the potential to become stressful, its dense atmosphere could also lead one to describe it as a cozy game.

Heal the Kingdom and Protect It from the Greed

As the monarch, you'll ride your horse through your fallen kingdom, recruit followers from scattered inhabitants, and gradually build up your fortress. However, at night, you'll be attacked by the Greed, small, purple monsters, necessitating continuous improvements to your defenses and walls during the day. In the latest installment, these creatures are led by the dangerous Greed King, who seeks to destroy the kingdom.

Explore, Improve, Defend

The gameplay loop of exploring, improving, defending, and then improving again is quickly captivating and practically impossible to break free from. This is precisely why the "Kingdom" series has garnered a loyal fanbase. Interestingly, fans rarely ask for significant changes, instead desiring more content, as Creative Director Angelica Norgren shared. Consequently, the most substantial changes are found behind the scenes.

For the third part, the development team has rewritten the codebase from scratch. This is intended to enable structural changes in gameplay, about which the team will provide more details later. However, visual improvements were immediately noticeable. The team has maintained the charming pixel art style but consistently enhanced it. This is evident, for example, in the NPC characters, who now appear more detailed despite their minimalist design, as well as the overall higher pixel density.

New Units & Environmental Threats

In gameplay, we noticed two new features. Firstly, the environment, which this time draws more inspiration from the European Middle Ages, plays a more significant role. A Greed-infested mushroom slowly spread day by day, becoming increasingly dangerous. Therefore, it's wise to address impending threats early and prevent their spread. The game is said to feature several such environmental threats that, alongside the Greed, provide additional dangers to manage.

Also new are the Elites, a unit of various specialists that can be recruited in levels and equip your army with new abilities. The Elites are designed to be upgradable and improvable, adding more tactical depth. Unfortunately, we couldn't fully test this in the short demo. Similar approaches have appeared in previous "Kingdom" games and expansions. However, the Elites as a distinct unit seem to integrate better into the gameplay from a first impression.

Through consistent and deliberate improvements, "Kingdom III: Rising Realms" is poised to be the sequel that fans have been waiting for. We particularly hope for more content and incentives to play through multiple runs. It remains to be seen what new features will be unveiled in the coming months leading up to the game's release in 2027. Those who have become curious should keep an eye on "Kingdom III: Rising Realms" and consider it as an entry point into this series.