In Q3 of 2022, I had the pleasure of playing the demo of Manor Lords, and it didn’t disappoint. There aren’t enough words to describe how polished, and stunning this demo was. Everything from the way trees fell from chopping them down, to the road textures, to the building detail. Manor Lords is stunning.
From a technical standpoint, this title blows similar games out of the water. You can even get right down to street level and walk in first person around your town. Sure, nothing will quite beat the first time you saw snow-covered buildings in Banished, but no city builder of this genre has ever managed to achieve this level of incidental information—not Banished, not Ostriv, not Going Medieval. Manor Lords even features seasons. The attention to detail is unparalleled, and this was only a demo!
The only thing missing from the demo that I was looking forward to reviewing was the combat. Manor Lords boasts the ability to wage some impressive large-scale battles. It aims to portray battles that feel real, with large-scale unit formations, flanking, fatigue, soldiers’ morale, weather, and equipment all coming into play. I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to the early access version being released later this year. If any medieval city builder has potential, it’s Manor Lords.
Be sure to wish list Manor Lords on Steam to stay up to date with its impending release sometime in 2023! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1363080/Manor_Lords/
