Simply keeping on top of the steady release of “AAA” games is challenging enough these days, with a larger market than ever before and increasingly large studios trying to sate that demand. Unfortunately, that often means dozens of indie titles fly under the radar every month without the recognition they deserve. This feature aims to highlight some of those games that we’ve got around to playing but might not have reviewed.

Kingdom of the Dead

Kingdom of the Dead is a creepy but campy first-person shooter with a fantastic art style and soundtrack. Unfortunately, the slower and methodical shooting is undermined by a few bland levels and underwhelming boss fights. You play as an agent of a secret government program known as “GATEKEEPER”, tasked with preventing an invasion of the living world by Death’s forces. He’s packing an ancient sword to close Death’s portals, but it’s got a mind of its own and is clearly disgusted by the agent’s selflessness. Given how thin the narrative usually is in these indie FPS, short conversations between the agent and the sword go a long way towards highlighting their conflicting personalities and providing some foreshadowing.

Unexpectedly, Kingdom of the Dead is not a fast and chaotic boomer-shooter of the kind that’s come to dominate the genre. You can sprint, jump around, and circle strafe but the 19th Century weapons (which include a revolver, double-barrel shotgun, repeater rifle, and Gatling gun) all have relatively low fire rate. Similarly, most enemies and projectiles move slowly (in comparison to your traditional indie shooter) giving you time to carefully line up your shots while avoiding projectiles. Sure, you need to keep an eye on enemies and attacks from all sides, but it’s a measured and methodical experience, rather than a twitch shooter. You set off on missions from the Agent’s office - with several unlocked at any given time to give your options - and each level is a fresh start. You collect better guns, ammunition, healing items, and hopefully a few hidden hearts to increase your maximum health. Die during a level, and it’s back to one of the rare checkpoints.



Given there are not a ton of weapons nor much enemy variation, Kingdom of the Dead relies on interesting level design and varied environments to keep you engaged. Unfortunately, the nine levels on offer are a mixed bag. The mansion opening is fantastic, while the crypt, forest, and downtown levels are also highlights. On the other hand, gunfights through a visually bland mill or illogically long train just become a slog. Increasing the difficulty adds more enemies and makes secondary objectives mandatory, but doesn’t dramatically change the pacing. The bosses - typically the highlight of this genre - have interesting designs themed around the environment, but you rarely need to do much more than backpedal while firing the biggest gun you have. Getting to them is far more interesting than fighting them.

Now Kingdom of the Dead is in a much better technical state than it was at launch, so it’s easier to admire the “pen and ink” style that creates an oppressive atmosphere, striking backdrops, and obscures most enemies in the gloom. It’s not all black-and-white though, with glowing eyes, fires, explosions, and pick-ups illuminating the environment and casting harsh shadows. The soundtrack is weird, but I loved it. Moody tracks help build atmosphere when you’re exploring before shifting quickly into catchy electronic beats during boss fights or scripted combat sequences. Kingdom of the Dead's thick atmosphere, distinctive presentation, and more methodical gunplay make for a novel and enjoyable shooting experience.