It’s fair to say that modern living is tough. Consequently, everyone is fighting to feed their family, earn enough money, and ward off any debilitating diseases. As such, I’m surprised that hardcore simulation titles are still as popular as ever. Taking a break from the monotony of life to create another harsh existence seems counterintuitive. However, this is exactly what happens in Medieval Dynasty.
Developed by Render Cube and published by Toplitz Productions, this is a survival simulation title. What’s more, there are distinct RPG elements and the usual health stats to contend with. Furthermore, this monstrously large game will take over your life. Therefore, if you have addictive tenancies, you won’t see your loved ones for the next year or so.
Medieval Dynasty shines a light on the darkness.
As it is set in a bygone era, I fully expected there to be some gory, unnerving, and upsetting moments. However, opening with a tale of loss and death caught me by surprise. The protagonist has had a cruel turn of luck as his family has been decimated. Subsequently, he has travelled a great distance to find his nearest relatives. Sadly, the Grim Reaper has taken them too, so he is alone, and the last of his bloodline. However, he doesn’t mope about it. Instead, he plans to lay new roots and make a fresh start in this far-off land.
Sounds dramatic, right? Well, it isn’t as Hollywood as it seems, but it’s good, nonetheless. The opening moments focus on a protracted prologue that explains the fundamentals, and the long list of things that can be done. You’ll craft buildings, create settlements, collect resources, hunt animals, make equipment, hire people, and find love. What’s more, you’ll defend your home, break the law, trade with locals, and battle the elements. Effectively, it covers the standard survival game tropes while incorporating a deep sense of belonging.
It’s a slow burner.
As expected, with any title in this genre, you get out what you put in. As such, Medieval Dynasty is a slow-burner that gets better with time. As you start, you must focus on simply surviving. Accordingly, building a shelter and harvesting food are your opening concerns. Therefore, you’ll gather resources, build rudimentary tools and traps, and get to work. Like Blue Peter, it’s amazing what you can do with some sticks, twine, and PVA glue.
Once you pass this opening grind, the game opens up to a rich and fulfilling experience. You must concentrate on a character skill tree whilst also focusing on your reputation, trading, and expanding your settlement. Consequently, this leads to you hiring people to hunt for you, while you look for a wife to start a family. Once this happens, you can set them to work and you become Lord of your Manor. Now, it isn’t quite that straightforward, as you have the weather to contend with, taxes to pay, a thirst to quench, and hunger pangs to keep at bay. On top of this, you must manage your health and keep your people happy. As such, it’s an eclectic blend of elements that are hard work but enjoyable to manage.
Medieval Dynasty looks dated, but that’s okay.
If you are a fan of the Elder Scrolls series, you’ll love Medieval Dynasty. Playing out from both first or third-person perspectives, you get the best of both worlds. Alongside this, a variety of environments, character models, and settlements keep things fresh. However, what wasn’t so great was the fiddly UI. With mountains of submenus and some hard-to-read text, it wasn’t as intuitive as I’d have liked. Yet, this is a minor thing, especially once you’ve invested hours of your time.
The visuals may not be perfect, but the audio was, mostly. I enjoyed the folksy soundtrack, the excellent environmental sounds, and the grunts and groans of every animal. But the crafting sound was just ridiculous. Why the developers insisted on replicating the noise of a socket wrench was beyond me. It was a minor thing, but it was so odd that it stood out like a sore thumb.
Ported from PC, and it shows.
Medieval Dynasty is very much a PC port. Consequently, it has so much depth that it is overwhelming for console players. The aforementioned UI is uncomfortable and the menus are oddly stacked. As such, it takes forever to get used to. Alongside this, equipping items isn’t intuitive, and this is counterproductive in time-critical tasks. Now, these problems do dissipate over time, but it makes the learning curve unnecessarily tough.
Unsurprisingly, Medieval Dynasty is dripping with replay value and longevity. I lost track of life while playing this title. Accordingly, if you fall for its charms, the same will happen to you. With a sprawling world to discover and the freedom to do as you please, you can replay this over and over and always have a unique experience.
Medieval Dynasty is a wonderful time sink.
I understand that the survival genre isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Moreover, the thought of living in a crueller world than our modern one is maddening. However, Medieval Dynasty is a wonderful time sink that is worthy of your time, effort, and investment. Therefore, I can easily recommend that you buy it here! Will you make a new life for yourself? Hunt, build and survive in a grim and unforgiving land.
