For the King is pretty good. I only ever played 3 or 4 player co-op (mods required for >3 players). Managing where you go and what you do is interesting. You have your money, health, focus, time-sensitive quests, and rising chaos all fighting for your attention, making your choices interesting and important.
The combat falls a little flat for me. If you're lucky, you have a weapon that has multiple good abilities, but too often you have a weapon that only really has one good ability, and so combat just becomes spamming that one ability. Having abilities tied to weapons is an interesting idea, but it feels bad when you have a weapon you like that does interesting things, and then you come across a weapon that's significantly better, but also significantly less interesting. We never got especially far, and I don't anticipate finishing this game.

For the King is a frustrating game with some really interesting ideas. It attempts to combine classic TTRPG (and specifically, DnD) staples with heavier roguelike influence and a dice-system better suited to its medium.

The most notable and unique mechanical feature which For the King more or less nails is its abilities & dice. It streamlines the process in a way that is both understandable and relatively fair, in that an ability's outcome is determined only by a single character stat. Several "weighted" coin flips (e.g., stat of 75 = 75% chance of success) are made and the outcome scales with the number of successful flips. This allows outcomes to be granular, offering something other than pure success or failure. The game offers limited but rechargable "focus" pips which guarantee a roll and weigh later rolls more heavily in your favor, allowing players to guarantee (or almost-guarantee) certain outcomes. This offers a surprising amount of depth, where the decision to use focus is weighed against the cost of not having it later.

For the King is not an RPG in the traditional sense. The various campaigns are more or less set in stone and there aren't any non-gameplay decisions to be made. There is the skeleton of a story, but it's light on detail. I, personally, don't mind that FtK lets the story take a backseat because it lets the game live or die on its challenging (though sometimes acutely unfair) gameplay.

Unfortunately, it is nigh-impossible to tell what certain abilities do without either trial-and-error (and in a game that is this punishing, trial-and-error feels especially bad) or consulting an under-maintained wiki. Its help sections give decent overviews of the mechanics but are sparse on detail. This is without considering how much easier the game gets on subsequent attempts, when you know what kinds of abilities (and armor) various enemies have, the outcomes of certain events, etc. Altogether this is a game that punishes you for lacking knowledge you couldn't possibly have had.

FTK like other dice-rolling RPGs has a lot of variance - my friends and I once landed a ridiculous 1% zero-roll and started a major late-game boss prematurely. When we (somehow) defeated it we felt like we could conquer anything. Later, we faced a regular guy at about our level -- flanked by two other regular guys, as with most of the game's fights -- whose AoE attacks alone chunked a third of our health every turn, and we lost. Tis the nature of these kinds of games. When I can see them coming, like that dreaded 1% roll, I don't feel cheated -- it's just funny. But I am too often blindsided by mechanics and difficulty curves the game doesn't seem interested in helping me understand.

My friends and I have literally never beaten the first level of this game. We have so many hours in it. It's so fucking horseshit. And while other players seem to hate that, I fucking love it. In most games, I avoid leaving things to chance. For the King seems to be built around not only leaving nearly everything to chance, but also to pressure you into taking ridiculous risks. It's a bit like Hotline Miami where the game actively encourages you to get yourself killed because that's just the only way you could possibly win. Playing it safe just means death takes longer to happen. So what this results in is constant prayers to RNGesus which either result in loud cheering or smashing your keyboard in rage. All of this leaves your adrenaline pumping, your brain calculating. You need every single advantage you can possibly get. This game keeps you focused the entire time, which means a lot in a genre that so often turns into mindless grinding for XP. One day, my friends and I are gonna beat that first level. And I'm telling you, we are going to be so fucking alive in that moment. I genuinely believe I'll cry tears of joy.

For The King is an excellent choice for a laid-back gaming session with friends. Its RPG elements are straightforward, making it easy to pick up and play. The game’s whimsical, cartoon-like aesthetics add to its appeal. Despite its seemingly simple gameplay, it offers a genuine challenge that feels satisfying. The vibrant animations bring its enchanting world to life. While the combat may be a bit slow-paced, the game more than makes up for it with its wealth of engaging content. All in all, For The King strikes a perfect balance between simplicity and complexity, catering to both casual players and hardcore gamers alike.