Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom is a new offering from KEMCO, and it’s pretty good. It tells the tale of a young blacksmith who is just starting in the field. This young man is following in his father’s footsteps and hopes to become the best blacksmith around. He’s vowing to give up adventuring because he knows all his father wanted was for him to run his blacksmithing shop. After announcing that he will take over the shop, his child friend stops by for a visit. Valeria is a sweet young lady who has been by the main character’s side since they were kids. With his announcement of taking over the shop, she offers to help run the store for him. She’s a wonderful girl who has always wanted to run a store, and doing it with him is a dream come true for her. As she offers her aid, the magic behind the smithy appears, in the form of a furry fairy named Pitte, the new adventure begins in earnest. This opening story should be enough to hook anyone who wants to play a simple RPG with light crafting and shopkeeping. It’s a simple game but has a lot going for it, and I think anyone could enjoy it.
The hero boy realizes he will need supplies and heads to the adventurer’s guild to get a pass to explore the ruins. Aegon is a friend of his dad’s; and helps expedite the process of getting the adventurer’s pass. As it processes, he meets the local store owners, a shopkeeper named Horick, a beautiful tavern owner named Carmela, and the priest who taught him growing up, Father Kristoff. These four adults will do all they can to help the main character, and he’s going to need it. Horick’s shop sells items, from potions; to spare crafting material and to runes that can upgrade stats. Father Kristoff heals the party whenever they need it as long as they have a little offering. Carmela will feed the party and give them a good chunk of experience to boot. It can take a while to level up so, save some money and always eat at Carmela’s.
After getting a pass, Aegon informs him that he needs to craft his party, and this is where things get fun. Players get to craft a party of five characters, choosing their class, gender, and name. They also get to choose which god they believe in most. The choice of god is important as it gives the character a buff. Mixing and matching characters gets even better when the characters get to level ten. At level ten, players get to add a subclass to their characters. The subclass works in tandem with the other class, and the characters can learn skills from both. They can eventually master all of the classes if the player sees fit. It’s fun having a party of characters named after friends, and this one allows the player to have fun making their perfect party.
As the player plays through the game, they will unlock certificates, which allow players to change to new classes besides the starting five. The first of these is the monk class, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It’s a lot of fun mixing the party up to find the best party structure. Plus, it leads to much more customization of the team, and that’s a plus. Players will run around dungeons when they go exploring. The dungeon layout never changes, but there are a variety of dungeons for players to explore. New dungeons continue to appear, and they even have a harder difficulty. While the dungeons are the same, they are always pretty short, and it’s often a good idea to grind. Players might want to be ahead of the curve because it does take so long to level up without the aid of Carmela’s food.
As players explore the dungeons, they will find mineral deposits. These black lumps hold many different things, and this is surprising. While it doesn’t make sense for a huge rock to have wood, plants, and iron, this game provides its materials that way. These mining areas are always in the same place, so players will never forget where they are once they begin playing. It might be a little lazy, but sometimes I appreciate; when I can zone out while playing a game.
Blacksmithing is the other big concept for this game. Players will need to gather materials and then look at what they can craft. It’s a good idea to split resources evenly between their multiple forms. But if players don’t have quests restocking the items the player sells is okay too. It’s not overly complicated, but it can be easy to fall into the habit of filling up the shop without thinking about it. Players simply need to select what they want to build and make sure they have enough materials. There is a blacksmithing skill tree that shows off the recipes, so players will never be stuck. Plus, if they need more materials, they can go to Horick’s store and buy them, though it is better to mine for them as they are free that way.
Outside battling in the dungeons, there is also an arena. Hannah will go over the rules when the player enters, and then they can take on the different classes. Players can participate in five battles daily, and these are sources for extra items and experience. It’s just a simple arena, but the fights ramp up considerably in difficulty, and if the player loses, they can’t fight that fight again that in-game day. There is a request system where players will take on requests too. Players can take on up to ten quests at a time, and they usually require blacksmithing and dungeon crawling to finish. They never expire: so players can grind or explore without worry. The requests always have a light bit of backstory to them, and it feels good helping out these people.
The music is also pretty good; while it never changes in dungeons, there are several tracks. The dungeons have their vibes, and the music helps represent the differences. While it’s not going to be in my head forever, grinding experience to it isn’t terrible: and helps make the experience better.
All in all, Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom is a solid game. KEMCO knocked it out of the park with this one. The KEMCO games continue to get better, and I appreciate how many games they release. Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom is my favorite so far of the KEMCO games. There’s a young man out to prove himself in the Sand Kingdom; will the player help him become the best blacksmith around?
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch. Store Page can be found here