A complex but not complicated sim.
MinMax Games Ltd., the developers of the survival simulation, Clanfolk, understand that doing virtual chores is a whole lot of gosh-darned fun. Tilling fields, harvesting straw, and gathering berries are great ways to unwind after a long day of doing real-life dishes and laundry. So they made a game where a player can get up in the middle of the night to feed the baby, and they made sure you have to wash your hands after you change a diaper.
Set in the Medieval Scottish Highlands, Clanfolk takes survival seriously. As soon as the game starts, the player needs to hustle. Winter is coming in about 20 gameplay days. If you don’t have water, food, shelter, clothes, and the ability to craft a wide variety of tools and weapons, you, and all your family, are Going. To. Die.
Survival
I can’t emphasize the dying part enough. In two playthroughs of the beginner level, with the tutorials on, I lost over half my clan to starvation. The second time I thought I was doing a pretty good job until the lakes froze over so I couldn’t fish, and all the plants were dead, so I couldn’t gather, and all my characters were freezing because I didn’t make enough winter clothes, and we ran out of branches so I couldn’t repair my bow to hunt for food.
Menus and Tutorials
Because of the sheer quantity of tasks needed to survive, the menu system in Clanfolk gets pretty complex. Players are constantly unlocking new builds. As soon as you construct a charcoal pit, you unlock a kiln, which opens up brick making, which means you can craft tiles for roofs and floors. Having a lovely comfortable house allows travelers and traders to come by, opening up an even wider world to players.
Thankfully, MinMax has included a tutorial to teach players about new tasks. The game also creates alerts to remind players about immediate clan needs. The reminders and tutorials are invaluable for a first playthrough as they keep this detail-oriented game from becoming frustrating and overwhelming.
Tasks
And the beginning of the game can definitely feel overwhelming. The entire time I played, I never had less than three hundred tasks waiting to be completed. The game continuously balances meeting immediate needs and managing long-term goals. I never successfully farmed anything in the game because I prioritized building a shelter rather than using the short Highland growing season. Maybe in my third playthrough, focusing on farming will build up enough of a backstock, so my characters don’t all starve within two days of Winter starting!
Character Personality
In addition to brainstorming every task, a Medieval Highlander might have to do, the developers gave their characters just as much detail driven attention. Each character has multiple aspects to their personality, with preferences and dislikes. A wide variety of actions can affect a character’s mood. One of my juvenile characters, Bernard, went to bed feeling good because he was in a “huge room” but was also “grouchy” because he was “stinky.” I guess he didn’t wash in the lake before laying down.
MinMax designed their game so as much attention needs to be paid to providing quality of life to your clan as well as quantity. Happy and rested characters unlock a 12X fast forward option for players to speed through their day. Unhappy, tired characters sleep late, complain, and only allow for a 4X fast forward.
Hidden Gems
So much player effort goes into playing the game that it is easy to miss the Easter Eggs and jokes sprinkled throughout. My personal favorite was the description for the resource “log.” “Log. It’s big. It’s heavy. It’s wood.” Now all the 90s babies reading this just started singing along. For everyone else, Youtube it. I promise it’s worth your time.
Year 2
Clanfolk is hitting Early Access on Steam, but the developers already plan to add even more. Pets, beekeeping, and musical instruments are just some of the additions Minimax plans on adding. And if it wasn’t hard enough to survive your first Highland winter, wait until Year 2, currently in development, when you have to pay taxes and hide your assets.
Conclusion
Overall, I can’t wait to keep playing. This preview left me wanting more. While I have yet to complete a winter successfully, I’m looking forward to all the creative challenges the game makers can throw at me in this complex game.
Clanfolk releases today for PC via Steam Early Access.
I'm a completionist gamer who just needs to find that one last object and clear that final dungeon. I love all video games, from open world sandboxes on a console to a mindless match three on my phone. In addition to gaming and writing, I am a graduate student working on a thesis about the ancient Icelandic Sagas. Feel free to ask me anything about Vikings.
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