Developed by solo dev Rogue Union Games, Pickaxe King Island is a pixel art role-playing/ simulation game. You start your adventure as the eponymous Pickaxe King on one island consisting of your hut, some trees and a shop, but quickly you’ll unlock a whole world of islands with a variety of activities and resources to collect.
You’ll be chopping trees, milking cows, farming, cooking, defeating enemies and more in this addictive adventure. At first the game does feel rather basic with limited choices, more in the vein of other “idle games”, but there are gradually more decisions to be made, and by the time you find yourself taking on dungeon bosses, you’ll be hooked. Having said that, I have enjoyed playing for 20 or 30 minutes a day, and feel no pressure to complete all the daily challenges.
Monetization seems fine and fair, with fairly non-intrusive adverts. However, I do believe the red diamonds are priced too highly. The “Health God’s Blessing” special pack is useful, especially if you play a lot, as it restores your health without needing to return to your hut. The cost of that is around $1.20, depending on your region.
Is Pickaxe King Island Worth Playing?
Definitely! It’s free and has a small download size so I highly recommend fans of this genre at least give it a try. The pixel art style is really well executed, and the NPCs dotted around the world map really bring it to life. The early-game can seem a bit empty or slow but give it at least a couple of hours and Pickaxe King Island really comes into its own!
I believe with regular updates and small tweaks in gameplay to improve overall engagement at all stages of the game, Pickaxe King Island has a strong chance to become a very popular mobile game. With already 10k+ downloads on Android, it’s already off to a great start.
DGR Score: 4/5
