If you like the Kingdom series of 2D strategy/resource management games, you're in luck. Kingdom: Two Crowns recently got a DLC expansion, and now a developer called Brain Seal has released a similar game called Monarchy. In Monarchy, one or two local players will work to build a base, gather resources, and fend off raiders in a colorful 2D setting. It looks easy and the controls are simple, but there's a lot of depth behind this crown.
To start with, the primary player must complete a short single-player introductory campaign. In this campaign, you'll play as a horse-riding king or queen who is accompanied by an archer. After collecting a few coins from treasure chests, you'll be able to establish a base and add buildings to it. You can then recruit more workers, collect money, and explore the area.
The problem with the introduction/tutorial is that it's completely text-free. Little pictures pop up that attempt to explain the mechanics, but they're inadequate. I pressed the button the game told me to press at various intervals, but I didn't learn nearly as much as I would from proper tutorial messages. Eventually, I put some coins into a specific flag, and the tutorial ended. Well, a big crown popped up on the screen, and then I couldn't do anything but press the menu button and start a new campaign. It's not the most intuitive way to end a tutorial.
Completing the Introduction will unlock three full campaigns, all of which support 2-player local co-op. To switch to co-op, you just need to start a campaign, pause, and then select Cooperative from the menu. The game will then switch to split-screen. The second player doesn't begin with an archer, so they'll need to recruit one if they want to hunt or fight. The monarchs that players directly control can't fight, for better or worse.
The game takes place in a flat 2D environment that stretches to the left and right. In each campaign, players will want to quickly establish a base and then explore the environment. Various resources can be mined and buildings constructed, but only after the base has been built. Once night comes along, enemies will attack, so it's important to build traps and hire archers to defend the base. There's no story to worry about, so players can focus on learning the mechanics and refining their techniques during each run.
The only thing that makes me hesitant to recommend Monarchy is the lack of a written tutorial or in-game reference section. It's difficult to figure out some of the mechanics on your own; the game doesn't help you. At launch, there aren't any substantial guides, but Xbox has a brief article, and a YouTuber named MrReign has a long tutorial video that explains things pretty well. The Steam and Achievement communities will probably write more guides as time goes on, but Brain Seal should really add better tutorial information to the game itself. Likewise, an in-game map would be useful for tracking resources and locations. Let's hope the game does well and gets these improvements via future updates.
Monarchy sells for $14.99 on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and Steam.