Barkitect’s real-time wave-defense roguelite puts the king directly on the battlefield. Every 20-second interval brings a new wave of enemies, new decisions to make, and another chance for everything to go wrong.
In Kinghold, players directly control the king, fighting enemies, gathering resources and racing across the battlefield to deploy troops, buildings, traps, and abilities before the next wave arrives.
You are the king, and the spawn point.
At the centre of Kinghold is a simple twist: units, buildings, and traps can only be deployed from the king’s current position.
Need a defensive tower on the eastern flank? The king has to get there first. Reinforcements desperately needed back at the castle? Turn around and fight your way home.
That makes positioning the king as important as choosing what to build. Venture out to collect resources, rewards, and perks, or stay close to your castle and lend your strength to its defence. But don’t be too cautious, because without challenge the enemy will surely seize control of the map.
Build an army that fights for itself
Players spend gold to summon troops, construct buildings, lay traps, and activate support abilities.
But Kinghold is not about micro-managing every unit.
Once deployed, soldiers fight autonomously. Different units can push the frontline, defend strategic positions, guard local territory, or accompany the king.
Every run begins by building a starting deck of up to five cards within a limited budget. Further cards can be added as the king levels up over the course of a run, while treasure chests offer perks capable of dramatically changing a run.
One strategy might involve overwhelming the enemy with an army of peasants, but another might focus on keeping a smaller group of elite troops alive with healing and support. Building the right combination, and adapting when it stops working, is part of surviving the kingdom’s escalating assault.
Driven by a relentess 20-second interval timer.
Kinghold is driven by a relentless 20-second interval timer.
Each time the countdown reaches zero, enemy waves spawn, income is collected, cards refresh, and perks or unit effects can trigger.
Players have to constantly choose between investing in their economy, strengthening their defences, summoning reinforcements, or sending the king into danger in search of greater rewards.
There is always another decision to make, and the next interval is only ever seconds away.
Key Features
- Directly control the king - fight enemies, collect resources, hunt for treasure, and move across the battlefield in real time.
- Deploy cards where you stand - troops, buildings and traps appear at the king’s position, making movement and positioning a core part of the strategy.
- Summon autonomous armies - build forces that can attack, defend territory, hold positions or accompany the king without constant micromanagement.
- Build a new strategy every run - create a starting deck and expand it with new cards, perks and combinations as the battle develops.
- React to a 20-second battlefield cycle - enemy waves, income, card refreshes, and other effects keep the pressure constantly moving.
- Survive 50 intervals - withstand escalating enemy forces, defeat the final boss and turn remaining health into a final score multiplier.
- Keep pushing your kingdom further - unlock new starting cards and maps, increase the difficulty, and compete for a place on the global leaderboard.
The demo for Kinghold is now live on Steam, with a greatly expanded selection of cards, maps, and enemies planned for the full release in Q1 2027.
Players can wishlist the game to be notified when it becomes available, or try the demo now for a taste of what is to come.
Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4829360/Kinghold
Press Kit:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cqXPxL_QnEq0ZqbxJzD_3Z7OEfNu2ksk?usp=sharing
Press Contact
George Barker
Barkitect
Email: barkitectgames@gmail.com