Publisher tinyBuild and developer Hypnohead have announced that roguelite kingdom builder The King is Watching has locked in its release date to July 21, 2025. In addition, a set of new troops and mechanics that we can tinker with in the title’s full version were also revealed.
Pixel art kingdom builders aren’t a novel concept and neither is using roguelite elements to provide an extra dose of replayability, but The King is Watching’s actual hook lies elsewhere. Indeed, our royal gaze is a key part of the game since subjects – whether peasants or soldiers – only perform their tasks when we’re staring them straight in the face.
The King Is Watching Release Date
With the screen split into two halves – one depicting our kingdom, the other the area outside its walls – we have to shift our attention to the most pressing of matters, ensuring that resources like water, wheat, or stone are gathered efficiently while also training enough troops and encouraging them to actually fend off encroaching enemies.
The King Is Watching’s Steam demo has proven quite popular, currently sitting at an Overwhelmingly Positive rating. Although it gives us a taste of its intricate gameplay loop, developer Hypnohead has more in store for those who choose to pick up The King Is Watching when it releases.
For starters, each run “features three powerful bosses, chosen at random from a growing bestiary of 12 deadly enemies” that “force you to adapt your strategy mid-run.” That sounds daunting, but defeating them rewards new tools and relics that make us more powerful.
Buildings come in three tiers, with the rarest and most powerful options only becoming available during the later stages of a playthrough. Here is a list of new structures and troops that we’ll be able to build and manage:
New Buildings
- Fuel Pump: Converts wood and water into petrol to power advanced units and structures.
- Archmage University: Casts even mightier spells than your puny wizard towers.
- Tile Enchanter: After 30 seconds, enchants the tile it’s built on, granting a production bonus for the rest of the run.
- Sacrificial Stone: Sacrifice Black Sheep units on this ancient stone to receive spell rewards in return.
- Hero’s Statue: Consumes 200 wood to grant permanent stat upgrades to all your troops.
- Fisherman’s Hub and Animals Farm: Gather fresh meat for your more… carnivorous forces.
New Recruitment Structures for New Troops
- Academy of Nature: Enroll Healer Mages to boost your arcane army’s vitality.
- Ninja Temple: Strike your enemies with deadly ninjas.
- Druids’ Camp of the Bear: Watch your druids transform into hulking beasts mid-battle.
- Lion Circus: Summon majestic Griffins, airborne terrors at your command.
- Balloon Bomber: Recruits a flying Balloon that cannot be attacked, uses petrol to drop bombs damaging multiple enemies. Requires player attention to continue its assault.
- Firing Range: Produces Musketeers, reliable Ranged soldiers.
- Geese Training Field: Trains Goose Riders, powerful Rider/Champion units.
- Goose Hydra Nest: Mutates a Goose Rider into a terrifying Goose Hydra, a Rider/Arcane unit hungry for enemies (and bread).
- Explosive Carts Factory: Creates carts that explode upon engaging with enemies.
Furthermore, The King Is Watching lets us pick between seven different monarchs, each with their own abilities and focus. While some might be adept troop commanders, others boost the kingdom’s productivity or unlock magical spells quicker.
Prior to each run, we’ll also need to pick up to 8 advisors from a total of 21 to join our Royal Council, providing a variety of bonuses. While Gustav increases building production by 5%, listening to our trusty Unicorn grants us three additional spell slots. The full list of new details is available in this Steam post.
The King Is Watching’s release date is slated to occur on July 21, 2025, when it arrives on PC via Steam.
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