Kingdom Eighties News

[h3]A new gameplay teaser trailer? Pop in the 📼 and let's go![/h3]

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Whoa! There's so much going on, so we don't blame you if you want to watch it again (and again). Maybe even freeze-frame it a little to catch all the little surprises. We're so excited for you to come on this new adventure with us in 2023, and for those with consoles, we can announce the game will launch later this year on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch!



Kingdom Eighties is a love letter to the nostalgic days of summer camps, riding bikes and sitting around in your pajamas on a Saturday morning in front of the TV. You play as the Leader, a young camp counselor who must protect the town from the relentless attacks of the mysterious Greed. The neighborhood kids will be at your side, and you’ll also find some new friends along the way: The Champ, the Tinkerer, and the Wiz will lend you their skills and support in battle.

Want to read more about Kingdom Eighties? Check out our recent dev blogs that we'll continue to produce and keep you updated with development, so check 'em out!

• Progress Blog #1 - Why we delayed to 2023
• No Islands!? Where does our journey take us?
• The Camp...
• [Sneak Peek]... and beyond! (WARNING! Containers spoilers!)
• Interview with Andreas Hald, composer for Kingdom Eighties, Part One!

We'd love to hear your favourite parts of the trailer! If you have any questions, we'll do our best to answer them.

Onwards! 👑

Development team calling!

We hope you've enjoyed peeking behind the curtains for Kingdom Eighties so far. This week, we want to share the first part of the conversation we had with Andreas Hald, who is the composer of the Kingdom Eighties soundtrack. Andreas is a Copenhagen-based film and media composer who has written scores for movies, television and lots more, and we're super happy to have him on board for Eighties.



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What are the defining points of a Kingdom OST to you?
For previous Kingdom games’ soundtracks, the defining points to me have been ambience, sparse, almost like a melting pot of all sorts of different musical elements being put together in order to create something else than your typical genre-specific music. It’s music that, at least to me, sometimes might sound odd but in a very good way. To me, that is classic Kingdom - that melting pot of elements being put together.

Then you have Kingdom Eighties which is a different beast. This game relies heavily on memories and references of 1980s Americana. The eighties were fast-paced, you had acid-washed jeans and the neon colors - very bombastic and in your face with most things. There was also this shift in technology which opened up new sonic environments, so we had to come up with something else for Kingdom Eighties than what you hear in the previous Kingdom games. You want it to sound like the ‘80s but at the same time like a Kingdom game, so how do you balance that?

It is a tough one to crack. The ‘80s sounds one way to me but it may sound completely different to you based on your memories, what you listened to, and where you were brought up. Did we want it to reference glam rock, hip hop, or electronic synthesizer music?



If you go a bit further with it, a Kingdom soundtrack should enhance the player experience and not step on the players’ toes too much. It’s there to make the game feel more immersive and I think that the music kind of reflects on the anatomy of the game. It is two-dimensional, you can only go left or right, and it forces you to be creative in both the design of the game but also in the design of the music. You need to make it interesting, evolving and cool, but within the boundaries of the core of Kingdom.

I think Kingdom Eighties is just a different paced game from previous Kingdom games, which I think is cool, but it is different and you need to embrace that and go with it. I think that we’ve gone all the way to create an ‘80s game in all aspects, not just the music, and I think that’s how it should be. No half-measures. Go all the way, full out. Be brave and don’t look back.

Thanks for reading and tune in later this month where we continue with part 2 of Andreas' interview!
See more of Andreas' work here: https://andreashald.com/

In the meantime why not follow us on Twitter, Facebook or chat in our Discord?

See you next time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1956040/

Warning! This blog is a [Sneak Peek]! If you want to be surprised or have fresh eyes when playing Kingdom Eighties, feel free to skip this blog; we'll see you next week!



Development team calling!

Last week, we shared more info about the very first level of Kingdom Eighties - Camp Kingdom. Today, we want to give you a little peek into what lies beyond. Now, if you’re the kind of player who wants to discover the game for yourself, don’t look beyond this point! We’re veering into spoiler territory! But if you seek to know everything you can, read on…



After escaping from Camp Kingdom, Episode II takes the Leader and their crew to their own neighborhoods to get help from the adults. However, they soon discover that there is no one around, and what's worse, the spread of the creatures has advanced more aggressively here. Not only are the attacks getting more vicious, but strange, otherworldly rocks and trees have infested their old neighborhoods. The kids need to set up camp at the school and figure out what to do next. Perhaps The Wiz, who decided to spend their entire summer at the arcade instead of Camp Kingdom, can give them a hand?



