From the rock star development team that has worked on AAA games such as Dead Island, Street Fighter, and The Witcher 3—Render Cube, in collaboration with Toplitz Productions, is planning to bring us a new title, Medieval Dynasty, releasing this year on Steam for the PC. Medieval Dynasty is a survival/kingdom building game that incorporates RPG elements.
Taking place in the middle ages, nobles and the clergy have control over Europe. You, the player, embark on an adventure where you stake your own claim on the realm. You start from humble beginnings as an unskilled farmer, hunter, and general handyman in a pastoral village. However, as you gather resources, build your own homestead, and do favors for the locals, your reputation grows—and with it, your influence. As your influence grows, you curry favor with the king, as well as the ire of other local lords.
Medieval Dynasty also leans heavily into the simulation genre, as you must be meticulous in balancing resource management, crafting, and survival in the context of the weather and changing of seasons. While the seasons and weather cycle is splendid in Medieval Dynasty’s gigantic map, and it easy to get caught up in exploration, preparation should be at the forefront of the player’s priorities. Both the putrid summer and the frigid winter present unique challenges in the availability of certain resources, and the weather’s effect on the player character’s stamina. In turn, these seasonal changes also have a dynamic effect on the kinds of quests the NPCs give you. While the quests NPCs give are somewhat randomized, they are more likely to ask the player to retrieve animal hides in the winter, and berries in the summer.
While Medieval Dynasty does empower the player to dictate their own growth and story at their own pace, there are certain elements that are fixed. The reputation system relies on the player being a “good guy” to grow their reputation, so if you wish your journey to be of one about being a heartless brigand-turned-bandit-king, you are out of luck; it turns out being a benevolent ruler might be easier than ruling out of fear. While you have options to shape the villages that build to suit your taste, your player-character is fairly static. Europe in the dark ages was not as friendly to the diversity we enjoy today, so there is no character customization, and the player character is locked into being a Caucasian male.
The importance of lineage is also brought into focus, as the populace and animal life ages, procreates, and dies. Your character will get older, and they will eventually die. Unless you are comfortable with getting a solid game over, you must get married and sire a child. The player then assumes control of their child after their initial character dies. While dying sucks, the bright side is that your child will start with many of the skills your original character had, as well as inherit his lands, serfs, and responsibilities.
Medieval Dynasty is still in its alpha stages, but the art and environment are masterfully crafted. There are also some aspects that are still in development, such as vocal interactions between NPC, and combat. If you are a player who enjoys Animal Crossing, but want a grittier, more realistic take on the world-building genre, Medieval Dynasty is a game I strongly recommend keeping your eye on. The game is due to release sometime on the tail end of 2020, most likely near the holiday season.
Check Out the Medieval Dynasty Steam Trailer:
You can wishlist Medieval Dynasty for PC via Steam.
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I live and work in Portland, Oregon. I've been an achievement hunter ever since beating Mario 64 and collecting all the stars at the tender age of four. My most recent gaming achievements include getting all trophies for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and beating Dark Souls 3 without leveling up or using weapon upgrades.
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