For the King

A beautiful turn-based RPG whose brutality can sometimes get the better of it.

A sometimes tricky RPG with gorgeous art that's perfect for co-op.

Turn-based RPGs of yesteryear and today owe a lot of their fine-tuned tactics to the legacy of tabletop board games, and For The King pays tribute to this legacy with a digital adventure where anything can happen. The fast-paced nature of its exploration and combat keeps everything feeling fresh and lively, but the considerable reliance on chance does take the shine of its otherwise competent combat. However, with adjustable difficulties (which amend the severity of each death) and a sizeable amount of expansive DLC, this is one roguelike RPG that really shines in co-op.

For the King has a decent single player content but its focus lies in the multiplayer elements. You will go through some tough defeats at first but as you progress, you'll be enjoying the creativity that can be expressed throughout the gameplay. Some of the battles cannot be avoided but you'll gain new experiences along the way. It will reward you the more you put time into the game with plenty of unlockables thoughout the journey.

Although far simpler on a conceptual level than it lets on, For The King is a charming, addictive blend of rogue-like and tabletop RPG elements, culminating in an experience that is far more than the sum of its parts.

I’m obsessed with how cool the visual design is in For the King, I love taking on its challenges with a friend, and I sincerely hope that there’s more to come from IronOak Games. This is a delightful first outing.

All in all, For the King is a seamless port to the Switch and fun experience! You are going to die and you will probably grumble about it. But then you will spend your well-earned lore points on a new event, encounter, item or class and hit that new game button one more time to start a new adventure all over again. I encourage anyone who enjoys RPG's or rogue-likes to get a copy and see just how far you can get! Until next time, good gaming.

Thanks to its rogue like nature, For the King has some replay factor in it, as long as you can psychologically get past the slight grind of having to play the same parts over and over to get deep enough into the game for the variety of scenarios and landscapes to really come into play.

For The King is overall a fantastic combination of game genres and emulates the tabletop experience quite well. Especially when playing with friends together on the couch. It has a ton of content and nature of the game and procedural generation makes the replay value sky high. The technical issues are really the only thing bringing the game down. Just keep in mind the game is challenging and even tells you outright that you are not always meant to win.

For The King is a fun and stylish RPG, but prepare yourself for classic roguelite frustrations of dying and starting the campaign again, just to get a little bit further each time. If you enjoy that kind of challenge and like board games then For The King is well worth checking out.