Strategy-driven roguelite kingdom builder, The King is Watching, from Serbian indie development team Hypnohead Studio and publisher tinyBuild, will conquer PC via Steam in July 2025. With 200,000 Steam wishlists and 330,000 demo downloads fueling its rise, this innovative title blends tactical base-building with replayable challenges, earning buzz ahead of its showcase and new trailer at tinyBuild Connect.
Build, Defend, Conquer: Gameplay Unveiled
In The King is Watching, players embody a vigilant lord, wielding the King’s piercing gaze to ensure subjects stay productive and the kingdom thrives. This unique mechanic forces strategic prioritization—unwatched workers may slack off, leaving defenses vulnerable. Players manage castle operations, from wheat field harvests to mage guilds casting protective spells, while building armies to fend off evolving invaders. Roguelite elements ensure each run across diverse biomes offers fresh challenges, encouraging adaptive strategies to create the mightiest domain.
Master Resources, Fortify Realms
Resource management is key. Players must secure food to nourish citizens, trade with neighboring villages for ancient knowledge, and construct fortified structures like palisades or stone walls. The Mages Guild provides mystical defenses, while tactical troop placement counters enemy threats. With multiple kingdoms to build and conquer, each biome presents distinct obstacles, rewarding clever planning and efficient resource use.
The game supports 11 languages, including English, German, Russian, French, Spanish (EU), Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Ukrainian, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
A Game Jam Gem Goes Global
Semyon Itmaniuk, Head of Hypnohead Studio, reflected on the journey from building a game jam prototype to having that prototype played over a million times, giving the team an incredible vote of confidence. With their partner tinyBuild the developer can finish polishing the crown before letting players have their go at the throne.
When we first came up with the concept for The King is Watching at a game jam, we never expected to reach so many people. That prototype has now been played more than a million times, which is an incredible vote of confidence! Now we’re excited to partner with tinyBuild to get our game to the finish line and in the hands of even more players.
Semyon Itmaniuk, Head of the Hypnohead Studio
The tinyBuild Connect event on May 27, 2025, offered a fresh gameplay glimpse, building on the demo’s massive success and a new game trailer featuring CarbotAnimations, viewable below.
Claim Your Crown on Steam
The King is Watching launches on PC via Steam in July 2025. Pricing details and exact release date are forthcoming, but players can join the 200,000-strong wishlist crowd. Try the free demo—already downloaded 330,000 times—on Steam to experience its strategic depth. Released for last February’s Steam Next Fest, this current demo was a royal success for the developer.
Publisher and Developer Information
RSS - Posts