There’s something about Roguelikes that makes me smile more than the usual game, I’m inclined to believe it’s from the absurdity of making a build so powerful you cause the game itself to tell you “ENOUGH! STOP! YOU WIN!” This is the case of 9 Kings for me. But before we dive into that, let’s talk a little bit about the game itself.
Your Realm Awaits… (Story)
9 Kings lacks a traditional “Story” so to speak, its narrative is completely focused on you (The King) being locked in a battle of survival against other AI controlled rival Kings. The game itself randomly chooses two opponents for you as you begin a run, this in and of itself can be the start of a “God Run” which is where the game really comes into its own.
But you’re probably wondering, who are these Kings of which you speak? without further ado allow me to introduce you to..
The Kings: Unique Decks and Bases
9 Kings starts you off with one King available to play, The King of Nothing. Despite its namesake The King of Nothing has an incredibly versatile deck, Yes this is a game where each King has their own list of cards unique to them that you play in order to expand and crush your enemies! Each King also has a unique “Base” which you have the choice of controlling yourself or can have the ai auto target incoming foes for you.
As you work your way through a run you will meet certain conditions that allow you to unlock new Kings to try. Alongside the King of Nothing you also have the Kings of, Spells, Greed, Blood, Nature, Stone, Progress and Nomads. Once you find a King you enjoy playing, it’s time to work on leveling them up, as you do so you will gain perks which help mold your builds or give you an advantage with the game’s core mechanics.
How 9 Kings Plays: From Cards to Conquest
So you’ve chosen your King and You have started your first Run, you’ll be asked to place your Base on one of the 9 available plots, after doing so you will have 3 cards in your hand to which you can place down one to begin the next phase of the game, the battle. This is played out automatically however as stated earlier you have the choice to control your King’s base ability which can range from a boulder toss to spawning several troops on your cursor. After the battle you will collect your spoils for winning or losing, however the King you faced in battle will determine your reward.
The main goal is to survive 33 years, with each year representing a round. Each year you can play a card from your hand until you have two left at which point if you have any support buildings they will trigger their effects, these can range from buffing your units and towers to generating you gold, after which the next battle begins and you repeat the process. Occasionally you will battle your own King in the form of a rebellion, this is how you obtain your own kings cards throughout the run.
As you progress through the years you will encounter various events. These can range from a tower expansion in your kingdom, allowing you to unlock up to two additional plots per run, a diplomat who will ask you to choose a rival king to make peace or war with, a merchant who brings various cards for sale from across all Kings in the game, a royal council where you must pick one of several decrees to acquire an ability and a prophet who will foresee a random blessing in 9 years time on a random plot providing a buff if its conditions are met.
As you arrive at year 33 you will be faced with a Final Battle which can be quite challenging if you haven’t been as lucky with your build, it contains a special boss unit, however to combat this you are permitted to play all the remaining cards in your hand but should you lose the battle your run ends, if you succeed you are given the choice to continue playing with a warning that the game from this point can be unstable due to glitches. The game plays much the same as the previous 33 years with the exception of an added tower giving you the ability to purchase unobtained plots for 30 gold each and a new event named Chaos that causes enemies to grow stronger via stat increases and troop numbers.
Shall I Silence The Bard Milord? (Music / Visuals)
The visual design for 9 Kings feels to me like retro pixel art which makes the game appear very clean and decluttered, it’s simplistic but oozes charm. The Kings themselves all stand out from one another, both in terms of their appearance but also the appearance of the cards in their deck and how they then move around on the battlefield and engage in combat.
Each of the various Kings also have their own map and unique music which plays seamlessly on a loop and picks up into a more energetic style as you begin a battle.
Glitches in the Kingdom
Whilst the game addresses its potential for glitches I have only encountered a couple issues after progressing past the initial 33 years. When Chaos increases a semi transparent red filter is applied to the screen to symbolise the increase in difficulty, this can sometimes stick around after the message passes leaving you with a sometimes difficult to see red filter over the game. The music can also be quite jarring due to the same issue with the Chaos message, when outside of combat the music is almost non-existent however it ramps up in volume immediately after you begin a battle. Whilst their presence isn’t perfect they don’t hamper my enjoyment of the game in a substantial way and I feel confident they will be addressed in upcoming updates.
Early Access and What’s Next for 9 Kings
9 Kings is currently still in Early Access from its initial release on the 23rd of May 2025, there is still one more King to be added to the game at the time of writing this review, who I am excited to get my hands on and try out. With a game that already offers so much replay ability I feel confident that the addition of a new King and several new cards will completely change how players engage with the game.
Verdict: Why 9 Kings is Worth Your Throne
9 Kings has become one of those games that I keep coming back to, whether it’s for one quick run or an extended sojourn into the most broken build I can possibly create and hope to survive to year 99. As of right now I’ve managed to rack up 42 hours in the game with every achievement unlocked. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and highly recommend playing this game for yourself if you are a keen roguelike player.
At the time of writing 9 Kings is on Sale for £8.99 which I believe is a fantastic price, however it will revert on the 9th of September to £17.99 which given my time played I believe is still great value for money. 9 Kings might look simple on the surface but what awaits within is a game that wants you to challenge yourself into making something small into something mighty.
8/10
9 Kings delivers a witty, deck-driven roguelike with solid strategy, engaging characters, and just enough polish to keep you coming back.