GamesCity BuilderManor LordsI played the medieval city builder-meets-RTS game that has 2 million wishlists on Steam and it blew my tiny mindWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesCity BuilderManor LordsI played the medieval city builder-meets-RTS game that has 2 million wishlists on Steam and it blew my tiny mindWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Hooded Horse)
Suddenly, it’s a regular winter’s afternoon again. With the acres of wheat fields too frozen to plow, villagers instead peddle their leathers and berry-infused dyes. Others stoop to collect the bodies of fallen enemies, ready for an unceremonious burial. I quickly check to make sure the blacksmiths are working overtime to gear up for the next fight, lest I get sucked into Manor Lords' comprehensive management systems too much to notice an encroaching foe again.
Lord of the things
(Image credit: Hooded Horse)
Diamond indie rough(Image credit: Newfangled Games)There are plenty moreupcoming indie gamesto get hyped for, as well as Manor Lords.
Diamond indie rough
(Image credit: Newfangled Games)There are plenty moreupcoming indie gamesto get hyped for, as well as Manor Lords.
(Image credit: Newfangled Games)
There are plenty moreupcoming indie gamesto get hyped for, as well as Manor Lords.
I’ve played a great many city builders and management sims, but my favorites are ones that come with refreshing twists on a beloved genre. Last year, Covenant.dev’s creeping dark fantasy Gordgave me major Witcher 3 meets Sims 4 vibes, but Manor Lords is even more ambitious – even as it enters Early Access on April 26.
Combining elements of thebest city building gameswith the strategic, tactical considerations demanded inbest 4X games, Manor Lords has some of the most in-depth and immersive gameplay I’ve encountered when it comes to RTS city builders. Even more impressive, it’s the work of solo developer Greg Styczeń at his studio Slavic Magic.
(Image credit: Hooded Horse)
Cool as it was to see this thriving village sprout up from a handful of tents, one truly magical moment in my Manor Lords journey so far was the first time I made use of the game’s Visit tool. Clicking the little eyeball icon just below my Lord’s avatar transported me to the streets of Goldhof immediately, swapping out the isometric camera angle for a third-person perspective right on the well-polished heels of a visiting noble.
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Strolling through the dirt paths and observing the townspeople in action feels wonderful, even now in Early Access, as you take in the atmosphere. The details are mesmerizing from this close-up viewpoint – hunters skinning their catches, the oxen plowing the wheat fields as farmers look on shrewdly, and market stall-runners calling out to their fellow townspeople to come and buy their wares on this brilliant sunny morning. Seeing my town as one of the people in it gives an even greater sense of satisfaction considering the size and scale of the map itself; from way down here, it all seems so provincial. But all you need to do is scroll all the way out again to see the wide open terrain just waiting to be explored.
Abide and conquer
(Image credit: Hooded Horse)
I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface of what is possible in this game.
I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface of what is possible in this game.
I’ve only experienced one battle so far, instructing my spearhead militia to press on against a bandit raid rather than hold ground. Factoring in the troops' morale and fatigue was paramount here, as running out of either is tantamount to defeat. Of course, I zoomed right on in to admire their handiwork up close, and for a bunch of farmers, undertakers, and huntsmen, they did a fine job of putting their spears where the enemies' mouths were. Battle ceased as smoothly as it began, and settling back into my lordly seat of utter managerial power was easy – and yet, I feel I’ve barely scratched the surface of what is possible in this game.
And that’s just it. For such a detailed city builder-slash-RTS, Manor Lords never feels bloated. It’s early days yet for Slavic Magic, but much like my toilsome blacksmiths hard at work on the armory, I’m sensing another victory is close at hand for the tactical medieval city builder that everyone is talking about.
If you’re more into simulations than management games, check out thebest sim gamesto play next.
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