About the Game
Ah, my glorious kingdom! A land where peasants toil, miners dig, and knights train... but only when I look at them! My gaze is law—progress thrives where I watch, but the moment I turn away? Laziness! Chaos! I must choose wisely: should I focus on the fields for food, the mines for riches, or the barracks for defense? With resources, I can even expand my all-seeing gaze, ensuring my kingdom flourishes… and that no one slacks off under my rule!
Water, wheat, stone, coal, silver—every resource fuels my empire! Farms feed my people, mines fund my ambitions, and workshops forge mighty defenses. Shall I invest in archers, reinforce the walls, or harness magic? Even my castle needs repairs when the enemy strikes! Every decision shapes my reign, and only a well-managed kingdom will survive the storm.
Rulership is no easy task! Each land presents new trials, from cursed cemeteries to infernal depths, forcing me to adapt. Yet every defeat is a lesson! As a true roguelite, my efforts grant permanent upgrades, unlocking new abilities, stronger defenses, and powerful strategies for my next reign. A true king doesn’t just rule—he evolves, forging an unstoppable legacy with each attempt!
Each battlefield hides unpredictable threats—enemies are led by unexpected Generals, demanding unique tactics to defeat. Want to conquer them all? You’ll need multiple runs! But fear not! My royal council aids me with cavalry masters, arcane sages, and cunning strategists. With their wisdom—and my unwavering gaze—victory is inevitable!
Screenshots
12 images
Version Information
Steam Patch Notes
Official update history
Noble Kings!
We’ve released a small update with a few important fixes and improvements.
Changes & Fixes
DLC Kings are now automatically unlocked if you own the DLC
Fixed an issue where Cannon buildings would stop firing after accumulating charges
Fixed the Exorcist Sanctum not producing spells when all spell slots were full, even if a banish spell was available - Fixed inconsistent resource production over time caused by different game speeds
Fixed an issue where the cursor could get stuck in a “grab” state
Thank you for your continued support - and keep your gaze steady on proper buildings
~ Hypnohead team
Noble Kings!
We’ve just released a small hotfix focused on improving stability and addressing a few issues reported by the community. Thank you for your continued feedback — it helps us keep the kingdom running smoothly.
Fixes
Fixed a crash that could occur when certain troops died while playing as Cleopatra
Fixed a crash related to damaging certain terrain objects
Fixed an issue where players did not receive achievements for previously completed levels
Fixed a bug where Egyptian units did not properly benefit from their upgrades
Updated the Banker description in some languages for better accuracy
Fixed an incorrect resource icon in the Basic Construction description
We’ll continue monitoring your reports and polishing the experience.
Reign firm, Noble Kings 👑
~ The Hypnohead Team
Noble Kings!
Today we are proud to release two major additions to The King Is Watching:
The Dark Realm Free Update, introducing a brand-new map with unique mechanics, enemies, bosses, and a large collection of quality-of-life improvements.
The Crowns of History DLC, which expands your royal roster with three new Rulers.
Here is the trailer for the update:
Crowns of History DLC
The Crowns of History DLC introduces three new rulers, each with unique mechanics and playstyles.
Cleopatra - Queen of Death
Cleopatra commands the power of death and rebirth. She introduces a unique resource called Canopy, gathered whenever friendly units fall in battle.
Canopy allows Cleopatra to summon powerful Egyptian units, each with abilities that trigger upon death. Her abilities allow those units to return to life, creating powerful chains of sacrifice and resurrection - proving once again that death is only the beginning.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/153070a73e2364816e9bac61fa96b2be75b3b57a.gif"]
Taizong of Tang - Master of Offensive Structures
Taizong excels at defending the castle with devastating firepower. His abilities allow him to man castle walls with loyal Crossbowmen while boosting the damage of the newly introduced Offensive Structures.
These structures weaken enemy waves before they reach the walls, allowing Taizong to finish them with precise and devastating cavalry charges of your Rider units.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/12df6fd991feafd7cb95c5a7274c9639b062a84a.gif"]
Xerxes - The Glass Cannon King
Xerxes commands an army unlike any other. All his units have only 10% of their normal HP, but deal 400% damage. His abilities allow him to temporarily grant invincibility to his army and summon the legendary Immortals, creating brief windows of overwhelming power.
Under Xerxes, battles are decided in seconds - victory or total annihilation.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/f0f6b87da6c26530d4f621bb893982c44498cd5a.gif"]
You can learn more about the DLC on its store page.
