The King is Watching: Your Guide to Mastering Hypnohead’s New Roguelite Kingdom Builder

Introduction

Welcome, fellow monarchs! If you're into gaming and have a taste for a unique blend of roguelite, resource management, and tower defense, Hypnohead’s latest game, The King is Watching, might just be your next obsession. In this upcoming strategy game, set to release in 2024, you take on the role of a vigilant ruler, keeping an eagle eye—or should we say, the king's gaze—on your lazy peasants, ensuring they work efficiently while fending off waves of enemy invaders eager to breach your castle walls. Let’s dive into everything you need to know to thrive and keep your kingdom intact!

Gameplay Mechanics and Core Features

The King is Watching is a roguelite kingdom builder where your most important asset isn’t just resources or troops—it’s your gaze. Each action your kingdom takes, whether farming, mining, or army training, only occurs when it’s under the king’s watchful eye. Look away, and your workers quickly find reasons to be useless.

The "Gaze" Mechanic: How It Works

The distinctive "gaze" mechanic is what sets The King is Watching apart from other city builders. As king, you can only keep a limited area within your sight at once, through a window that acts as your interface to the game world. Here’s how to make the most of this mechanic:

• Plan your gaze zones: Think of it like a spotlight in a play. Only the parts of the kingdom under the light are active. Place essential buildings together—like wheat farms and barracks—so you can keep them productive simultaneously.
• Upgrade your vision range: As you progress, you can expand the area you can view, allowing you to monitor and activate more structures at once. This is a game-changer for managing larger kingdoms as waves of enemies grow stronger.
• Get into the rhythm: Managing your gaze effectively is like getting into a rhythm. Rotate your focus to ensure all critical areas remain productive.

Building and Resource Management

In this game, every resource is precious, and managing production chains is the backbone of survival. You’ll need to balance agriculture, defense, and economy carefully if you want to outlast those goblin hordes.

Key Building Types and Their Roles

• Farms and Markets: Farms generate food, and markets allow you to sell excess resources for gold. Gold, in turn, can be used for upgrades and army training to defend your kingdom.
• Barracks and Military Buildings: These buildings train soldiers and advanced units like knights and archers. Training soldiers consumes food and gold, so you'll need to keep a steady income flowing.
• Resource Extraction Sites: Mines, sawmills, and clay pits provide essential resources like wood and stone, needed for construction and upgrades.
• Special Buildings: As you progress, you can unlock a magic guild or forge, providing spells or stronger materials. Advanced buildings allow for more powerful defenses and unique strategic options.

Building Placement Strategy

Since your gaze limits what’s operational at any moment, building placement becomes a strategic puzzle:

• Cluster for efficiency: Group related buildings, such as farms and granaries or barracks and archery ranges, to maximize what you can keep active within your gaze.
• Prioritize resource buildings early on: Start with sawmills and wheat farms to ensure you're stocked up on essentials for both defense and economy.
• Encourage productivity: Keep your peasants motivated by focusing your gaze on them; it’s amazing how work ethic improves under the king's gaze!

Enemy Waves and Defense Tactics

In The King is Watching, your kingdom faces escalating waves of enemies, each more powerful than the last. Let’s look at some tactics for keeping the enemy invaders at bay.

Understanding Enemy Waves

Each enemy wave is made up of goblins, dragons, and other creatures eager to take down your walls and wreak havoc. Early waves are manageable with a basic militia, but later waves will require well-coordinated defenses and stronger troops.

• Prepare for scaling difficulty: Initially, focus on quantity over quality. Build up a larger, basic militia force. But as the game progresses, you'll need specialized units like archers and knights to fend off tougher foes.
• Keep production constant: During downtime between waves, make sure you're constantly producing and training new units.
• Beware of special enemies: As waves progress, unique enemies like dragons may appear, adding a new layer of challenge.

