Set in late 14th-century Franconia,[1]Manor Lords is a city-building game which includes real-time tactical warfare.[2] The game can also be considered a colony simulation. There are three different modes in Manor Lords, titled Rise to Prosperity, Restoring the Peace, and On the Edge. They 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. The game offers a degree of customizability; players are able to adjust in-game values such as starting position and off-map threats.[3]
The city-building aspects focus on expanding an initially-small settlement through gathering resources, managing supply chains and expanding trade networks, while also managing threats to the settlement's internal cohesion.[2][3] The game's emphasis on in-depth historical accuracy means players must manage six types of taxation, and balance quick growth with environmental effects such as weather and the possibility of environmental degradation including soil exhaustion and deforestation. Manor Lords is normally viewed through a top-down isometric perspective but it includes a third-person camera mode that allows players to roam their streets.[4][5]
According to the developer, the game aims to provide organic city building;[6] the roads are almost always curved and houses can be built without the interference of fixed or handmade zoning grids found in SimCity and Skylines games.
Development
Greg Styczeń is the creator and solo developer of Manor Lords through his studio Slavic Magic.[7][3] In the early years, development was funded in part through donations on Patreon.[8] In 2021, Styczeń also received a grant from Epic Games through their Epic MegaGrants program.[9] The game was initially developed with Unreal Engine 4.[10]
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, with Manor Lords being wishlisted over two million times by January 2024,[5] overtaking Hades II shortly before release to become the most-wishlisted game on Steam, with over three million by release.[11][12]
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".[13]Manor Lords was released for early access on 26 April 2024.[5] Styczeń released a statement a week before release which attempted to temper expectations, highlighting that the launch was early access, that Manor Lords was the first game he had developed, and that it was not intended to be a rival to Total War or role-playing games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance.[14]
In June 2024 it was announced that Manor Lords would switch to Unreal Engine 5 and the switch was completed by August 22 in version 0.7.987.[15][16]
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.[2][8] 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".[2] The game has been noted for its relatively high degree of historical accuracy.[17] However, Styczeń has stated in interviews that in some cases considerations of gameplay superseded concerns of historical exactness.[10]
Manor Lords has received criticism for its quickly consumable content and there being no proper objective in the game. Leana Hafer from IGN states that the game is unfinished - she points out the lack of endgame challenge and ways to test its RTS battles definitively.[18] Robert Purchese from Eurogamer states that one of the biggest missing pieces for him is any kind of story, or stories coming from the people he's responsible for in the game.[19] Aleksa Stojković says that the combat is the thing he likes doing the least in Manor Lords.[20] Mitch Gassner points out that with too many unfinished components, Manor Lords does not have the power to keep people playing for weeks.[21] Ravi Sinha says that the policies should be expanded; suggests adding random events and the like to the game to reduce some of the boredom of long waits.[22]
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