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3951490/Crowns_of_History/"]
Dark Realm Free Update
The Dark Realm free update brings a wealth of new content for all players:
A new map with unique gameplay mechanics
A completely new enemy faction and bosses
Narrative events with unusual choices
New artifacts that expand build variety
New advisors for your royal council
Numerous balance updates and quality-of-life improvements
Below you can find the full update notes. But before you go into reading them, we wanted to let you know that we've launched our first merchandise line - it's six different T-Shirts you may buy at tinyBuild shop, operated by our partners from Tinybox.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/ffa0fd870cfde0593624fcb03e68809d133057c9.jpg"]
The Dark Realm
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/2bd77bb426ae80b9bc0bd52a99a3a7e42c285687.png"]
The Dark Realm is a dark and dangerous map. It’s inspired by the works of Lovecraft and is centered around the theme of cosmic horrors. Here you will face The Kraken and its deadly tentacles.
This map brings new dynamics, since enemies stay out of your reality and invisible to your armies. Only by focusing your Royal Gaze upon a specific building you may attack them. So you are free to choose the right time to cleanse the waves of eldritch offspring
New Enemies and Bosses
Four new bosses were added to the map
O’Chtulpus
Vesper, Keeper of Seals
Alexia, the Cursed Princess
The Kraken
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/849d6c000275333b9c7c7db11193e391915e9ddb.gif"]
The Kraken will be a unique boss that plays completely differently from anything you’ve faced before. We really wanted it to feel like you’re slaying a true eldritch monstrosity - one piece at a time. Don’t prepare for a blitz - prepare for a prolonged siege. Defeating it will take longer than any other boss in the game, so to keep the overall playtime within reasonable limits, we decided to skip Tier 2 bosses on this map entirely. The Kraken will summon troops and retreat into hiding until you’ve dealt with them all. Its HP bar is longer than a highway, and its attacks can one-shot your troops if you’re not careful. Stay sharp.
The map will feature tentacles as main enemies. They do not march like goblins. They do not swarm like undead. Some wait motionless until you get close and others set to work spawning living bombs. Some evolve into siege tendrils and others combine with corrupted souls to create spell-casting hybrids to attack your troops.
You may ignore a few, you will not ignore all.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/d69d648311dc01da9026b779db61ccbd53e75e64.gif"]
Events of the Abyss
No new map would be complete without new choices.
You may allow a deadly cat within your walls.
You may host an emperor riding a bear.
You may sell an artifact that makes you unnaturally attractive.
Each choice has consequences. Some subtle. Some catastrophic.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/414e1c3fb15ae54bd82c0312b8f38da6f562b362.png"][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/48b0bea45374a320a5fa93192c2d44cc6775f2a4.png"][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/8f552076c5fffa31a0235e789388381576ee6c82.png"]Offensive Structures
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/7eb9bda51eab71d9779da6e309509de0764ed465.gif"]
This update introduces a new category of buildings: Offensive Structures. Existing buildings such as Tesla Tower, Cannon, and Balloon Bomber Hangar have been moved into this category. In addition, six new structures have been added:
Timber Launcher. Launches a wooden log at an incoming enemy.
Fuel Launcher. Launches a fuel barrel at incoming enemies.
Great Slingshot. Attacks incoming enemies with a giant stone.
Firebomb launcher. Launches napalm bombs at incoming enemies.
Poison Tower. Attacks incoming enemies with a beam of light that poisons them, dealing damage over time.
Dovecote. Releases several birds that circle over the battlefield and poop on enemies.
We’ve also rebalanced the damage and economy of the offensive structures, so you can use them more efficiently. Some upgrades further help with this. E.g., one of Poison Tower’s upgrades, will allow you to extract fuel from killed enemies.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/5d917f1b5e3a5464224483bd98d65d6d2448cd90.png"]
We’ve also added a new Elite Unit: Cannons. It’s similar to Catapults and Ballistas in terms of long ranged attacks, but its trait increases the damage of all Offensive Structures.
Quality of Life Improvements
We’re also introducing several quality-of-life improvements in this update.
First two are delivered as two unlockable upgrades.
