Welcome to our Manor Lords Early Access Review. With Manor Lords, Slavic Magic has ambitiously attempted to create a medieval city-builder that’s as rich in historical detail as it is in gameplay mechanics, putting you in the shoes of a lord of the manor. Developed by Slavic Magic, this Early Access game offers players the chance to build settlements, engage in real-time strategy battles, and manage the daily lives of their villagers. Published by Hooded Horse, Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game that promises an engaging, although sometimes challenging, experience. Whether you’re a real-time strategy fan or just love the Middle Ages, Manor Lords provides a gridless city-building experience with full freedom of placement and rotation.
Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game set in late 14th-century Europe, specifically late 14th century Franconia, where players, acting as the lord of the manor, build a hamlet into a bustling town through careful planning and resource management. As the manor lord, you are responsible for every aspect of your settlement. Unlike some city building games that prioritize rapid growth, Manor Lords emphasizes the slow, steady pace of medieval life. You'll start with a few families, a couple of tents, and limited resources on a small parcel of land. Each villager works the land, and over time, you'll cultivate fields, erect homes, and establish a trade route.
Patience is key, as each building, farm, and production chain evolves naturally, mirroring the era’s historical reality. The gameplay can sometimes feel slow and frustrating, but it adds to the authenticity of managing a medieval settlement as a manor lord.
One of Manor Lords’ standout features is its historical Burgage Plot system, inspired by medieval town planning. As the manor lord, you arrange houses along the main street, with space behind for gardens, small workshops, or even a tiny farm. This layout not only looks authentic but affects gameplay mechanics, as families generate resources that would contribute to the town’s economy. Extensions behind larger homes allow for additional production, and the level of customization here makes each village feel unique.
Manor Lords celebrates the art and architecture of late 14th century Franconia, immersing players in a world where the landscape influenced how settlements formed, often growing outward from a central marketplace. Trade routes and the landscape play a crucial role, and materials need to be transported across the map by your villagers. Traveling merchants may visit your town, offering goods and opportunities to enrich your economy through trade.
Manor Lords shines in its presentation. From the finely crafted wooden homes to the weather effects like snow and rain that alter the look of roads, the visuals are nothing short of breathtaking. The game captures the rhythm of a medieval town through immersive soundscapes: the clang of a blacksmith, the wind through trees, and even the soft patter of raindrops. As the manor lord, you can observe how the seasons change your settlement, with winter blanketing everything in frost and autumn painting the town in shades of amber and brown.
The third-person mode adds an additional layer of immersion, allowing you to explore the village at ground level, seeing it from the gameplay perspective of your villagers. You can zoom in to watch your residents build their homes, which adds to the authenticity. Players can see their villagers at work, further enhancing the immersive experience.
As the manor lord, you must manage resources carefully. Manor Lords takes a realistic approach to resource management. You'll start with basic necessities like wood, stone, and food. Gradually, as your population grows, so do the demands: villagers need clothing, firewood, and even luxuries like beer. Villagers draw water from a well, and you must ensure access to adequate resource deposits. The game uses complex production chains, where items like bread or armor require multiple steps. Bread, for example, involves wheat farming, milling into flour, and baking—each requiring specific buildings and worker assignments.
Farming requires attention to soil fertility and crop rotation to ensure good yields. Cutting down too many trees will result in decreased soil fertility, affecting your farms. Managing your resources carefully can lead to a surplus, which is crucial for surviving harsh winters. Each season brings unique demands and opportunities, enjoying the bounty brought by spring rains and preparing for the challenges ahead.
As the manor lord, the slow, deliberate pace of Manor Lords makes resource management feel satisfying yet challenging. Placing buildings in optimal locations, arranging workforces seasonally, and ensuring stockpiles are adequate for winter adds to the game’s depth. However, some players may find the progression slow and frustrating, as certain functions lack automation.
Combat in Manor Lords is often compared to a smaller-scale Total War, with a focus on tactical battles and positioning over sheer unit numbers. As the manor lord, it's your duty to protect your settlement. Initially, you'll face bandits threatening your town, which you must handle by training a local militia. The combat system includes features like unit formations and morale, where each soldier's stamina, weapon, and positioning influence the outcome.
As your settlement grows, you can spend your personal wealth to hire bands of sellswords and mercenaries to bolster your ranks. Assemble a retinue of skilled warriors to defend against threats. Future updates may introduce rival lords to compete against, adding another layer to the medieval strategy game.
However, the combat's current limitations become apparent in larger battles. Pathfinding issues can make controlling units frustrating, and there's limited strategic depth compared to dedicated RTS games. Nevertheless, the combat mechanics, combined with the town-building aspect, create a rewarding interplay between peacetime growth and wartime preparedness.
As an Early Access game released on Steam, Manor Lords gained significant attention during Steam Next Fest, where players could try out the demo. In the current state of the game, there are some bugs and optimization issues. The game in its current state might not justify the asking price for some players, but it's clear that the game has so much potential. Players looking for a highly polished experience might want to wait for the full release, potentially in 2024, but those willing to embrace a work-in-progress can enjoy the game's solid foundation.
As one reviewer said, "It's a game with great promise, but in its current state, it might not be for everyone." Another player said the exact same thing, highlighting the mixed feelings about the current state of Manor Lords.
Manor Lords offers a beautifully crafted, historically inspired journey into medieval life. This game is a passion project, and it shows in the attention to detail. Although still in development, its unique blend of city-building experience and real-time strategy elements make it a compelling title for strategy fans. With more updates, this medieval city builder could set new standards for games of the genre. For now, Manor Lords is a promising title that offers a glimpse of the greatness to come. If you're looking to play Manor Lords, it's available now as an Early Access game on Steam and PC Game Pass. Start building your medieval legacy and become the manor lord of your own settlement.
