Royal Kingdom and Royal Match are two mobile games created by Dream Games, set in the same universe featuring the main character King Robert and his kingdom. However, there are some key differences, so I gave them both a go to see which is better, and help you figure out which you might want to put your time and energy into. I’ll compare everything from gameplay and story to progression and monetisation to get me to my verdict.
Story
You can tell that Royal Kingdom came out after Royal Match. It builds on the universe of the first game quite significantly. Sure, you might not be getting Elden Ring levels of worldbuilding and narrative in either game, but it’s nice to see King Robert and his posse fleshed out a bit more.
This isn’t necessarily a knock on Royal Match, though! Back in 2021, at the game’s full launch, it garnered more success than many would have expected, and this is thanks in part to its approachable story, likeable character design, and easy-to-grasp mechanics. It’s often said that Royal Match set the stage for Royal Kingdom’s success, and on the story front, this is definitely the case.
Still, Royal Kingdom doesn’t exactly go deep in its lore and storytelling, and I do think that if Dream Games works on another launch, the Royalverse could keep on growing and growing.
Gameplay
The core gameplay loop is broadly the same across Royal Kingdom and Royal Match. Match three (or more) tiles, remove targets with different requirements, and complete boards to progress. Fail, and you’ll lose a life. Even the team and collection systems are similar, allowing you to earn more rewards by working together and get extra goodies through collecting cards.
You earn potions in Royal Kingdom, and stars in Royal Match, both of which end up doing the same thing: decorating different areas of the map. In Royal Match, you start in King Robert’s castle, filling it and its ridiculous number of rooms with regal furniture and ornate art. Kingdom, on the other hand, has the castle built from the beginning, and you must spend potions to build all kinds of kingdoms set in different places.
Outside of the match-3 mechanics, I found Kingdom to have more mini-games available, including online PVP to help you earn more rewards. My desire to play these depended heavily on whether I actually liked the mini-game, though, and if you want to get back to matching 3, getting dragged away to do some other puzzle might feel a bit jarring.
Kingdom also has ‘boss battle’ stages, which introduce further complexities to play. I’m on the fence with this one too—sometimes I really love the extra challenge, but other times I’m in the flow and just want to play the levels as normal, like Royal Match allows me to!