Starting Blueprint adds one extra blueprint for each King, letting you kick off your build earlier:
Baldwin — Gold Mine
Leonid — Fisherman’s Hut
Leo the Wise — Buddhist Temple
Spellus — Tile Enchanter (Epic)
Brezhnius — Arena
Alucard — Bone Pit
Saladin — Big Well
Taizong of Tang — Brick Factory
Xerxes — King Statue
Cleopatra — Winery
For the second upgrade, we know some of you have amassed quite a stockpile of Town Denarii. We can’t just keep adding permanent upgrades to spend them on - that would push your power level too far. And we don’t want to reduce Denarii income either, since that would make the game feel grindier.
So we came up with a solution: Special Goods. This upgrade unlocks a new section in the trader, letting you purchase rewards with Town Denarii. It does make you stronger - but only for the current run. We've also increased amount of Town Denarii you receive as bonus for higher Threat Levels.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/b5f627263faae69c4e6d149a84f137dbb185a89f.gif"]
We’ve also improved the unlock of new Threat Levels following your feedback on the release of Volcano. Beating any Threat level up to 5 included, will unlock the same Threat level on all other maps. To unlock the next map you still need to beat Threat level 3 on the previous map. Beating a Threat level automatically collects all Ascension crystals from lower Threat levels on that location. Starting from Threat level 6 each you would need to beat levels 6-10 on each location separately.
We hope the above change will allow you to enjoy new maps faster. Also we made a slight changes to Threat level modifiers order, Second boss mod appears on Threat level 6 instead of 5.
Wine consumption and production has also been slightly improved:
We reduced general wine consumption by 25%
Winery production changed: 2 grapes to 1 wine -> 3 grapes to 2 wine
New Artifacts
Summoning Sphere — Using any King ability summons a temporary standard unit.
Butcher’s Cleaver — When an enemy dies, another may flee in fear (excluding bosses).
Nail of Self-Mortification — Damage increases, HP decreases.
Nutritious Meal — Boosts damage and HP of all unit classes.
Family Portrait — When castle HP is low, all troops deal increased damage.
Last Will — Troop deaths temporarily increase building production speed.
Crown of Thorns — Converts all water into wine.
Book of Poisons — Doubles poison duration.
Recycling Manual — Troop deaths grant random resources.
New Advisors
Village Head — Start with a fully upgraded Peasants’ Hut.
Trader — Exchange resources for rewards on cooldown.
Banker — Gain +1 morale per 10 Denarii.
Nurse — Begin with the first Gaze upgrade, taken as debt.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/38d735b468d88fa1190e24de942419beee141b72.gif"]
Balance and Other changes
New upgrade added for Peasants’ Hut, increasing their HP and damage
Solvurm: spawn time for small worms increased from 10s → 18s
Gorzog Alchemists throw bottles less frequently, but the debuff lasts longer
Volkar now uses fire breath 2 times instead of 3
Acid Rain modifier now deals damage based on % of troop max HP instead of a flat value
Freezing Meteorite from Lich modifier no longer deals damage
Volcanic Power combustion now deals more damage but triggers less often
Hungering Maw flee duration increased from 1.5s → 2.5s
Spell Health Boost HP increased from 40 → 70
Research Table meta upgrade now allows Veteran Barracks blueprints
Sophy’s Research Lab blueprint time reduced from 140s → 120s
Several upgrade prices slightly reduced
Tutorial difficulty reduced
Victory and defeat now trigger castle animations before the ending screen
Invincible troops now have a distinct visual effectPartial support added for non-16:9 resolutions with custom artwork instead of black bars
You can now destroy or sell multiple buildings by holding Shift
12 New Steam Achievements added
Boss corpses can now be resurrected as Undead units via Necromancy or Alucard’s ability
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/b9c3ab9a45bf14de593a6727d421bbc4a72b242d.gif"]
And some other small UI and quality of life changes and fixes.
We hope you’ll enjoy the update! Let us know your feedback on Steam and in our social media!
Have fun!
~ Hypnohead team
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/26693eace6da680c2db371c432294402de469acf.png"]
Noble Kings!
First of all, an update with festive decor is now live. Enjoy!
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/5b34ed50b7e3dc1b15a392858ecf79741935e9ae.gif"]
Secondly, as the year draws to a close, we want to pause for a moment and simply say: Thank you. What started as a small Ludum Dare prototype has grown into something we never could have imagined. Thanks to your support, The King Is Watching is closing the year having crossed an incredible milestone - 400,000 Steam copies sold. It’s honestly mind-blowing to know that so many people are enjoying the realm we have built.
