Review pixelcrypt 4/5 · Oct 18, 2023
One of the best Metroidvanias this year
Update 11/30/25: Just did a replay, still an absolute banger. Love the exploration, very user friendly map and collectible hunting, solid ability progression, secrets, etc. Just a very sturdy well-built metroidvania (with an admittedly forgettable story). Still would give it an 8/10 or so.
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Kingdom Shell is a true Metroidvania and one of my favorites this year. It has …
Update 11/30/25: Just did a replay, still an absolute banger. Love the exploration, very user friendly map and collectible hunting, solid ability progression, secrets, etc. Just a very sturdy well-built metroidvania (with an admittedly forgettable story). Still would give it an 8/10 or so.
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Kingdom Shell is a true Metroidvania and one of my favorites this year. It has a lot of strengths - well hidden secrets and great exploration, very diverse gameplay, and lots of surprises.
Apparently, this game was in development for a very long time, and the level of skills that were developed in the process are shown clearly - each new biome is that much more interesting, beautiful and well designed. It does have a bit of a slow start, but it constantly surprised me as the game went on.
The art style is solid - almost like a more whimsical Blasphemous. Each area has a completely different palette with good enemy diversity and new mechanics.
As I said, the game’s best strength is in its exploration. Many secrets had me stumped, but were never impossible. Combat and platforming feel pretty good - the boss fights are SUPER well done.
The story though? It wasn’t bad or anything, but - the dialogue was pretty skippable and I never really got invested. Some characters were definitely memorable though, and it has its moments.
This joins the ranks as one of my favorite MVs this year - with xanthiom zero, blasphemous 2, super Junkoid, and doomblade. Super recommended!