9 Kings Early Access Review
The Best Balatro-like Since Balatro?
Introduction
Today, we're talking about a little game that I've been playing lately called 9 Kings. After the explosion in popularity of Balatro, the poker manipulating game, we’ve seen boatloads of imitators. What’s nice is that if counting cards isn’t your thing, now you have other options to choose from.
Other Games in the Genre
Of course, more recently I talked about a fantastic game called Clover Pit, which remixes the formula through slot machine motifs and a retro PS1-style horror aesthetic.
See that review here:
I also have another huge shoutout to the game Runeborn for being the first media correspondence I’ve ever gotten. They have a demo available now, and they’ll be featured on Steam Next Fest. Their game is also a remix on Balatro, combining slot machines and Yahtzee with a visual aesthetic reminiscent of Darkest Dungeon and a little bit of Hades. I definitely recommend giving the game a shot.
About 9 Kings
The main thing we’re here to talk about today is another fantastic iteration of the Balatro lineage called 9 Kings. 9 Kings borrows and remixes elements from at least three different genres. Obviously, the first is Balatro-style cards. It also uses grid based adjacency buffs and buildings to change the way systems interact with each other, as well as a gameplay structure more reminiscent of auto-battlers like TFT.
The Auto-Battler Connection
If you’ve never played an auto-battler before, it’s a game focused primarily on building a team. All you do is build a team on a grid, and your team automatically fights against another team. What’s special is the way the characters interact with each other to make your team better or worse.
Gameplay Mechanics
In 9 Kings, you place down buildings and units. The buildings buff each other and the units adjacent to them, and then they go out and fight a king who’s attacking you. Obviously, the game revolves around the 9 Kings, of which, right now, there are only 7 since the game is in early access. Each king has a set of unique cards. Each game, you’re drawn 2 kings to fight against randomly, and you receive a random pick of their cards after the battle. Combining your cards with their cards allows you to create really powerful builds and combos. 9 Kings does a fantastic job of making you feel extremely smart very quickly.
Exhilarating Combos
Games like these live or die on their power-up combos, and what I can say right now is that 9 Kings has exhilarating combos that get your heart pumping the moment you think of them. When finally executed, they give you a hit of dopamine similar to what I can only think is like a shot of heroin—though without the negative side effects.
Downsides
The game struggles to stay interesting for longer playtimes. Once you play it enough, you will start to recognize a slight lack of content due to the fact that the number of cards available is fairly limited, especially right now with only seven of the 9 Kings.
Additionally, I just feel personally like the shops don’t come around enough. There have been numerous times where I am trying to finish a build and I just keep rerolling over and over, not getting the card that I need.
Conclusion
In conclusion, 9 Kings is a game that I’ve been having a fantastic time with. If you’re looking for another game to pick up and play on your Steam Deck or just something solo that is low-key and fun, I recommend picking up 9 Kings.
Check it out as well as the other games I’ve reviewed here:
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you have a wonderful week, and I’ll see you all in the next one. If you liked it, don’t forget to subscribe for free!