Like most of you reading this, I first came across King’s Choice from its rather raunchy ads obviously appealing to the more thirsty gamers out there. Although I initially dismissed this as yet another silly mobile game, I eventually decided to give it a go as a fan of the medieval theme which has drawn me to other games, like Evony, in the past. And I’m glad I did! There is a lot of depth to this game to suit more strategic players and an enormous array of diverse events to keep even the most easily distracted gamer interested. In this King’s Choice Review, I will cover all this in more detail as well as how it plays, the community, and the dreaded question of whether it is P2W!
Table of Contents
Finding Purpose in King’s Choice
Before we get into exactly how good King’s Choice is, it is worth giving a quick overview of what this game is actually about, the raunchy ads are pretty misleading. Indeed, if you download the game just because of the ads then you will probably be quite disappointed, that artwork forms just a fraction of what the game is about. However, King’s Choice is not alone in this regard, pretty much every mobile game out there seems to be getting away with wildly misleading advertising campaigns!
King’s Choice is very much a casual medieval kingdom builder that has both some idle and active gameplay elements in it. But, at the center of the game is acquiring and building up Knights to improve your power in your Server, and thus your performance in events. Knight’s are improved using items you win in these events, and silver that you accumulate over time. There are always events running that last 1 to 4 days each and allow you to experience a different way to enjoy King’s Choice each time. There are also pets you can raise up to perform in racing events, Mounts you can train to Improve the Power of your Knights, and Lovers whom you can form relationships with to create heirs to your kingdom and buff Knights.
A Portrait of Perfect Casual Gaming
For me, the best mobile games for whiling away some downtime are ALWAYS played in portrait mode. It’s simply just a comfier way to play as that’s the way phones have been designed to be held! Whether that’s with my favorite strategy game, Evony, or my new favorite political medieval game, King’s Choice, I always want to play in portrait. This is of course not a big deal for everyone, but for me, the game would just not be as appealing in landscape mode, indeed, I always seem to be dropping my phone when held like that!
Delving into the Games Within a Game
Another important factor for me when playing casual mobile games is there has to be a lot to do that isn’t overly repetitive. Of course, there will always be some grind but something to mix it up a bit is a huge welcome. Some games add this with regular updates, for example, Dislyte adds a new update every 3 weeks but these get old fast and are themselves quite repetitive.
King’s Choice has taken a slightly different approach, and it’s something I have not seen executed as well anywhere else: mini-games. Instead of regular updates with new Knights or stories, they have 40+ events/mini-games that constantly cycle every few days. There’s something for everyone with these, a Texas Hold ‘em event for the gamblers out there, Pet Racing for those who want to flex their athletic muscles, Sunken Loot for those who like match games, and much much more! And, as they only last 1 to 4 days, it doesn’t feel like there is much pressure to perform well in every single one as there is always another with great rewards just around the corner.
Making Enemies (And Friends)
As with any multiplayer game, the community can have a huge impact on your enjoyment of a game. Indeed, there are certain games, like Rise of Kingdoms, that I have continued to play just because of the community and the great friends I made in my alliance. King’s Choice falls into this camp. Of course, there are some more toxic servers but it’s easy to switch or just join an alliance with good people which from my experience makes up the vast majority of the player base.
Everyone is willing to help out and even work together as a server to ensure all have a chance at a title. If there is any drama, this tends to disappear after a month or so as players start to understand the server rules, or the more toxic players leave the game after they realize that they have misunderstood the Repeated Prisoner’s Dilemma which is so present in many of these games that people can play for years.
Trying to Win as a F2P Player
Next up in this King’s Choice Review, it is time to look at predatory or F2P-friendly monetization strategies within King’s Choice. This is probably one of the most debated topics in mobile gaming that a lot of people will want to fully understand before committing to a game. There are 2 routes a live service mobile game can follow: the dark side, like Vikings War of Clans, where everything is just about drawing as much cash as possible out of the players to do pretty much anything, or the light side, like Marvel Snap, that focuses its monetization on mostly cosmetics.
King’s Choice falls somewhere in the middle. If you do want to be the best player on the server then you will 100% have to spend, and spend big, the final VIP Level costs a massive $150,000 to achieve! However, it is also perfectly viable to be in the top 20% of players on your server as a F2P player or even as a dolphin spending just $0.99 a week to be in the top 10% (that’s me). Of course, being active and in a friendly server/alliance helps, but also just understanding the game and reading King’s Choice Guides can take you a long way.
Is it Time to Start Your Kingdom?
It’s probably no surprise after reading this review that I am a huge fan of King’s Choice. It ticks most of the boxes for me, looks pretty great, is one of my favorite genres in terms of being medieval, has a great community, is played in portrait, and the monetization isn’t overly predatory. In my honest opinion, you can’t go wrong with giving this game a try. Don’t let the ridiculous ads fool you, there is a lot more depth than just some raunchy artwork, indeed, that is just a small part of the game! If you do decide to give the game a go, make sure to check out all our King’s Choice Guides to help you make a great start and stay ahead of the opposition.
More King’s Choice Guides from OCG
Join our Community
If you found this King’s Choice Review useful then join our community below. We will keep you updated on any new King’s Choice Guides we post, along with other interesting updates from the site.