We WATCH you: read your reviews, follow discussions and ideas on Discord and Steam, smile at your stories from chaotic playthroughs - and yes, we absolutely love the masterpiece screenshots you keep sharing. Your passion is what keeps this kingdom alive.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/ea18891d715122aa290de5c3006793ecec56b210.jpg"][img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/8ea7e99ec335f9ce65e639e79621e3c65c9698c1.png"]
A Year of Updates
Since July, when we began our post-release journey in earnest, we have shipped 7 updates, bringing a lot of new content and improvements to the game, including:
The Volcano map, with unique mechanics, enemies, and bosses
Mid-run saves, the in-run Encyclopedia, and many quality-of-life improvements
Numerous balance and content changes driven directly by your feedback
13 new units, 19 new artifacts, 4 new advisors, and 4 new spells
And this is only the beginning.
What Comes Next
We fully intend to continue developing The King Is Watching throughout the coming year. You may have noticed that one type of content has been missing so far: new Kings. That’s about to change. Next year, we’re planning two DLCs focused on expanding the roster of Kings, with the first one currently planned for February–March.
Below, we’re sharing a small glimpse into our concept art process. Please keep in mind that these are early explorations. Some concepts may change, while others may never make it into the game, and some may evolve in unexpected ways.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/c0bc22d65ff5ec691564b000e5c5ac7a13b90c7c.jpg"]
Alongside the aforementioned DLCs, we will continue releasing free content updates for everyone, expanding and refining the base game. And yes, on top of that, we’re also planning another free update with a brand-new map, one that will feel distinctly different from anything currently in the game!
Looking Forward to 2026
This is just a glimpse of what awaits The King Is Watching in the year ahead. We will return in January with more detailed plans on the next update. We are also planning on exploring more options for creating bundles with other fantastic indie titles. That said, behold this new bundle with Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, a colourful action-RPG with roguelike elements.
For now, we want to wish you a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Noble Kings! May your gaze stay sharp and your kingdom prosper.
All the best,
~ The Hypnohead Team
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/8db133c7e9e8ac3f6c4ed7494f8ee7d83ddf1185.png"]
- Soulwurm associated crash is fixed
- Fixed a localization bug associated with the new buildings unlock in Upgrades menu
- Changed Sophy's Research Lab building:
- Time to produce blueprint 160 sec -> 140 sec
- Build cost 100 wood 80 gold -> 50 wood 50 gold
- The laboratory can produce any type of blueprint as before, including Tier 1 Resources and Troops
- Time to produce blueprint 160 sec -> 140 sec
- Soulwurm associated crash is fixed
- Fixed a localization bug associated with the new buildings unlock in Upgrades menu
- Changed Sophy's Research Lab building:
- Time to produce blueprint 160 sec -> 140 sec
- Build cost 100 wood 80 gold -> 50 wood 50 gold
- The laboratory can produce any type of blueprint as before, including Tier 1 Resources and Troops
- Time to produce blueprint 160 sec -> 140 sec
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/0c151a7fd9fc41314ab8d795b2a1972c9744fe8c.png"]
Greetings, Noble Kings!
We have many astounding news for you today. First and foremost, the greatest discount in the kingdom’s history has arrived: -35% until December 16th!
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2753900/The_King_is_Watching/"]If you seek more options, cast your eyes on our bundles with other marvellous games, like this one here with a roguelite colony sim, Drill Core:
[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/56811/The_King_is_Watching__Drill_Core/"]
And secondly, we have just released a massive free content update, focusing on a new map: Volcano.
Behold this new overview trailer:
SHORT UPDATE SUMMARY:
The new Volcano map centered around deals with Inferno. Hire nine new demon troops, fulfill the Worship Meter, and unlock Hellish rewards. You might need them to fight a new set of enemies, Scarlet Goblins and Lava Creatures, commanded by six new bosses. We've also added 20 new, unique themed narrative events. All of the above is exclusive to the Volcano map!
Trader discounts, banning of buildings, upgrades for re-rolls, and many other new additions
We've added 17 new artifacts to enhance your builds.
4 new advisors and improvements to a dozen existing ones.
4 new troops will be available throughout the entire game, and give necessary spice to some of the builds
The game’s soundtrack is being updated with the tracks from the fresh update.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/f2479038fc383bee309cd365aaf13749f678780f.gif"]
FULL UPDATE NOTES
A new map, Volcano, has been added to the game. It’s accessible to everyone who has completed the Graveyard map on Threat Level 2.
