Clowned King is a Fire Emblem-inspired RPG in which you lead a whole party of clowns

I have to admit, I never thought I’d see the day when an RPG party would consist solely of clowns. While there have been some iconic clown characters in RPGs like Sylvando from Dragon Quest XI, Harle from Chrono Cross, and the Jester in Darkest Dungeon, having a whole party of clowns? It’s like a circus in a game! Enter Clowned King, the upcoming game from Moonana, the same developer behind the vibrant and musical Keylocker. I find this more appealing than a custard pie filled with razorblades – but then again, I find most things more appealing than that!

Clowned King is a turn-based tactics game set in the Moonlit Kingdom, a world filled with tinted glass and what appears to be feisty broccoli. You play as Matheus, a disgraced harlequin prince who hides his dark past behind a mask of laughter. Your mission is to recruit some tough clowns to take down your villainous father, the Mad King Marduk.

The game’s battle system draws inspiration from “Disgaea, Fire Emblem, and Brazilian culture”, as stated on the Steam page. It focuses on formations that unlock special abilities. I can’t help but wonder if the term “formation” should be replaced with “stagecraft” here. If this game doesn’t fully embrace clown culture in every aspect, it would be a missed opportunity, not to mention a waste of a solid pun for the title.

Expect to encounter “a vast array of mage class types”, which makes sense – when clowns go for melee combat, it usually means they’re more like horror movie clowns wielding axes instead of hand buzzers. RPG clowns are more akin to bard characters, I suppose. Apart from combat, you’ll also be “bonding with leaders from opposing realms to aid in your battle against the Mad King”. Clown diplomacy, quite different from the usual kind.

Clowned King’s release date is still unknown. While you anticipate its arrival, why not try out the precision platformer Clown Meat, where you must bring joy to a jester of immense scale and misery residing within Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Or perhaps delve into the classic point-and-click game Dropsy, where the protagonist simply seeks a hug. It seems like we’re overdue for a clown game where the clown isn’t a symbol of sadness and madness. If you know of one, I’d love to hear about it.