Building on a free browser predecessor that’s since been claimed by Flash’s death throes, Kindom: Classic is a wonderfully minimalist 2015 settlement builder from developers Noio.
Kindom, in case you missed it, is a quietly simple and curiously serene kingdom management sim. Riding atop your kingly steed, you venture left and right across a gorgeous world, doling out coins to your subjects to have them construct buildings, and fending off the monsters that gnaw at your borders. It’s a wonderful format, and completely unsurprising that it’d go on to spawn a lineage of its own. Kingdom: New Lands bulked out the game’s often-sparse foundations with a fort full of features, from broader upgrades and new environments to the option to play as a tiny pixellated queen. A third game, Kingdom: Two Crowns, brought in co-op rulers, unique monarch types, a broader emphasis on plot and even more lands to conquer. From what I understand, mind, it may have been a bit too bloated for its own good. In comparison, Kingdom The First can often feel a little sparse. Noio does a lot with the game’s simple aesthetics, with two-pixel-tall grass swaying as water shimmers with reflections of your nation-building antics. If you missed New Lands’ free week on Epic last year, this might your next-best chance at stepping into a bit of free, chilled-out royalty. Kingdom: Classic is free to pick up over on Humble until 6pm UK time next Monday, November 9th.
