functionally nothing to do after a few hours, I was hoping I'd get a lot more out of this. it's cute at least

Taxed my citizens by 12,000%. 10/10

Offers a relaxing and accessible city-building experience with a lovely low-poly art style. It's a great fit for players who want a simple, satisfying game without the complexity and micro-management of deeper simulators, though some may find it lacks long-term depth and challenge.

The Good
The game features attractive, bright, blocky graphics that are visually pleasing and make simply designing your town a satisfying endeavor in itself. Its core experience is peaceful and laid-back. It avoids the overwhelming complexity of other titles, allowing gamers to lose themselves for hours in a satisfying, low-stress environment. Players can quickly grasp the mechanics of managing food, housing, and resources. It's an excellent entry point for those new to the city-builder genre. Also has received consistent free updates and new content over the years since its initial release, showing a commitment from the small development team to improve the game's longevity and features. Offering great value and provides enough enjoyment to be well worth the cost.
The Drawbacks
The experienced city builder will likely see everything the game has to offer in a relatively short amount of time (around 4-10 hours). The production chains are simple and late-game content can feel repetitive. The AI for both villagers and enemies (Vikings and dragons) can be basic. Once defenses are established, the threats become trivial to manage, reducing the strategic challenge. It provides little in the way of tutorials or explanations for some mechanics (like the exact benefits of certain buildings), which might be frustrating for some players.
Verdict
Kingdoms and Castles is a solid effort that successfully delivers on its promise of a fun, breezy, medieval city builder. While it lacks the deep complexity and long-term replay ability of genre titans like Cities: Skylines or Banished, it provides a charming and relaxing experience that many players find highly enjoyable for its simplicity and aesthetic.
If you are looking for an in-depth, challenging simulation with extensive micro-management, this may not be for you. However, if you want a beautiful, easy-to-play game to unwind with after a long day, it is highly recommended.