In the pursuit of finding their parents and saving the town from the threat of the Greed, they make their way to Monarch’s main street in Episode III. The Leader will establish a base at the Town Hall, and the kids will work the abandoned stores and utility buildings to keep themselves fed and safe. Now that their team is complete, The Leader will need every bit of help from their new friends, The Champ, The Tinkerer, and The Wiz, to hold off the overwhelming attacks and reach the epicenter of the invasion.



With our friends fighting onward, I wonder where it’ll take them. What about the final location? That’s something you’ll have to see for yourself; we want to keep some things under wraps for now! Where do you think the final battle of Kingdom Eighties will be fought?

Thanks for reading! Are you excited to see more about Kingdom Eighties? Why not follow us on Twitter, Facebook or chat in our Discord?

See you next time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1956040/

Development team calling!

In last week’s blog, we talked a bit about the level structure of Kingdom Eighties. Now, it’s time to get familiar with the very first level of the game: Camp Kingdom.



Camp Kingdom is the year's highlight for kids of all ages in the town of Monarch. This year, the Leader had been looking forward to working as a camp counsellor once again while taking a break from the escalating arguments between their parents. And sure, camp started out great, with fun outdoor activities, chores in the mess tent, and slow evenings by the campfire.

But something is nagging at the Leader. They’re not sure if the funny feeling is caused by the tensions at home or the strange sightings in the nearby woods. But rest assured; they’re about to find out.



When the game starts, you assume control of The Leader, who has just discovered that strange creatures attack the camp at night. These attackers, which experienced Kingdom players will recognize as the Greed, break down walls and steal utilities. With no one answering the phone at home, the kids at the camp have to band together to defend themselves and escape the attacks. The skills they’ve honed at the archery range will be put to the ultimate test. There’s just one problem: the strange creatures have stolen their only means of escape - the canoes.

It’s up to The Leader now. As the player, you will coordinate the kids at the camp to build fortifications, gather resources and ultimately get the canoes back. Some of the older kids around Camp Kingdom could provide specialized skills. The Tinkerer and The Champ are hiding nearby, but it will take some extra persuasion for them to join the effort.

The Summer of Greed starts at Camp Kingdom, but it doesn’t end there! We’ll have more to share soon. Until next time!



Thanks for reading! Are you excited to see more about Kingdom Eighties? Why not follow us on Twitter, Facebook or chat in our Discord?

See you next time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1956040/

Development team calling!

We're grateful for the patience and the excitement you have shown for Kingdom Eighties so far. To keep you in the loop on what's to come, we'll start sharing more and more blog posts like this one on the road toward launch.

There is so much we want to tell you about the game, so let us start from the beginning - the locations!



Experienced Monarchs will already be familiar with the levels of Kingdom. The campaigns of New Lands and Two Crowns encouraged you to build, explore, defend, and conquer up to six islands across your realm. These islands all share a common theme, which we expanded on with the addition of new settings in Kingdom Two Crowns.

A familar view when playing Kingdom Two Crowns

In Kingdom Eighties, things work a little bit differently.

The Leader's journey to save the town of Monarch starts at Camp Kingdom, a level that you might have spotted already in early gameplay footage. In the previous games, the player was allowed to travel back and forth between islands; the Leader's story will take them on a one-way journey through four distinct locations.

This change has required the team to rethink how these levels were built. In the previous games, the player was allowed to travel back and forth between islands to unlock secrets and battle the Greed in their own preferred order. The linear progression of Eighties demands a different approach which dives into the motivations of the Monarch and the Greed. As a narrative driven experience, each place has it's own flow and unique events, objectives, and layouts. The Monarch may need to escape the area, complete a quest, or even make substantial sacrifices for the greater good.



In the coming months, we'll show you more from some of these locations to give you a better idea. But for now we're working on getting our canoe back, stolen by those pesky Greed!

Thanks for reading! Are you excited to see more about Kingdom Eighties? Why not follow us on Twitter or Facebook or chat in our Discord?

See you next time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1956040/