Overview of 9 Kings
Launched on May 23rd, 2025 9 Kings is a combination of roguelike, deckbuilding, and auto-battler genres. When starting, you select one of the seven kings available (with two more coming to the game) and build a kingdom that lasts against waves of attacks from enemy kings. Each turn you play one of your cards on the 3×3 player grid, which represents units, buildings, or spells.
Gameplay Mechanics
Gameplay 9 Kings is all about making decisions under resource constraints. Each king has its own unique deck of nine cards. Each turn, you draw one card and play one card on the player grid to shape your kingdom. After you play your turn, an enemy king attacks, and your choices from the earlier round must withstand it.
Kings and Playstyle
Each king has its own playstyle and strategies available to the player:
- King of Nothing: A typical playstyle with traditional units and defenses.
- King of Blood: Ensure units are being sacrificed to power up other units.
- King of Greed: Focuses on generating gold and hiring mercenaries.
These unique play styles and strategies offer continued variability and decisions across runs.
Deckbuilding and Card Synergy
The deckbuilding part of the game is one of the highlights because as players defeat the kings, they acquire new cards as well. This not only creates multiple combinations and synergies but also allows the players to formulate their own designs that resonate with their own playstyles.
Combat and Auto-Battler Elements
9 Kings is an auto-battle game meaning when combat begins, players have made the decisions ahead of time regarding not only what units are deployed, but where, and what abilities will be engaged. Players influence combat outcomes by making strategic decisions based on the units and buildings placed and once in combat, the players may activate abilities- an example is to launch a rock from a trebuchet.
Strategic Building Placement
The 3×3 Grid was limiting and it systematically made each decision impactful. Players needed to think critically about where to place buildings and units to optimize performance and, more importantly, not make an enemy encounter disastrous.
Progression and Unlockables
As players progress in 9 Kings, they will unlock additional kings, cards, and abilities to utilize. The game has a meta-progression that makes any run players do relevant to the overall progression to keep players engaged and interested.
Visuals and Art Style
The visuals of 9 Kings are minimalist, but they are effective in communicating the mechanics and atmosphere of the game. The art style works well with the gameplay mechanics, so the visuals do not take away the planning phase after the decision-making is complete.
Early Access and Future Updates
Currently in Early Access, 9 Kings offers seven kings playable at launch, with the potential for two more. Developers have created a roadmap for upcoming updates, including new content and features that will be based on community feedback.
Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Rather than just a game, 9 Kings is a strategic challenge that evaluates your ability to make choices and adjust to scenarios. Its blend of genres, along with fun mechanics and ongoing updates, makes it a fun play and a potential unique experience for all strategy gamers or casual gamers. Whether you are a veteran of strategy games or have never played one before, you can find something challenging and rewarding when playing 9 Kings.
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