Defensive Strategy Tips

• Upgrade and position wisely: Build your primary defenses—like walls and towers—near barracks and mage guilds. This lets you quickly reinforce and buff troops as enemies arrive.
• Utilize spells for powerful last-resort defense: Spells from the magic guild can be game-changers. Use area-of-effect spells to thin out larger waves or deal heavy damage to mini-bosses.
• Strategic retreats: If one side of your kingdom is overwhelmed, use your gaze to focus on gathering resources for a counter-attack.

Mastering the Roguelite Elements

One of the most exciting aspects of The King is Watching is its roguelike structure. Every playthrough is different, with new challenges and opportunities based on your choices.

Adapting to Randomized Events

The game introduces random events that can be both a blessing and a curse. From unexpected resource boosts to surprise enemy reinforcements, here’s how to adapt:

• Always keep reserves: Don’t spend down to zero on critical resources. Keep a buffer of gold, wood, and food to deal with the unexpected.
• Balance risk and reward: Sometimes, you'll be presented with choices that yield rewards if you succeed but penalize you if you fail. Weigh these risks carefully based on your current standing.
• The game will notify you: Keep an eye out for in-game notifications that alert you to upcoming events or enemy waves.

Permanent Upgrades and Progression

In true roguelite fashion, each run allows you to earn points for permanent upgrades:

• Choose upgrades that fit your playstyle: Focus on improvements that suit your strategy. If you prefer a defensive playstyle, invest in wall upgrades. For offensive players, choose troop enhancements.
• Experiment with different builds: Each run is an opportunity to try new strategies. Mix up your choices to see what combinations work best.

Tips for Long-Term Success

If you're aiming for a high score or just trying to outlast the hordes for as many weeks as possible, these tips will help you stay on track.

Efficient Resource Usage

• Upgrade strategically: Don’t go for every upgrade right away. Prioritize the ones that align with your immediate goals.
• Avoid overbuilding: More buildings can make resource management difficult, especially if they fall outside your gaze. Only build what you can effectively use.
• Make your people prosper under your constant gaze: Your goal is to make your people thrive, so keep a close watch on them.

Monitoring Your Kingdom’s Status

Since production halts outside your gaze, take a moment each cycle to scan your kingdom:

• Cycle your gaze for balanced productivity: Rotate your focus to ensure no critical area remains inactive for too long.
• Pay attention to your militia: It’s easy to get caught up in production and forget about training. Keep a close eye on troop numbers and make sure they're ready for each wave.
• Manage friendly and enemy units: Effective management of both your troops and the enemy can turn the tide of battle.

The Demo on Steam and Latest Updates

If you're eager to get a first look at The King is Watching, there's great news—the King is Watching demo is now available for download on Steam! This demo on Steam gives you a sneak peek into the gameplay mechanics and lets you experience the unique gaze mechanic firsthand. Plus, with the Steam Next Fest happening, there's no better time to dive in.

• Check out the trailer: A new trailer has been released, showcasing the game's core features.
• Join the event: Participate in various levels of challenges during the fest and see how you stack up against others.

Community and Additional Content

To stay updated with the latest news and updates, consider subscribing to Hypnohead's official channels. You can find trailers, gameplay videos, and more content on YouTube. Also, come hang out and join the discussion on Discord to share your strategies and get recommendations from fellow players.

• Watch the world on YouTube: Check out gameplay videos from around the world on YouTube.
• Leave a comment: Feel free to leave a comment below with your thoughts on the game.
• Awards and accolades: The game has already received several indie awards for its innovative mechanics.

Final Thoughts: Why The King is Watching is Worth Your Time

In the realm of strategy games, The King is Watching offers a refreshing twist on kingdom building with its unique gaze mechanic. This game isn’t just about building the biggest kingdom or the strongest army—it’s about balancing attention and resources, and knowing when to act or hold back. With each playthrough offering new surprises and challenges, there’s endless replayability for strategy fans and roguelite lovers alike.

So, get ready to embrace your inner micro-manager and keep your kingdom from falling into disarray. Because remember—when it comes to The King is Watching, only a vigilant eye keeps the kingdom safe!