9 Kings

More than 250,000 units of 9 Kings were sold in the first week of Early Access. This was a huge success for Brazilian developer Sad Socket and the game's publisher, Hooded Horse. It is also the most successful game launch to date for co-publisher Instinct3, which handles the German-speaking market (GSA).

9 Kings is a mix of roguelike, deck-builder and auto-battler, presented in a minimalistic pixel art style. It is currently available in Early Access. This fast-paced game from Sad Socket revolves around defending the player's kingdom against increasingly powerful waves of enemies with one of nine unique kings (seven of which are currently available), while constantly improving the player's deck with units, buildings, spells, upgrades, etc.

At the beginning, players choose one of the nine kings, each of whom has their own starting deck and special perks tailored to a specific play style. Each king represents a separate faction with unique units, buildings, upgrades, and mechanics. For example, the King of Blood relies on sacrifice mechanics and demonic reinforcements, while the King of Greed maximises his income to hire more mercenaries. The King of Spells relies on magic, while the initial King of Nothing likely focuses on minimalism, which is good for familiarising oneself with the basic mechanics.

The playspace is a 3x3 grid on which buildings, units and effects are played as cards. Space is limited, so every decision counts, such as where to position troops and where to construct buildings that enhance other spaces. This is why the rare expansions of building space are so important. After each round, the other kings' armies attack. Battles take place automatically, with victory or defeat determined by the positioning and synergies. A battle starts automatically when players have fewer than three cards in hand. Conveniently, the amount of damage inflicted by troops or buildings is displayed directly on the squares.

After each victory, players can take a card from their opponent's deck (strictly colour-coded), adding new units and mechanics to their own deck. This allows the player's deck to grow steadily, and clever combinations of different factions can create powerful synergies. Additionally, cards can be purchased from the merchant and strengthened with duplicates or upgrades, bringing even more variability and combo possibilities to the decks. In this way, the game successfully combines accessibility and depth, and the ability to experiment with card combinations is exceptional, even if the difficulty level increases considerably later on.

The initial early access offering will feature seven out of nine kings, each with a meta-progression system of upgradable perks. The remaining two kings, along with other planned content, will be released during the early access period.

Sad Socket is one of Brazil's leading game companies. It was founded by Rafael Melo and André Young, two childhood friends from Santos who tried - and failed - to create an AAA game when they were young. This is currently one of the biggest PC game launches for a Brazilian studio, if not the most successful release to date.

"The 11-year-old kids who were making games for fun in a small Brazilian city could’ve never imagined they'd be building something this big one day. The good news is it's only gotten more fun. We hope we can help the Brazilian industry grow, and that many bigger games come after 9 Kings." - Rafael Melo

Hooded Horse is a publisher of strategic and tactical games that collaborates with partners worldwide. Starting with a single title in 2019, the company's portfolio has grown to encompass over 30 games, with more to come. Six of the games in the company's portfolio are from German studios: Fata Deum by 42 Bits Entertainment, Super Fantasy Kingdom by Super Fantasy Games, Menace by Overhype Studios, Sons of Valhalla by Pixel Chest, Hexxen: Hunters by Ulisses Spiele Digital, and Drill Keeper by ShoulderByte.

"9 Kings had an amazing first week of Early Access on Steam. This is one of the biggest PC game launches for a Brazilian game studio — Sad Socket has done an incredible job, and we’re so grateful to be working together!" - Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender

Instinct3, the German influencer agency and indie game publisher which previously partnered with Sad Socket to promote 9 Kings, will now assist Hooded Horse in the GSA region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland). 9 Kings has been the most successful Instinct3 game launch to date, with almost double the number of players (13,905) than Megaloot (6,899) playing simultaneously. The game is also a big hit for Hooded Horse, currently ranking second in its portfolio behind Manor Lords (173,178).

9 Kings is now available on PC via Steam Early Access for €14.99. The game is expected to remain in Early Access for around one year.

Conclusion

This is an exceptionally good mix of roguelike, deck builder and auto battler. It combines strategic options, diverse decks and fast-paced gameplay.

Features

• Fast-paced matches that are easy to learn but hard to master
• Strategic diversity and numerous combo possibilities, as well as wild game-breaking options
• Meta-progression system with upgradable perks