Build your party and roll the dice, it’s time to solve the mystery of your King’s death. For the King is a procedural, turn-based RPG that blends board games and roguelike elements with JRPG systems.
Originally designed as a board game, For The King raised over $130,000 during its time on Kickstarter. Now it’s heading to PC, so you can balance party progression with an increasingly chaotic world state before you take on the final challenge.
Battle for the King
Building your team of heroes to solve the mystery of the King’s death should not be taken lightly and it’s important to know the strengths and weaknesses of your party compositions. In the turn-based, JRPG-style combat, these will either be what leads you to victory or to your ultimate downfall.
Parties have limited lives, so if a member of the party dies, they’re gone for good. Our demo gave us access to the Blacksmith, Hunter, Minstrel, and Scholar. The full version of the game will also include a Trapper, Busker, Herbalist, Woodcutter, and even Hobo. Each class comes with its own unique stats, traits, and abilities.
One for All and All for One
For The King is playable in online co-op and single player mode. When playing solo, you control all three characters, whereas playing online, each player controls their own. Parties can choose to explore together or venture off on their own, though if you venture too far from your party, you may be unable to assist your allies in combat.
Movement and battles all operate in a turn-based fashion, with the number of moves and success rate determined by dice rolls based on a player’s stats. A unique resource called “focus points” can further influence each attack’s success rate. The luck of several dice rolls will determine the overall effectiveness of each attack or if it manages to hit at all.
Monsters, Traps, and Treasures Oh My
Outside of battle, characters will roll for how many spaces they can move. While progressing through the map, it will procedurally fill up with various enemies, towns, dungeons, and events. The last of those have the biggest range of variance. Events can vary from treasure chests, traps, or the coveted shrines.
Shrines are single-use events that grant semi-permanent bonuses like +10% chance to land critical hits and other effects that last until death. Reaching towns will offer party members the chance to rest, recover status ailments, shop for new equipment, and accept quests.
Dungeons are a unique experience that once entered, cannot be exited until completed or the party dies in battle. Comprised of multiple rooms, dungeons include typical battles, bosses, and traps. Completing these challenging trials will often reward the party with equipment, gold, and other special items.
Veering off and completing side objectives can power you up, but it must be balanced against the chaos growing in the world. The world’s chaos grows as turns pass and can only be reduced by completing main quests assigned to the party. If ignored, these chaotic elements will fill the world with extra challenges that will only make the party’s job harder.
For the King is currently available at 20% off for $15.99 USD via Steam until May 3rd, when it will return to its regular price of $19.99 USD. To see the game in action check out the trailer below.
