Kingdom Eighties Review (PC)

I’ve extended the reach of my fortifications past the arcade and then strengthened to the farthest one, making sure the archer kids have strong protection when they inevitably face some monsters during the night. Now I can spend a few coins to get the Wiz to join my cause, which should finally allow our group to get into the city and find our parents.

The Leader, the Wiz, the Tinkerer, and the Champ all get on their bikes, and we race around our perimeter. I pay for another archer and another builder and add some turrets to our defensive sectors, which should make it easier to keep the Greed contained when they decide to attack. Our domain is so large that we get winded from sprinting, which leads to water breaks and slower movement.

The kids doing chores drop plenty of money, especially the lawnmower dude. I saved up for the final upgrade for our headquarters, which is now deploying. This allows the Wiz to create a remote-controlled robot that will enhance our offensive combat options. I activate it, get Champ to push the battle trash bin, and we are ready to eliminate monsters, destroy their spawn points, and finish this level.

Kingdom Eighties is developed by Fury Studios and published by Raw Fury. I played the PC version using Steam. The game is also available on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 5, and the Xbox Series X and S. It mixes indirect control with a nostalgia-filled world.

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Players take on the role of The Leader, a camp counselor in an idealized version of America in the ‘80s. His town is under attack by monsters called the Greed, and he is the only one who can organize a strong defensive effort. Soon he finds his family is in danger and discovers more details about the monsters and their origin.

The story is inspired by kid-driven action mystery movies from the ‘80s and is easily comparable with the modern Stranger Things. The characters are archetypes, and the kids that power the game don’t get any lines or any input on how the narrative moves. The combination of clear stakes and nostalgia works pretty well.

The mechanics of Kingdom Eighties don’t deviate from what the franchise has done before. Players directly control only one character, the aforementioned Leader, as he rides on his bike and decides how the rest of the gang acts. He can get some even nicer rides, both bikes and more exotic options, as the game progresses (I’m particularly fond of the skateboard).

Gamers will use money to tell other kids what to do. Drop a coin, and the nearest abandoned youngster will pick it up and become part of the crew. Pay for a bow or a hammer, and they will get a clear job. Archers hunt animals affected by the Greed and directly battle the monsters when they attack at night. Builders take down trees and build defenses. All move across the world independently, and players only set their priorities.

As the Leader moves through his realm, he can also pay for turrets to enhance certain positions and activate locations where the kids can produce more money by selling pizza or working at an arcade. He will also recruit the other three core companions.

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The biggest monetary investment is the headquarters, which requires upgrades to reveal new options. Always keep some money in the pouch to activate special interactions hidden across the level. Also, make sure the right coin spot is activated before investing. I swapped transportation options a few times while thinking I was putting up a new turret.

The Greed sends its minions scouring around the map. The threat will become stronger as gamers move through the levels, adding improvised armor and better barricades. They can steal money from the Leader, but all companions can run them over using their bikes, and groups of archers backed by turrets have no problem taking them out at night. Just make sure not to venture out too far away from your main force.

Kingdom Eighties is about the journey, not the challenge. The mechanics have just enough complexity to keep players thinking and planning as they bike or skate through their ever-expanding world. Sometimes it’s hard to find new kids to recruit. It can take a long time to get the funds for the final headquarters upgrade. But there were also moments when the kids were dropping so many coins around that my pouch overflowed, with extra funds going into the river.

I generally like the indirect control mechanics but the title should have tried to expand their scope a little. Maybe give players a way to designate a few kids as sub-leaders and point them at objectives. Or add more building options and more interesting world interactions.

Kingdom Eighties deploys a mix of pixel art and modern effects to create a low-fi world that evokes nostalgia for the ‘80s and also creates some striking visual moments. Passing by the arcade at night riding a skateboard, with the lights on the river, collecting shiny coins, with a convoy of battle-ready kids at your back, is pretty sweet. The presentation also makes it easy to see where the realm can be expanded and which points of interest can use an investment.

The game’s soundtrack is very good, filled with synths and throwback influences. Composer Andreas Hald is evoking a lost world that’s even weirder and neon-drenched than what the video game provides. The coin-throwing sound is also pretty good, although the rest of the effects are a little underwhelming.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion