Kingdom Chronicle

Kingdom Chronicle is a turn-based conquest strategy game in which you lead one of many realms on a divided continent and set out to unify it. Area campaigns are decided in 30 minutes to an hour, and even the Grand Campaign takes only about 1–2 hours. The rules are few, and the core clicks quickly. That does not make it an easy game.

■ Simple Rules, Deliberately Few Paths to Victory

Commands are grouped by category, and what each one does is clear. The strategic options are intentionally limited, and the key is alliances: whether you can form them and keep Trust high through Goodwill goes a long way toward deciding the outcome.

The Tutorial on the title screen (5 steps) walks you through the basics on a real board, from your first moves to alliances, preparing to march, your first battle, and defense and reinforcements. During play, your strategist advises you on the odds of success and on looming dangers, and after each battle you can review a breakdown of combat power.

■ Simple, but Not Forgiving

Few options means the AI doesn't hesitate either. The AI uses the same commands you do: it builds up its realm, forms alliances, sends reinforcements, and strikes the moment you show a weakness. Until you get the hang of it, you may be overrun before you know it. If you expect to need some time to find your footing, starting on Casual or Easy is a good choice.

This is not a hero's tale where mighty officers carry you to a satisfying win. It is a game of conquest in which you read the board with a limited hand. The stronger a realm grows, the more it invites headwinds such as uprisings and defecting allies, and that includes you. You can't relax until the last bastion falls.

On the other hand, once you grasp the core, you'll find yourself winning with surprising consistency. Some seasoned players say they barely notice the difference between difficulty levels. Lose and learn, learn and win. That cycle, played out in short campaigns, is what this game is about.

■ Imperium Mode (Recommended)

In this mode, once the situation ripens, you can declare a decisive campaign for unification. The declaration dissolves every alliance, and complete unification becomes the only path to victory. The other powers stop fighting one another and unite against you. In turn, your war machine gains momentum, and you can take on new Lieutenants.

If you never declare, the game plays under the normal rules. You can also choose Steam Mode, which has no declaration, or Free Mode, which follows the rules of the original free version.

■ Governance, Diplomacy, Intrigue, and Six Troop Types

Develop your land to raise national power, conscript and train your army, and grant relief to keep order. Build Trust through Goodwill to form alliances, and break your enemies from within with schemes and poaching. Battles turn on the matchups of six troop types (the cavalry-archer-spear triangle plus swords, magic, and armor) and on the back-and-forth of marching, intercepting, and reinforcing.

■ 168 Officers

168 officers appear, each with their own stats, troop type, special skill, and personality. Officers you bring under your command by recruiting, poaching, or capturing are added to the Officer Codex when you clear an area campaign or fight through to its final turn.

■ What's Included

・Three area campaigns, plus the Grand Campaign spanning the entire continent

・Four difficulty levels (Casual / Easy / Normal / Hard). On Hard, the AI's income increases for an even tougher fight

・Casual and Easy are meant for players who need more time to get the hang of things. They include events that help you recover from a losing position, and Codex entries and unlocks such as the Grand Campaign and the Officer Forge are earned regardless of difficulty. They're also a good fit if you want to take your time collecting officers

・Victory conditions: unification, alliance victory, or being the largest power when time runs out

・Clearing the Grand Campaign unlocks the Officer Forge, which lets you bring officers of your own design into battle, and War of the Forgotten, in which only officers of ★3 or lower take the field

■ Try the Demo First

The demo lets you play one area campaign all the way through. It also includes the Tutorial, every difficulty level, and Imperium Mode.

The rules and systems are the same in the demo and the full version. The full version adds more scenarios, including the remaining area campaigns and the Grand Campaign, plus content that unlocks after you clear them. The feel of the game doesn't change much, so please try the demo first to see whether this game is for you.

Your demo save data carries over to the full version as is, as long as you play on the same PC.