Manor Lords
Manor Lords | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Slavic Magic |
Publisher(s) | Hooded Horse |
Programmer(s) | Greg Styczeń |
Engine | Unreal Engine 4 |
Platform(s) | |
Release | 26 April 2024 |
Genre(s) | City-builder, real-time tactics |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Manor Lords is an upcoming medieval city-builder and real-time tactics video game developed by Greg Styczeń from Slavic Magic and published by Hooded Horse. It is planned to be released on 26 April 2024.
Gameplay
Set in 14th-century Europe, Manor Lords is a city-builder game which also includes real-time tactical warfare.[1] The game's three different modes, titled Rise to Prosperity, Restoring the Peace, and On the Edge, are differentiated by the aspects they focus on: Rise to Prosperity and On the Edge respectively emphasise growth through city-building and conquest through warfare, while Restoring the Peace gives a more balanced experience.[2] The game offers a degree of customizability, with players able to adjust in-game values such as starting position and off-map threats.[2]
The city-building aspects focus on expanding an initially-small settlements through gathering resources and expanding trading networks, while managing threats to the settlement's internal cohesion.[3] The game's emphasis on in-depth historical accuracy means players must manage six individual types of taxation, and balance quick growth with natural aspects such as weather and the possibility of environmental degredation. Manor Lords, normally viewed through a top-down isometric perspective, also includes a feature which enables players to explore their settlements using a third-person camera mode.[4]
Development
Greg Styczeń was the creator and solo developer of Manor Lords through his studio Slavic Magic,[5] and was funded through donations on Patreon.[6] Releasing an announcement trailer in July 2020, Styczeń initially aimed for the game to be wishlisted 14,000 times on Steam.[7] However, anticipation grew steadily, and Manor Lords, having been wishlisted over two million times by January 2024,[8] overtook Hades II shortly before release to become the most-wishlisted game on Steam.[9]
The game was originally planned to be released in late 2023, but was delayed to the following year because Styczeń felt it needed "more bugfix and polish".[10] Manor Lords is now planned to be released on 26 April 2024,[8] but will be accessible for Xbox Game Pass two days earlier on 24 April.[1]
Reception
Reception to initial demos, such as one showcased at the Xbox Partner Preview in late October 2023, was very positive, with praise directed especially at the game's complex nature.[11] Matt Jarvis of Rock Paper Shotgun compared its various aspects to the established franchises of Total War, Crusader Kings and Age of Empires, calling it "hugely ambitious" and "filled with potential".[1]
References
Citations
Sources
- Gould-Wilson, Jasmine (12 April 2024). "I played the medieval city builder-meets-RTS game that has 2 million wishlists on Steam and it blew my tiny mind". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- Grantham, Joe (28 February 2024). "Manor Lords: 6 Exciting Features Confirmed For The Strategy Game". GameRant. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- Jarvis, Matt (25 October 2023). "Manor Lords is Total War, Crusader Kings and Age of Empires in a blender, and it's headed to Game Pass". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- Jones, Ali (18 January 2024). "Steam's most-anticipated city builder hits 2 million wishlists - after the solo dev's girlfriend predicted they'd be lucky to hit 7,000". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- Livingston, Christopher (18 January 2024). "The developer of strategy city builder Manor Lords expected 14,000 Steam wishlists... and wound up with 2 million". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- Serin, Kaan (14 April 2024). "Truly our most anticipated city builder becomes the world's most anticipated video game as it tops Hades 2's Steam wishlists". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- Stella, Marloes Valentina (2024). "Manor Lords release date, trailers, gameplay, and news". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- Smith, Graham (13 February 2021). "Manor Lords is a gorgeous city builder with Total War-style battles". Rock Paper Shotgun. Archived from the original on 7 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
External links
- 2024 video games
- Indie games
- City-building games
- Single-player video games
- Video games developed in Poland
- Video games set in France
- Video games set in the 11th century
- Video games set in the 12th century
- Video games set in the 13th century
- Video games set in the 14th century
- Video games set in the 15th century
- Windows games
- Xbox One games
- Xbox Series X and Series S games
- Hooded Horse games