The Volcano map exclusively features:
Six new Bosses:
Ignahog, King of Cinderwilds
Smokeeye, the Goblin Marksman
Ashfeather, the Eternal Phoenix
Skarkh, the Inferno Brood
Goblark the Bellringer
Solvurm, the Worm-Father
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/7629cedc745037133566a7bb82265333ea9bb5dd.gif"]
Exclusive resource - Nether Runes. These runes can be gathered through sacrificial altars, battle challenges, or from the rune enchanter building. Runes fill up a Worship Meter, which unlocks your rewards, some exclusive to just the Volcano map, as you pass certain thresholds.
20 new narrative events and new functionality in these events (e.g., convert all blueprints into troops)
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/75e3f7fe13b469cd7d0f7344e7de09669bbb244c.jpg"]
9 new infernal barracks you can build if you claim a specific reward (only three barracks (one per tier) can be unlocked during one run):
Fetus Field T1. Recruits Hellhounds. Upon death, heals 10% max HP of all allies.
Nether Portal T1. Recruits Infernal Brutes. Upon death, gives a random non-legendary spell.
Caludron T1. Recruits Hellpigs. At the start of each wave, it eats your weakest Grunt unit, increasing own health by 100 and giving you 30 gold.
Hellish Tome T2. Recruits Cacodeamons. Consumes a body on the ground, giving all your troops 5/s regeneration for 3s and increasing their maximum HP by 1% permanently.
Infernal Outpost T2. Recruits Infernal generals. All units have a chance to explode for 50 damage, 10% chance per Infernal General.
Beholder’s Swamp T2. Recruits Beholders. Periodically enrages friendly troops, giving them extra attack and move speed for 3s and increasing their damage by 5% permanently.
Fiend’s Skull T3. Summons Bone Fiends. All troops have a 10% chance to be resurrected per Bone Fiend.
Torture Square T3. Summons Goliaths. Provides 2 Denarii per enemy hit.
Bottomless Pit T3. Summons Hellheads. All troops' attacks burn enemies for 5 extra damage per Hellhead.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/ebca8887bac05ee0b4606213d50f88eabdaabd4e.gif"]
A new enemy factions that oppose you - Scarlet Goblins and Lava Creatures - featuring unique skills and tactics in combat.
New Threat Level progression. One of the modifiers is Volcanic Activity - the more severe it is, the earlier the effects of volcanic eruptions will appear as the worship meter fills.
Features added throughout the whole game
The trader will now have one good item always on discount. The number of discounts and how deep they are can be increased with artifacts and Councilors. For example, one of the councilors will now allow you to get one random item from the shop for free.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/76abaae8e43aa1d20354f033d6a484aee6489f96.jpg"]
You can now ban certain buildings from appearing in the rewards pool. You can unlock this ability and increase the number of uses through permanent kingdom Upgrades
An upgrade that adds a free re-roll has been expanded into three updates at the Kingdom Upgrades tree, each giving a re-roll.
Added an upgrade that allows for rerolling the artifacts (except legendary).
Artifacts can now be exclusive to certain maps, like Nether Contract, which gives you 2 Nether runes when your unit dies.
The research table can now also generate blueprints for Tier 1 troop buildings. To follow up on this change in the whole game, we reduced the chance of appearance of T1 troop buildings in optional waves. At the same time, we have increased the likelihood of other rewards appearing there.
Most morale upgrades now provide morale passively, rather than when the building is observed.
The Morale pop-up provides more info on where the bonus morale comes from.
Newly unlocked paintings show an eye symbol to distinguish them from the ones you have seen already.
New challenge and achievement given for defeating every boss of the Volcano
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/26b1f67007782a779cb40d86af4aa4b4272158b5.jpg"]
New Buildings
Pangolin Stump – Poison specialists assisting your Riders whose upgrades add crippling debuffs.
Paladin Campus – Warrior-mages who scale with your spell damage.
Barbarian Tent – A furious leader who buffs your ranged units while smashing foes himself.
Minotaur Camp – Tough bruisers who also empower your flying troops.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/f4a3ba656208728065cafdd7b05fdbb584fe8a92.gif"]
17 New Artifacts
Tome of Restless Souls. When one of your troops dies, it rises from the dead as a ghost and fights on your side for 7 seconds.
Bandage of Dexterity. All units receive a 4% chance to evade the attacks. After evading an attack, units gain a temporary 50% damage bonus.
Filtered Fuel. Each 1 water produced has 4% chance to produce 1 fuel.
