I never expected kingdom building, deckbuilding, and roguelikes to be a combination that would actually interest me, but here we are. Enter The King Is Watching, a game that somehow manages to cram all of those concepts into a single package. Originally released on Steam in 2025, it has finally made its way to consoles, complete with all the updates and improvements the PC version has received since launch.

That naturally raises the big question: how well does a game with so many systems and moving parts translate to a controller? After all, on PC you have an entire keyboard at your disposal. On consoles, you’re working with a far more limited set of inputs. Thankfully, that’s where this review comes in.

Protect the village, at all cost!

First off, because this is an important distinction at this point, I’m covering the Nintendo Switch version, not Switch 2. That means there’s no access to mouse controls. Right, with that out of the way, The King Is Watching is a game all about balance. As you construct your kingdom, the only people actually working are the ones you’re currently watching, hence the name. Everyone else is basically sitting around thinking, “I didn’t vote for you.”

This is also where the “deckbuilding” aspect comes into play. As you complete each round, you’ll be given a choice between various buildings. Some allow you to train troops to defend your kingdom, while others generate the materials needed for construction, upgrades, and training those troops.

Every resource building you place has a finite amount of materials it can provide. Larger ones typically hold around 1,000 units, while smaller ones offer only a few hundred. This adds another consideration when choosing new buildings. If your wheat field is about to run dry, for example, picking that shiny new archer trainer probably isn’t the smartest decision, no matter how tempting it might be.

I wish I could choose what buildings opened around me.

Let’s talk controls, because this is one area I struggled with for a while, although I got much better with them the more I played The King Is Watching. The control stick is used to select things, including which buildings you want to construct and where you want to place them, while the D Pad controls where the King is currently watching. This distinction took me some time to get used to.

Personally, I prefer using the D Pad when navigating menus because it feels more precise. I know that pressing left or right will actually register as left or right, rather than accidentally becoming up or down because I moved the stick at a slightly awkward angle. ZL and ZR switch between the four different interfaces, while L rotates the King’s field of vision.

That last function is particularly important because your vision initially takes the shape of an L and only covers three spaces, at least until you can afford some glasses. Accidentally pressing the wrong button can therefore have some pretty significant consequences. Instead of training soldiers for the next wave of enemies, you might suddenly find your subjects chopping down trees or, even worse, doing absolutely nothing. It takes some getting used to, but once the controls finally click, managing the kingdom becomes considerably smoother.

What if Volkar doesn’t heard gold, maybe they’re just really good at saving?

There is honestly a lot happening on screen at any given time. Half the time, I don’t even notice that enemies have started showing up until I suddenly realize the number of soldiers I have is rapidly dropping. Despite everything going on, the game still looks good, and the available screen space never feels overly compressed, even when playing in handheld mode. That’s especially important for a game like this, because it would be a nightmare if you couldn’t tell the difference between a wheat field and an empty patch of land.

The soundtrack is also surprisingly good, to the point that I’ve genuinely considered buying it separately. It provides just the right amount of atmosphere without becoming distracting, while gradually building alongside the action as time passes and your increasingly chaotic attempt to keep the kingdom alive continues.

Have to love roguelite mechanics, making things easier as you go feels so good.

The King Is Watching is a fun game overall, and I can definitely understand the positive reception it has received on Steam. The control layout takes a little while to get used to on Switch, but thankfully, the game doesn’t throw you straight into the deep end. There’s a reasonable learning curve that gives you enough time to figure things out before your kingdom inevitably becomes a chaotic mess of resources, soldiers, and enemies demanding your attention.

If you’re into roguelikes, like the idea of building and managing your own kingdom, and don’t panic too much under pressure, this might be the game for you. Alternatively, if you’d simply like to learn how to panic slightly less efficiently under pressure, The King Is Watching might be able to help with that too.

The King Is Watching is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PC, Xbox Series S|X.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.

A copy of The King Is Watching was provided by the publisher.