The King is Watching News

[h3]Noble Kings![/h3][p][/p][p]The time has come to expand the horizons of your royal gaze. Village and Graveyard have served as noble proving grounds, but a kingdom such as yours deserves more variety, more peril, and more wonders to conquer. That is why our next step is the addition of a brand new map, a biome unlike anything you’ve ruled before: the Volcano![/p][p][/p][p]With it comes not just a change of scenery, but a whole new set of mechanics, events, bosses, enemies, buildings, and artifacts to challenge even the most seasoned monarchs.[/p][p][/p][p]We are aiming to release this update later this year, closer to December. Development is still at an early stage, so consider this an announcement of direction rather than a royal promise. Things may shift as the fires of creation continue to burn, but rest assured: this is where the development leads us![/p][p][/p][h2]Welcome to the Volcano[/h2][p]This time your ruling extends to a precarious settlement built at the foot of a vast volcano. Officially, you tell your subjects you’re here for rare alloys and valuable ores. But only your closest advisors know the truth: your true aim is to study the occult, for sages whisper that volcanoes are gateways to the Infernal dimension. [/p][p][/p][p]You’ve had your share of dealings with demons before (sometimes even at your services) but what if you could speak with one of their Archdukes, someone higher in the infernal hierarchy? What bargains might such a creature strike? And what blasphemies might you unleash by accepting?[/p][p][/p][h2]A Realm of New Gameplay Possibilities[/h2][p]The map itself will evolve with the volcanic cycle, shifting through around five distinct stages. These will change not just the appearance, but also the gameplay, keeping every part of the run tense and interesting. And should you play your cards right, you might find yourself negotiating directly with an Archduke of the Inferno. Will you accept his infernal pact, or reject it and carve your own path without such unholy aid? The choice will be yours.[/p][p][/p][p]To make things more interesting, Threat Levels on this map will be uniquely tuned. Much like how Graveyard is unlocked after beating a certain Threat Level, Volcano will require the same. So we think that you will be ready for a new challenge and distinct modifiers. Expect them to be fiercer than on other maps, shaking up the predictable spikes of difficulty you’ve grown used to.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Infernal Enemies Await[/h2][p]Every new map brings its own host of horrors. Just as zombies shamble across the Graveyard and goblins terrorize the countryside of the Village, the Inferno will send forth its legions to batter down your gates. Expect twisted imps darting across the skies, hulking demons pounding at your walls, and relentless waves led by mighty bosses, each with their own agenda, powers, and reasons to see you fail.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][h2]Tools to Match the Challenge[/h2][p]But fear not, noble rulers, because with new dangers come new ways to prevail. This update will introduce:[/p]

• [p]Esoteric artifacts preserved only by the fickle mercy of demons, granting powers unlike anything seen before.[/p]
• [p]Infernal-themed buildings, expanding your kingdom’s reach in strange and dangerous ways.[/p]
• [p]Recruitable creatures from the Infernal realm, willing to serve in your armies… if you dare to command them.[/p]
• [p]Potentially even new advisors, drawn from otherworldly planes, ready to whisper their cryptic counsel.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]New Events, New Dilemmas[/h2][p]A new map would not be complete without stories and challenges to match its tone. Expect to see a host of fresh events, each presenting dilemmas to test your judgment. Below you may see an example and also several royal illustrations we are ready to share with you, handcrafted by the court’s best human artists![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The nobles of your kingdom whispered in secret, poring over forbidden tomes and hoarding rare ingredients. Their obsession bore fruit - or perhaps fire - when at last they succeeded in summoning a powerful Lord of Hell.[/p][p]Bound within a blazing circle, the demon offered them a single wish in exchange for freedom. Unfortunately, your subjects immediately began shouting conflicting demands: eternal life, death to their rivals, unmatched skill in the bedroom - the list went on, and on, and on. Hours passed in bickering while the demon, clearly regretting his career choices, finally reached out to you in desperation.[/p][p]Now, Your Majesty, the circle still burns, the nobles still argue, and the demon waits for your word to end this absurd stalemate.[/p]