Super Metal. Every 1 metal produced increases all players' units’ damage by 0.05%.
Healer Banner. Gives a 20% chance for friendly units to leave a lesser healing pool under them upon death. Healing per second 5 HP, duration - 4 seconds.
Boiling Rage. Enrages 3 random Infernal units for 20s at the beginning of a wave (Volcano exclusive)
Demon Wings. Increases damage dealt by all Infernal units by 30% (Volcano exclusive.)
Clay Treasure. Producing 1000 clay after equipping this artifact grants a legendary artifact.
Wine Cup. Every 30 wine spent permanently grants 1 morale.
Sacrificial Vessel. Increases spell damage by 0.1% per enemy killed.
Free Coupon. Grants a 100% discount for one good at the trader.
Magic Acorn. Producing 1000 wood after picking up this artifact grants an extra 500 wood.
Nether Contract. Gain 2 Nether Runes when your unit dies. (Volcano exclusive)
Cheaper Housing. -25% to the construction cost of all buildings.
Flour Deity. Every 1 flour produced increases all player units’ HP by 0.05%.
Comfortable Handle. All wells have a 10% chance of producing one piece of furniture.
Unexpected Finding. When an excavation is completed, a weak undead unit rises to join your army. (Graveyard exclusive)
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/fcc259fb36b90dce7f40387874bb1d5cbd654c6d.gif"]
Advisors
In this update, we’ve added 4 new advisors:
Moralin: increases morale by 1 for the rest of the run for each spell cast
Chicken basket: Summons a temporary chicken rider to fight for you at the start of every wave
Doctor: Your troops and buildings heal 20% more. Receive 1 Healer mage and Hospital blueprint at the start of the run
Gold digger: Places a Small gold mine in your castle at the start of the run
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/b605c258b3ed9a76fad2cbd716a66f46df1cc4d7.gif"]
We’ve also changed how some of the existing advisors work to make them more viable in the game and remove unintended behaviour from Betty and Wise Tree.
Twins: Receive 1 Basic construction. Developing Basic construction is free.
Zeus: now strikes the enemy with the most HP. Damage increases after each strike. Bosses receive reduced damage.
Wise Guy: choose 1 spell at the start of the run and 1 spell every 5 waves
Sophy: Grants a separate building "Research laboratory", which costs more than a Research table and generates blueprints more slowly, but can still generate blueprints in the category of your choice
Golem: Increased building cost discount 10% -> 20%
Phoenix: Ressurection chance 7% -> 10%, all resurrected troops become enraged for 5 seconds. Buff is granted if resurrection is performed by other means as well.
Panther: Bonus increased 10% -> 15%
Jacques: A random item at the trader becomes free
Court Harpy: See all upcoming bosses. Summons harpies to aid you at the start of each boss fight
Jester: places a Wheel of Fortune building in your castle at the start of the run.
Accountant: Increases the selling price of furniture on the market from 1 -> 2. Receive a carpentry at the start of the run.
Wise tree and Betty: Basic construction no longer offers correlated buildings with these advisors equipped.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/fcd91b5eebde830192ba8ec4783c64c36fd669fb.gif"]
Threat Levels
We’ve heard your feedback that the difficulty curve from Threat Level 5 to Level 6 is a bit too steep, while the final threat levels feel relatively similar in terms of difficulty. We will implement the following changes to address this issue.
Dark Rites' amount of tiles covered changed from 100% to 80%
Modifier Enemies Damage II now gives a 40% bonus instead of the previous 60% bonus
On the contrary, the enemies' HP III modifier was slightly buffed and now gives a 70% HP bonus instead of 50%
Additional changes to the Enemies Damage modifier on different Tiers
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/0523ad1f772889335514c6947ba54979d02702e3.gif"]
Balance changes: General
Some underused buildings have been made cheaper or stronger
Slightly decreased build costs for some tier 1 troop buildings
Buffed some building upgrades to provide more stats
Buffed both fireworks spells' duration
The tile enchanter cost has been changed from gold to crystals
Tavern changed: While the building is active reduces wine consumption by 50%. Increases morale received from wine by 20. Only one Tavern can take effect.
Added a trait for Relicts. They now give 1% hp, damage, and attack speed to all troops on the battlefield. The endless mode enemy wave generation has changed: it will now start with easier enemies and progress more smoothly. Units that appear early have been nerfed, and the ones that appear later have been buffed. Overall, the endless mode is made easier.
