Cookie Run: Kingdom is the latest release in the Cookie Run franchise, a collection of sweet-tasting mobile games that began with Cookie Run: Ovenbreak.
Since Ovenbreak was first released back in 2009, the series has seen several releases and updates to prior titles, including Cookie Run: Kingdom, which was released worldwide in Winter 2020.
Previous games released in the Cookie Run franchise were popular, but features and gameplay mechanics remained less ambitious and involved until now.
Cookie Run: Kingdom blends several different ingredients together but developer Devsisters’ latest game is largely an RPG with gacha elements. The game’s cute aesthetic and bright colors are just a sweet frosting that covers the baked goods underneath.
And it’s completely free to play on iOS and Android devices. Cookie Run is an absolutely massive game, containing a sweet surplus of content across nearly every single second of gameplay, until it doesn’t.
And that’s where it’s up to you to determine how you carry forward after our guide gets you started and on your way.
How to Get Started in Cookie Run: Kingdom
Cookie Run starts the same way for everyone and what a start! The game begins with Finn and Ja–I mean, GingerBrave, voiced by Jeremy Shada, escaping from the oven and away from the clutches of an evil witch. The witch’s magic is what gave life to GingerBrave and the cookie’s companions but they’re all off on an adventure to the long, lost Vanilla Kingdom.
The adventures across the game’s nearly endless amount of levels and within your own kingdom can occupy your time as much as you’d like. Cookie Run: Kingdom is a free-to-play game through and through, and a generous one at that, but it still features tantalizing microtransactions that will no doubt tempt you to part with your real-life stacks of cash.
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At a glance, Cookie Run’s gameplay objectives center around two major candy components, which are building and filling your kingdom with goodies galore and progressing through the perilous paths across the game’s combat-focused levels.
Everything else largely serves to add flavorful filling to each and every bite that’s ultimately dedicated to decorating your kingdom as decadently as you decide, all while exploring the kingdom, battling a variety of enemies, and collecting resources. A lot of resources.
Cookie Run’s resources are great in number but each component ultimately works in tandem to fill different meters and levels across the game. The game’s many resources are needed for everything, which is important to remember while playing.
In fact, it’s something that can’t be forgotten. Cookie Run: Kingdom has an almost endless amount of things to do, until you run out of the necessary resources for each specific in-game action.
Playing a numbered level within the game requires Stamina Jellies, which are provided daily for free but in a limited amount. More can be earned and unlocked though by completing various different tasks. Or players can spend Crystals to purchase additional Stamina Jellies, which can be earned in-game or acquired via microtransaction.
And that cost is applied again if a restart is initiated after falling in combat at the hands of enemies along your party’s path. Levels follow your chosen party as they fight enemies, collect coins, and take out some big bosses that are much stronger than typical enemies.
Candy Cookies automatically run across the screen with players choosing which attacks and abilities to use and when by tapping the character portrait on-screen. It may feel easy at first, but that’s just the game’s tutorial easing you in.
Eventually battles and challenges will become more difficult and require extensive upgrades, which require resources. But with enough time (or money) spent, players will have what’s needed to successfully fight ahead.
Stamina Jellies are given to players as occasional rewards and via daily refills. Your max number can be increased as you play but tasks will also begin to cost more as the game’s adventure continues.
Unlocking additional characters and resources are crucial for progression. You’ll need to make the call on how you’d like to play, but just know it’s totally possible to enjoy Cookie Run: Kingdom by grinding time instead of spending a single dime.
Buried underneath the unwavering tenacity that’s been generously applied to the game’s monetization efforts is one of the best mobile games available, especially in terms of cost and content.
And while you don’t ever truly have to spend any real money running through the game’s pastry-packed paths to upgrade your characters and kingdom, it will certainly be more tempting than other free titles, such as Fortnite. Cookie Run’s microtransactions are not cosmetic in nature. Fortnite looks different when you spend money but Cookie Run plays differently when coins are inserted.
To download Cookie Run: Kingdom for free and start playing, make your way over to your mobile/tablet marketplace.
Cookie Run is not available to play on consoles or PC platforms but can be enjoyed on both Android and iOS devices. The pick-up-and-play convenience and various timed tasks make Cookie Run an ideal game to keep in your back pocket, especially for players that wish to grind seconds over cents.
The city-builder mechanics can be completed in short bursts, which allows for easy resource grinding. Buildings, equipment, and any other actions that are not manually controlled by the player take time to complete. Sometimes an action takes literal seconds but other times it could be several hours.
Revisiting Cookie Run for seconds at a time throughout the day can give you everything you need for a successful and growing candy kingdom. Our Beginner’s Guide will cover additional tips in greater detail after the aforementioned information helps you get started.
Cookie Run: Kingdom has already proven it has the baked goods to satisfy anyone looking for a good flavor on the go. As of writing, Cookie Run has been available for a short time, especially compared to other games within the genre.
That being said, Cookie Run: Kingdom has shown it’s more than capable of competing against other gacha games, such as Genshin Impact. It remains to be seen just how much this candy kingdom will influence the mobile market and games as a whole but it’s already clear these candy cookies aren’t doughing away any time soon.
Don’t miss this epic quest to rebuild kingdoms, explore distant lands, and enjoy all the adventures along the way. Download Cookie Run: Kingdom on your iOS or Android device today!