1. [p]Set the demon free in exchange for the wish[/p]
2. [p]Kill the cult members and imprison the demon forever[/p]
3. [p]Blow out the summoning candles and see what happens next[/p]

[p][/p][h3]And here other royal illustrations:[/h3][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][h2]New Music for a New Realm[/h2][p]Alongside the Volcano map, we’ll be adding a full set of new music tracks, created to capture the ominous, fiery atmosphere of the Infernal theme. These tracks will also be added to the Soundtrack DLC once the update goes live.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][h2]Free for All Kings[/h2][p]All of this content will be free for everyone who owns the game. Consider it a humble token of our gratitude for your overwhelming support and the love you’ve shown our little project.[/p][p][/p][p]Until next time! HUZZAH![/p][p]~ The Hypnohead Team[/p]

[h3]Noble Kings,[/h3][p][/p][p]For the first time since launch, The King is Watching is on sale with a 20% discount at the Serbian Games Week![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]From September 22nd to September 29th, the gates of the kingdom open wide to all who seek strategy, sacrifice, and majestic challenges! Get yourself a copy today! Got a fellow strategist friend at your court? Well then, consider surprising them with one too![/p][p][/p][p]So gather your Advisors, focus your eyes and make your kingdom proud! HUZZAH![/p][p][/p][h3]Follow us or join our communities:[/h3][p]Twitter[/p][p]Discord[/p][p]Reddit[/p][p]Bluesky[/p][p]Our Official Wiki[/p]

[h3]Noble Kings,[/h3][p][/p][p]Once again, the royal court has been filled with your questions. We thank you for your curiosity, your passion, and even your unexpected requests! Today we bring you another round of answers straight from the throne. Let us begin, onward!![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: Any plans to add VO to the game?
A: We actually prototyped an announcer who would comment on waves and resource shortages. In practice, though, we felt it broke the flow and immersion of the game. For now, we don’t plan to add VO.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Are there plans to add new councillors, maybe through a community challenge?
A: Yes! We already have about 20 more councillors in prototypes, and some of them will definitely make it into the game over time.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Why can’t the Tavern consume wine to increase morale?
A: If you mean why wine is always consumed during battle: that’s a balancing decision. Wine provides a strong morale bonus, and we didn’t want to gate it behind a building. Because it’s always consumed, it’s relatively easier to stockpile compared to other high-level resources like meat.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will there be a barracks that only uses wine, like Viking warriors?
A: Maybe :)[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Could each King have their own independent advisor setup?
A: That’s a QoL feature we’d like to add, but it requires a big rework of how advisor choices are stored. So it’s on our list, but low priority.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Why didn’t you tie Threat Level unlocks to specific Kings, so you’d have to replay from scratch with each one?
A: We discussed this a lot. Both systems have merits. We chose a more liberal system to give players freedom: you can replay each difficulty per King, or jump straight to higher Threat Levels with a newly unlocked King.[/p][p]Achievements for reaching maximum Threat Level still encourage trying each King, though.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: Why can’t you get more than six spells?
A: This is a balancing choice to keep spell slots limited. You can increase the limit with a specific advisor, and you can also stack multiple copies of the same spell. This keeps the cap soft while pushing players to actually use the spells and not hoard them.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will Endless Mode be available in Threat Levels 2, 3, and 4?
A: We limited Endless Mode to specific Threat Levels so the leaderboards stay fair and easy to follow. That won’t change for now.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Who is your favourite King to play as?
A: For our lead designer, it’s King Spellus. For our publishing producer, King Saladin. And we’ve all had fun with Baldwin’s grunt builds :)[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: Can you remove the restriction of only being able to take each artifact once?
A: Hm, that’s actually an interesting idea for a councillor ability.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Could you add a button to gather all units at once, like the deploy-all button?
A: This and also “presets” of units were requested a lot, but even if we add this functionality it’s a low priority improvement for us at the moment.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Could you make the small gold and iron mines more distinct?
A: We’ll think about it, thanks! We know there’s a popular mod that does exactly this, so it’s worth exploring.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: Can you add the possibility to place orders at the trader for specific items?
A: Not at the moment, it would break the balance of the current system. But we do want to make builds more predictable in the future, so this might change as we refine things.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Is it planned to add the possibility to play as a bad guy?
A: What makes you think you’re playing as a good guy now? ;) But we will add more ways to feel bad, but cool.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: What was your most useful marketing beat?
A: Steam Next Fest brought us the largest number of wishlists. But in the long run, pivoting the game more towards roguelike mechanics, and thus making it more marketable, was even more important.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Is there an opportunity to join your team as a QA engineer?
A: There are two ways to contribute:[/p]

