Combining the excellent Kingdom series with the otherworldly 80s feeling of the likes of Stranger Things, we just couldn’t get enough of Kingdom Eighties: Summer of Greed when it released on PC back in July. A tower defence game of sorts that’s easy to pick up but tricky to master, not only is it a great deal of fun to play, but it looks absolutely fantastic too thanks to its colourful pixel visuals. And as of this week, it’s now available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch.
Why should you play Kingdom Eighties, you ask? You just should. If you’re unfamiliar with the gameplay of Kingdom, it has you gaining followers and then using them to expand and defend your, well, kingdom. Here, the medieval setting is eschewed for an 80s vibe, beginning in a summer camp before moving on to a school yard, a suburban town and a mall. Each night, strange creatures crawl out of their hiding places, threatening your settlement – but you’ll learn to push them away, constantly expanding your camp as you go. Eventually, you’ll be strong enough to overthrow those monsters, reclaiming your territory and taking back what they’ve taken from you.
In our review, we said: “It may only last you a few hours, but Kingdom Eighties: Summer of Greed is well worth spending some time with. Its simple gameplay is infectious, and you’ll rejoice as you expand your basecamp, pushing enemies back in the process. There’s limited guidance but you’ll soon get to grips with what you should be doing, soaking in the absolutely gorgeous visuals as you do.”
And all of that is still very true, but thanks to a new mode – available on console at launch – Kingdom Eighties can last a lot longer than a few hours. ‘Survival Mixtape’ mode is available once you’ve beat the game, offering a tougher challenge. It’s essentially a test to see how long you can survive, with the waves of monsters coming each night tougher than ever. You’ll need to be quick at building up your defences if you want to outwit them.
And so: what are you waiting for? It’s a bargain, too, costing less than a tenner – and if you’re picking it up on PlayStation, there’s a 25% discount for PS Plus subscribers until the end of the week. There’s a lot to love about this little strategy game, and if you dig 80s sci-fi vibes, you’ll absolutely love it.
