The Succession of Changing Kings was released in early February and is now gaining popularity in Early Access. The kingdom management simulator from KwaKwaGames was received with enthusiasm and currently has a 90% positive user rating on Steam. Let’s dive into the world of palace intrigue and see what exactly has impressed players.
The Realm on the Verge of Collapse
The Succession of Changing Kings plunges the players into the harsh reality of the Middle Ages, where power is not easily gained. You take on the role of a pretender to the throne, and here is the catch: the kingdom is in turmoil, and restoring order is no easy task.
The story unfolds in stages and is divided into acts, each consisting of quests, key events, and a limited number of rounds to make the right decisions. Players sift through a stream of notes and determine the future course of the kingdom. Ruthless action is not an option, however, as four powerful factions are also influencing the plot, and their interests cannot be ignored. The ultimate goal is to make it to the coronation, but mistakes are easy to make, and the cost of failure is death.
Player Feedback
While the full version is still to be released, the game has already gained favor with players. Based on the reviews, The Succession of Changing Kings turned out to be a captivating and well-developed management simulator.
The merits are not limited to the mechanics alone: players have praised the game’s immersive medieval setting, which is deeply woven into the visuals, storytelling, and overall design. The unfolding narrative and challenging choices, each with serious consequences, are of particular interest. This level of depth and meticulous execution earned the game a warm response.
“Awesome game! The medieval atmosphere is fulfilling for me. Interesting stories, references to movies, books, movies. Plot with intrigue, very interesting. Minimalistic simple graphics.” — Dumcran.
“The writing is good, the atmosphere is immersive, and the political backstabbing is top-tier. Highly recommended, but don’t get too attached to your reign. Or your life.” — Freddi
“A game in which you can feel the spirit of the Middle Ages. The plot and atmosphere are immersive — definitely thumbs up. The decisions made really change the development of events, and this makes the game exciting and non-linear.” — dobrybobr.
“One of the most satisfying RPG strategy games I’ve ever played.” — Bot 8k hours
“A worthy representative of the interactive story genre. The game manages to combine a decent story. Interesting quests and freedom of choice. Here, you do not just follow the plot, you create it. Variability is very high, the consequences are often predictable, but can be unexpected. I recommend it to everyone who likes strategy and non-linear stories.” — Papasha.
“A very atmospheric game where you feel like a real monarch. There are a lot of options for the development of events, but sometimes it seems that the game is too harsh – one wrong decision and you will be overthrown.” — robinbobin369.
Many users enjoy the cultural background of the game and the many Easter eggs and references to both classic literature and fantasy (and even cartoons):
“When you’re playing, it sometimes feels like you’re taking an intelligence test. Easter eggs about Rothfuss, Shakespeare, Dickens, Rudazov, Dostoevsky – here you go. Suddenly, there is a quest called “Filler Brushbill” and you realize that even the Duck Tales are woven into this.” – XEON_INSAYD
Surely, the new game could not be liked by everyone. Even if it was so, the approval rating on Steam would be 100%, not 90%.
Some people are upset that in The Succession of Changing Kings you have to read a lot.
“As for the gameplay, it’s a text quest similar to Space Rangers. Be prepared to read a lot, not many people can do that these days.” – joyofday
Others note that the game is “too hard” and it is quite easy to die in it, earning you a funny nickname like ‘George the Emptied’.
“A fantastic game, but ultimately too frustrating to recommend at this stage. Without a save feature, many decisions seem to rely on random probability (though influenced by other decisions and assets) which ultimately detracts from the fantastic story and otherwise interesting progression.” – Kodiak
However, the majority enjoy this feature of the game and even compete to see who collects the most ridiculous death-achievements:
“This game taught me two things: 1) ruling is hard, and 2) people will find a reason to kill you no matter what you do. 10/10 would get overthrown again.” – BYTeRbRoDIk
All in all, the genre of the game itself, a kingdom management simulator with an emphasis on decision-making, will not be to everyone’s taste.
What’s Next
The game is definitely worth keeping an eye on, as the full release is scheduled for September 2025. For now, it is clear that The Succession of Changing Kings deserves the attention of the genre fans and admirers of high-quality medieval fantasy.