• [p]We recruit volunteer testers from time to time, so keep an eye on our Discord announcements.[/p]
• [p]We’re not hiring QA managers right now, but we are looking for another GameMaker developer to join the project. You can apply on tinyBuild's website.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That is all for today's royal friends. Your questions inspire us, your support strengthens us, and your love for the game keeps our kingdom growing. We will return soon with another scroll of answers. HUZZAH![/p][p][/p][p]~The Hypnohead Devs[/p]

[p]Noble Kings,[/p][p][/p][p]The King is Watching has joined forces with Backpack Battles, the tactical PvP battler where every square in your backpack matters, for a new Bundle! Craft legendary gear, brew potions, or even hatch a dragon as you outsmart your rivals.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]So don’t wait any longer and keep your eyes on your kingdom and your backpack: both can turn into a glorious mess if left… unwatched![/p][p][/p][p]Claim this royal bargain today! HUZZAH![/p][p]
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[p]Noble Kings,[/p][p][/p][p]From the very beginning, through development, the demo, and now launch, we’ve tried to listen closely, adapt quickly, and give our best with the limited means of a small team, but always with heart and passion.[/p][p][/p][p]Recently, we asked for your feedback again, and the question we saw the most was simple: what’s next for the game, and when? Before answering, here’s a bit of context.[/p][p][/p][p]We never expected the incredible love and attention The King is Watching has received. As a team of just four working full time, we’ve been blown away by your support. Passing 300,000 copies sold in only a few weeks is a milestone we thought would take years. Thank you for making this possible.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]In the first month after release, we focused on fixing critical bugs (many we could never have found without your reports, thank you!) and adding much-requested quality-of-life features like mid-run saves. Now that we finally have some breathing room, we can start looking ahead. What follows are our current thoughts and priorities, not yet a fixed roadmap. We hope to share a proper one later this month as things become more concrete.[/p][p][/p][h3]What We’re Thinking About Next[/h3]

• [p]A New Map: We have plenty of ideas, from a fresh set of bosses to special mechanics (different from Graveyard), plus themed enemies, events, and buildings. We can only tease for now that it’s shaping up to be a hell of an addition. This will be free content for everyone. We’re aiming for a release this year, but can’t promise just yet.[/p]
• [p]New Kings: Expanding the roster with new rulers, each bringing unique abilities and playstyles. Some of them will be free, some of them will be part of a paid DLC we plan to introduce next year.[/p]
• [p]Improving Build Predictability: Right now, creating a specific build can be too dependent on luck. While roguelite randomness is part of the fun, we believe players should have more reliable ways to steer their build’s direction. For example, if you don’t get Poor Man’s Shield or Assassins, there should still be ways to make Grunts useful. We have ideas here, but we’ll share more once we’ve tested them.[/p]
• [p]Steam Features: Trading cards, Steam's Rich Presence, and other platform functionality.[/p]
• [p]More QoL Improvements: Because smoother play makes for a stronger kingdom![/p]