Endless mode is now accessible after beating Threat Level 2.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/e140856cede67c1687f2e9bd3f3027a1e71cae6b.gif"]
Balance changes: Bosses
All bosses are affected by pushing forces a lot less now.
Malathrax
Increased damage from his fire slam by 100
His modifier for gaze movement changed; the movement is less frequent now, and the tiles in the moved area are temporarily cursed with lower production speed.
His scream now only frightens half of the troops, allowing him to keep hitting his enemies while not receiving as much damage.
Volkar
Attack damage decreased from 250 to 200, slightly decreasing his flame damage.
Lich
The amount of HP decreased from 4000 to 3500.
Damage and attack speed have been slightly reduced; his attacks push your troops 75% less.
Graveyard golem
No longer spawns regular zombies; instead, it spawns Necro Horsemen.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/3f2c9c61a0c4d93e1739669ae14c6be255d5c4d7.png"]
Balance changes: Kings
Baldwin
The number of trees required in First Quest has been reduced from 15 to 10. The reward was also reduced from 400 wood to 300 wood.
The second ability duration increased from 10 seconds to 20 seconds.
Leonid
The second ability cost changed from 10 wine to 20 gold, and the duration increased from 10s to 15s.
Spellus
Third quest spell requirement changed from 100 to 80, while the number of summoned mages decreased from 12 to 10.
Alucard
The second Quest requirement to lose 150 units decreased to 120 units.
Leo
The first ability costs 20 water and starts granting 30 resources instead of 40.
Second ability cost is now 15 wheat.
Amount of morale received per upgrade of the first ability reduced: 1 -> 0.5.
Noble Kings!
In case you missed it, last week we announced our next big content addition: the Volcano Map, a brand new infernal realm full of unique mechanics, events, bosses, and demonic bargains. If you haven’t read about it yet, we urge you to check it out here: it’s shaping up to be one hell of an update!
Work on the Volcano is still in full swing, but in the meantime we felt it was important to bring you this round of quality-of-life improvements, UI updates, and fixes, along with some fiery new spells and long-awaited Steam features. So, here is all you will find in Update 1.0.6!
Steam Features
Added Steam Rich Presence: your current King and week are now visible in the Steam Friends menu.
Also Trading Cards and Steam Items are nearly complete! Expect them within two weeks - here’s a sneak peek:
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/2c5eff5b99abfca421e2c7be3950fe867b06070a.gif"]
New Spells
Five new spells to expand your arsenal:
Bladecaster: Summons a stationary unit that casts a falling blade on any unit attacking it. Blade damage: 50.
TNT Barrel: Places an explosive barrel that detonates after 5 seconds for 250 damage.
Thunderstorm: Calls down lightning strikes in an area for 90 damage each over 5 seconds.
Salt in the Wounds: Enemy units in the area take 30% more damage for 7 seconds.
Bursting Bunch: Summons 3 Bursting Guys who rush enemies and explode, dealing 30 initial + 90 poison damage over time.
[img src="{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44827188/c06f642907a731a16bbb5728cf3e9210dd1e81d1.gif"]
UI & Quality of Life
Kings' first ability is now unlocked from the start. For the second ability you will need to defeat the first boss and for the third the second boss.
Refreshed unit classes popups with improved visuals and readability.
Adjusted building popup layouts so they fit the screen better and don’t obstruct hovered buildings.
Re-added unit info popups for buildings housing multiple unit types.
Added pages to the barracks window, making it easier to manage highly diverse armies.
Resource gain popups no longer overlap, and now display information more clearly.
Rewards in Kingdom tabs are now marked with a more pronounced effect when available.
Druids’ transformations now feature new animations.
Fixes
Fixed bosses being able to spawn minions inside castle walls.
Fixed Sleeping and Stunned units being woken up improperly via state manipulation.
Fixed a rare save/load case where Steam Deck could start the game in an unplayable windowed resolution.
Fixed “Deforestation” spell highlight which was misleading about which trees would be chopped near one edge.
We hope this update is gonna make your kingdom and gazing smoother, fiercer, and more fun while we continue forging the Volcano realm.
That’s all for today: keep your gaze sharp and your castle walls sturdy! HUZZAH!
~ The Hypnohead Team
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Uploaded Dec 15, 2025
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The King is Watching.exe to play
Troubleshooting tips
• Run Redist/_CommonRedist installers if game won't start
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