Platform(s): PC via Steam
Genre: City Builder, Roguelike, Pixel Graphics

The roguelike genre is saturated with action games (Hades, etc.) and bullet hell or twin-stick shooters (like The Binding Of Isaac, Dead Of West, etc.). To mix it up, what about a roguelike city builder? That’s exactly what the new indie game Super Fantasy Kingdom is; by developer Feryaz Beer and publisher Hooded Horse.

Super Fantasy Kingdom is a roguelike city builder set in a fantasy world. In each run or playthrough, you’ll build your kingdom to bring it back to its former glory during the day and defend it from hordes of monsters with a unique team of defenders at night. There are also resource management and survival mechanics too, such as harvesting, building, mining, cooking, brewing, and more.

Build, fight, die, repeat; that’s the gameplay loop. I won’t lie, I initially had doubts about a “roguelike city builder” being fun. The idea of having to rebuild your kingdom every time and start from scratch after it’s destroyed feels like it will get annoyingly tedious really fast. However, to my pleasant surprise, Super Fantasy Kingdom turned out to be actually a super chill and relaxing game to play. That’s because while there is a lot of resource management and all the city-builder mechanics you’d expect, the game doesn’t feel tedious or like a chore at all.

The reason for that is due to how most of the gameplay is automated, so you don’t ever have to worry about micromanagement (which is the worst part of city-builders if you aren’t a fan of the genre). In Super Fantasy Kingdom, you can kick back and relax because while you make the decisions, the game does most of the work and micromanagement.

The gameplay is simple and fun; just select where a building should be placed and how many jobs are available, the game will manage the rest automatically. The game only has a handful of base resources and a few simple production chains but they get used in multiple ways, connecting the combat and base-building mechanics.

In each run, you’ll recruit a team out of over 100 units to defend your kingdom. The idea is to take advantage of synergies by arranging them properly and unlocking their passive abilities. After upgrading your unit enough, they can even evolve into their ultimate forms. At night, your units go into the tavern to feast. The better the food you have prepared during the day, the more experience they will get.

My first run was pretty short; lasting between around 15 minutes to 20 minutes long. The runs will get longer as you improve and know what to do, but the relaxing and chill vibe never goes away. It all feels somewhat cathartic and satisfying. I’m looking forward to playing more as the game receives more updates in the future.

The Super Fantasy Kingdom Next Fest demo is now available to download and play for free on Steam. The demo features a revamped human kingdom to explore, with three unlockable guardians, 21 heroes, several bosses, and more.