Medieval Dynasty is a game that may have numerous interesting mechanics, but also suffers from a crisis of identity as the game tries to do so many things at once.
Medieval Dynasty is a game with a wide array of systems and mechanics that all interlink with each other to create a fun and unique experience. Render Cube Games have taken notable formulas from numerous other titles and combined them together to create this game.
Medieval Dynasty, in essence, is like a mix between Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Ark: Survival Evolved, and Mount and Blade: Bannerlord, perhaps sprinkled with a little bit of Crusader Kings III. , The game has many things to track including Health, Stamina, Food, and Water. That is not even including what must be tracked once players start to create vast settlements as opposed to the singular cabins in the woods.
In terms of gameplay, Medieval Dynasty is a slow and methodical game. Whether the player is hunting in the wilderness, collecting and harvesting crops, or building their very first house. This methodical gameplay can in some ways be a fantastic experience, with players becoming immersed in the vast open world as they hunt for food to feed themselves.
But in a similar vain, this slow gameplay can detract from a variety of things. Building things take time… a ludicrous amount of time in some ways. Having to hit a light green silhouette of a wall 30 times isn’t exactly the most fun and essentially feels like a slog. Whilst the game has settings to adjust for this it still points out what can only be described as an arduous experience as you slowly assemble buildings and other construction projects. Though despite its somewhat arduous nature, the experience still remains somewhat fun.
Of course, what makes Medieval Dynasty stand out from the other survival games is the management of your community. It is called Medieval Dynasty so, to that end players must slowly raise their community, and this is by far the strongest part of the entire game as it gives purpose to the menial chores that the game may have you do.
Finding people with the best skills, learning their preferences and such before assigning them jobs is very fun and makes your community feel alive. In addition to this, managing your communities resources is also far more fun and meaningful than managing your own oddly enough. It creates a reason behind your playing time which prior to having your own community, your purpose feels lacking as you simply grind your way to being able to make more tools, weapons etc.
Speaking of weapons, the game also does contain moments of combat. Whilst it is not one of the core tenants of the game, it is still present with players having to combat bandits and the wildlife around them. Wildlife is probably the most fun thing to contend with as you stalk your way through the wilderness, a boar in the distance as you draw back your bow and fire, it can really feel amazingly immersive.
In addition to many of the game’s survival mechanics, the game also has many RPG elements. These elements unfortunately are most likely one of the weaker aspects of the game. None of the side quests that I have experienced seemed to have any interest or weight behind them, the dialogue is rather stale and falls flat on many occasions, combined with a very odd romance system leads to a game that has the potential to be a really good RPG, but just sadly misses the mark on too many spots.
In terms of the game’s visuals and performance, I have no complaints in regards to Medieval Dynasty despite the game’s size for me it ran pretty much immaculately. The visuals are impressive from all graphics settings and the game can provide you with some truly stunning vistas. From the warm colours of spring to the icy cold winds of winter, the game is beautiful as it cycles through the seasons.
In addition to the game’s visuals, I have to commend the game’s UI. The UI is informative all the while not cluttering the screen which is a very complicated endeavor and one that the developers clearly have thought about at length and it shows, the UI is both overt and subtle simultaneously allowing players to appreciate the grandeur of the world as well as not missing out any key details in their stats like health, etc.
One issue with the UI and the game overall is the game’s tutorial or lack of one rather. Consulting the knowledge tab is fine enough, but the fact that the games knowledge tab is so vast only serves as a way to intimidate players. The game is large enough in all facets without what can only be described as a deluge of tutorials and ‘knowledge’ tabs.
Overall, Medieval Dynasty is a game that is in some way faced with a minor identity crisis. The game’s survival elements are solid if not somewhat dull. Its ‘City Management’ aspect is the strongest aspect of the game and inevitably feeds into the survival elements… the outlier is its RPG elements. Whilst the skeleton of an RPG is there, it feels barren and detracts from that area of the experience so much that for a large part it is ignored with the exception of the main chapters.
Medieval Dynasty is probably one of the first survival game innovators to be released for a long time and whilst the game fumbled in numerous places, it still finds its niche and sticks with it. It may not be the most exciting game in the world, but managing the population whilst traipsing through the wilderness offers a certain calm that few other games can match. Medieval Dynasty is a good game that is only improved by the prospect of the bright future that it holds.
I for one am so excited for where Medieval Dynasty will go and what the developers will do and add next.
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