Manor Lords, one of the biggest indie titles this year has just been released… in early access. Oh boy. I was expecting a full 1.0 release all the way up to the so-called grand opening, but apparently, the developer got cold feet or just felt bad about releasing it at this stage, because it’s truly spartan in content. There was a warning, after all, something about us gamers maybe expecting a bit too much. Never a good sign. Nonetheless, I decided to give the man 30 euros to see what the fuss was all about, and well…
Looks good at least
I remember playing the demo some time back and it impressed me. It got me thinking about what Manor Lords could promise for the future as a full game, but I didn’t expect handing over 30 euros and almost getting the same demo again. Sure, the gameplay is expanded somewhat, yet it feels and plays like the demo, with some rudimentary combat sprinkled on top. What I want to say is that Manor Lords is incredibly bare-bones. For someone like me that have played these kinds of games since Anno 1503 A.D, there isn’t much here at all.
Manor Lords looks good and has some impressive zoning tech that makes the town feel very realistic in its design. However, as usual, graphics only last you so far. If you played any game like this before it’s going to feel like a major hit of Dejavu. That doesn’t have to be bad per se, but unfortunately, there aren’t any mechanics that make it stand out or are improved in any way over any other game. There is the combat, that on paper looks to be interesting, like something out of a Total War title, yet, like the rest of the game, it’s very basic even if it pretends to be more. It also feels very gamey, in the sense that bandits will always attack in certain intervals, totally devoid of any simulation.
I can’t say I’m too disappointed since I wasn’t that hyped about Manor Lords in the first place, especially not when it switched to being an Early Access title in the last second. I’m mostly surprised how little has been added since the demo, and how little in the ways of interesting gameplay mechanics exist in the game overall. I’m afraid Manor Lords will be one of those long-lasting Early Access titles if the idea is to improve it and make it something to stand out in the genre – more than the visuals that is. If not, well, the developer got the money already, considering it rests currently at 150k players. I requested a refund as I’m tired of these eternal early-access games. Maybe it will be worth a look in the far-off future.
Thanks for reading.
/Thomas
Addendum:
In my demo impressions article, I mention that the game will be Early Access, which is confusing to me. It seems I forgot about this aspect, but I can swear that the game was advertised as a full release on a later date since then. Hence the somewhat odd statement where the developer states that Manor Lords will be Early Access, like it was a recent change. I guess it can also be interpreted as a clarification. However, it does not change much. I just felt I needed to point this out.
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