Review- Thronefall

Developer: GrizzlyGames

Publisher: GrizzlyGames

Available On: Nintendo Switch, PC

Review Console: Nintendo Switch

Video games can be as small or as large as the developer wants to make. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 is a gargantuan RPG that realistically depicts medieval Bohemia, down to the wetness and dirt. Rally racer art of rally breaks down the intensity of rally racing into a synth wave dreamscape. Games are for everyone but not every game is for every one. Some players may be taken back from their being far too much to do or learn in a game. Thronefall steps in with a solution.

Taking on real-time strategy and action to simple button presses, Thronefall seeks to take the complexity of strategy into an easy-to-understand interface and create compelling battles along the way. Thronefall may look small but it's heart is mighty as the game is a winner that succeeds in its ambitions.

The King Has Returned

There are castles to build and monsters afoot. In Thronefall, players are the kind. Running on horseback and armed with a swords as well as a bow and arrow, the King declares land and builds a kingdom. However, there are monsters that want to end the king and the kingdom. The key to victory is a balance of both economic and military might.

Thronefall starts off easy enough. Players control their King on horseback. Ranged attacks are automatic while using the sword requires being close to the enemy and a button press. The key to surviving the hordes is to build an economy, gather the income from taxes, then use those taxes to build defenses and an army.

Kingdom of Minimalism

Building a home earns income. Building a windmill earns income. Barracks and agriculture builds an income. While enemies do drop coins, these resources are vital. Thronefall takes want would otherwise be a large complicated economic system and places it down to a simple button press.

Each section of Thronefall has a multitude of waves to fight. The higher the wave the tougher and more dangerous are the enemies. By the higher waves, players should be focusing on upgrading existing defenses to more adequately fight back.

Conquer fear, conquer death

A nice touch is the ability to build, upgrade and command a defensive army, all with the push of a button. By building barracks, players have access to soldiers. Knights, archers, crossbow persons, spearmen, and so on. Whether it's a small group or the entire army, these forces can be sent anywhere on the level for defense.

The gameplay of Thronefall is universally sound and does what was designed. Everything feels great and I never felt any kind of clashing or conflict with the controls. Everything felt seamless and fine tuned, like a mechanic making a well-oiled and well-designed machine.

When everything comes together, Thronefall is an excellent experience and a great example of finding solutions to complexity. Once I started playing, I couldn't put it down. I build one structure and win a wave, then I want to build many structures and survive even more dangerous waves. The minimalist visual style keeps things in focused and clean. It's a feeling on par with art of rally. Keep the gameplay straightforward but make it engaging.

Thronefall does throw surprises at you. Each level is set in a different environment. Some levels end with gargantuan boss fights that test your defenses and skill. Enemy variety is sound and keeps players on their toes. For players eager for big risks and big prizes, there are mutators to add. Before each battle players can select the perks they wish to use, as well as mutators. These mutators make enemies stronger and put defensive skill to the test but yield big rewards.

The Taxation

Perhaps the only real drawback to Thronefall is the repetition. Build the kingdom, fight waves of enemies, win, repeat. Thronefall is best played in small increments. However, the gameplay is so sound, it kept me hooked throughout my time.

Some may be put off by the game being a little too simple, but for me, I welcome more games like this. Sometimes, I just don't have the mental discipline and energy to prepare to play a complex game with complex systems. However, I want to play something that just has the right amount of sophistication to keep me engaged.

Long Live Thronefall

I do hope Thronefall gets to land on more platforms because this is a tremendously fun and fulfilling game! It's focus on pure simplicity makes a an otherwise slow and methodical genre into a fast paced strategic action game. It's gameplay is incredibly strong and it's visuals are sharp. Thronefall should be in your library. Take the crown, King. You got a kingdom to protect.

THRONEFALL IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Thronefall was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch thanks to a review key from Future Friends