[p][/p][p]We’d love to reveal more, but until these ideas harden into concrete plans, we’d rather not overpromise.[/p][p][/p][p]And now… onward to the first part of the Q&A (we got so many questions that we have to divide answers into separate articles)![/p][p][/p][h2]The King is Answering: Q&A Part #01![/h2][p][/p][p]Q: Could you imagine implementing a co-op mode?[/p][p]A: We would love to, but we don't think it's a good fit for the game as of now due to basically having to rebuild the entire code and balance it for two players. However, never say never: once we are further with the already in-production updates, we will check back on the idea![/p][p][/p][p]Q: Is there an official wiki? If so, how come I can’t find it? If not, do you plan on working with the community to create one?[/p][p]A: Yes, there is! It's run by the community with some informational support from us. You can find it HERE[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: Hey Hypnohead, love the game!! Is there any interest in adding career and post-game stats?[/p][p]A: Thank you for the kind words! :)[/p][p]We really want to add more stats to the game, but it's a big task and we are currently working on getting other content in-game. But feedback noted![/p][p][/p][p]Q: Where can I get the soundtrack?[/p][p]A: You can find it for sale on the Steam store at this link: [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Q: Do you have plans for mobile or console versions?[/p][p]A: Not at the moment, but it's something we will look into in the future and announce separately.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: We want not just to defend, but to attack the enemy castles. Will you add something like this?[/p][p]A: That's in the backlog as one of the ideas for future maps (but not the next one we plan to add).[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Do you plan to experiment with the geometry of the castles and not just do the 5x5 grid? Maybe some T-shaped castles?[/p][p]A: That’s an interesting idea, but we won't be changing the 5x5 field, since it would require rebalancing how the buildings work… like, a LOT. We think the current negative modifiers for the tiles are enough to push people to experiment with layouts.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: More unique maps and variety? Also are you gonna add the encyclopedia to be available during a run?[/p][p]A: The encyclopedia was made available just a couple of days after you asked in the 1.0.5 update! :)[/p][p]Yes, we want to add more maps, though the first ones won't be too wildly different.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: What do you think of adding to the game something like archer towers or moats to make more defensive options?[/p][p]A: We even had a prototype of a map where you could build extra defenses on certain points (think of sending out builders instead of gravediggers). It was fun, but not enough to make it into the final game. We plan to go back to the drawing board on that idea in the future.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: What are the inspirations for the Kings?[/p][p]A: We worked backwards in the process: we first created the abilities, then King animations, and only after that thought of names for them :)[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: Are you planning to add controller support?[/p][p]A: Yes, we are working on improved UI and control layout for Steam Deck. We want to bring The King is Watching to handheld in a proper fashion. It's already playable, but there's still room for improvement (especially the text size).[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Will the monsters be added to the encyclopedia?[/p][p]A: We know this is a requested feature, so it might be added in the future. Still, we need to choose our priorities right, and the new map looks like a more interesting addition to the game right now.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Could you add shortcuts to everything please? As a player I feel I could play better if I could use the mouse to point on stuff and press the keyboard for the action.[/p][p]A: We definitely will add them, but we're not 100% sure when. And of course, you'll be able to assign keybindings.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: Are you planning to release it for macOS users?[/p][p]A: No plans for a macOS version for now.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Q: Do you plan on collaborating with other games?[/p][p]A: We regularly add new bundles on Steam, and that will definitely continue.[/p][p]Steam only allows us to display three bundles on the game page at once, which means some collaborations are time-limited. But worry not: if a bundle disappears, it doesn’t mean it’s gone forever! We love working with other amazing games, and some of the most popular bundles might return in the future.[/p][p]If you're referring to deeper, in-game collaborations, that’s something we’d love to explore one day. But for now, there are no firm plans.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: What do you see as more of a priority: the creation of new content or the tweaking of existing content?[/p][p]A: It really depends on when you ask. A month ago, we would’ve said tweaking existing content. Now we’re looking more into adding new things.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: I would like more challenges centered around using certain builds. E.g. only these units, only this class of units, this King with these units only, etc. Will you implement more of this stuff?[/p][p]A: That’s a great idea which we’ve experimented with a bit, but it didn’t quite land.[/p][p]That said, we’re always looking for ways to expand the challenge system, so feedback like yours helps a lot.[/p][p][/p][p]Q: How long did the development process take? How did the number of people working on the game change during development?[/p][p]A: It took us around a year and a half to go from an improved prototype on itch.io to 1.0. And a bit longer if you consider the very first version of the game we made during a Game Jam.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]That’s all for today, thank you very much for joining us and see you soon with more of your questions answered! HUZZAH![/p][p]~The Hypnohead Devs[/p]