Kingdom Eighties – Summer of Greed Review

thesixthaxis.com:

Time means nothing. Kingdom Eighties might be set forty years ago, but this is a series with a formula that is intrinsically timeless; an impressive feat for a game that can be played with one hand. Despite its mundane-sounding elevator pitch – a fantasy strategy resource management title that’s played on a 2D plane – Kingdom Eighties, just like its forebears, is one of the most engrossing games you’ll play this year.

Some transportation is simply synonymous with the era it was created: The Model T truck and the 1920s, the Chevy Bel-Air and the 1950s, the Volkswagen Beetle and the 1960s, they each capture the zeitgeist of the time. Kingdom Eighties begins its pop culture journey with a vehicle that no child of the eighties could be without, the BMX, and then follows it up with both a skateboard and ultimately a DeLorean. in doing so it cements the era in player’s hearts, hands and minds.

You are Leader, Kingdom Eighties’ teenage protagonist who carries the bloodline of the Monarchs. This is the fictional dynasty who’ve accepted the Crown of Creation in each of the Kingdom games, but this is the first time it’s been popped right on top of a hoodie. Unlike the previous games there’s much more of an overarching narrative at play here, and it’s straight out of a Stranger Things script. Your town has been overrun by the Greed, a malevolent corruption that enjoys the colour pink and oozing on things – they’re unpleasant – and it’s up to you and your friends to stop it.

The opening cinematic is pure dopamine if you’re a child of the eighties, with an animated cutscene that captures the look and feel of Saturday morning cartoons with remarkable accuracy. It’s a shame that the later cutscenes are much more static affairs, and though