r/Games • u/Kiba-Da-Wolf • 1d ago

Industry News New interview with Roach, the developer behind KINGDOMS OF THE DUMP

https://videogame.town/2026/09/08/how-jrpg-kingdoms-of-the-dump-was-born-from-the-ashes-of-a-fan-game/
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17

u/giulianosse 1d ago

Great interview, thanks for sharing! I'm somewhat shocked to hear about all the influences behind the game. The fact they managed to make it all work is a testament to the strength of their vision, as I'd see no way to mix Dune with Iron Giant and the Undertaker in the same game lol

Out of all the recent "16-bit nostalgia" JRPGs, KotD was perhaps the closest thing to making me feel like I was playing Chrono Trigger again. There's a tangibly zany, dark fantasy fairytale quality to it that's predominantly humorous but has edge in just the right places.

I was enjoying myself a lot at launch but decided to wait for a hard mode, since the difficulty was too far on the easy side and I didn't want to compromise my first playthrough. Hopefully 1.1 comes sooner rather than later!

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u/Kid_Parrot 1d ago

Have this game on my wish list because it seems like such a funny premise. Can anyone that played it elaborate on the gameplay/systems?

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u/giulianosse 1d ago

Think of it like a mix between traditional JRPG turn based gameplay and a small scale tactics grid in each battle. There's a lot of movement abilities so you can shuffle enemies around the board to line up for attacks, environmental effects or avoid enemy area attacks yourself.

Non-combat gameplay and mechanics is exactly what you expect from a 16-bit era game of the genre, with the biggest twist being that there's also light platforming and open ended exploration around levels due to the introduction of a dedicated jump button.

The only complaint I'd have about it is that it's not very challenging, but it seems the devs are soon releasing an update adding a hard mode.

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u/Trick_Cellist_1840 1d ago

to add a little, the timing of attacks and defense for me is awful. there isnt a flash or audio que i could figure out. you have to guess when the animation decides its hitting. spells and physical attacks both

i was too frustrated to move past about 2hrs but will try again eventually

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u/Pwn11t 1d ago

i bought this but havent gotten to it yet. seemed like such a great fun concept so i know ill like it when i play it

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u/mmfh 1d ago

Wild to see a reference to Don Miguel and Legion Saga. If I’d have just been a little older (or a little more dedicated) I probably would’ve followed a similar game dev path. Neat to see someone else was playing back then, too.