Draft:Medieval Dynasty

• Comment: Unsourced KylieTastic (talk) 14:14, 17 September 2024 (UTC)

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Medieval Dynasty is a survival-strategy role-playing game developed by Render Cube and published by Toplitz Productions in 2021. The game is part of the publisher's Dynasty series, where players, from the perspective of a character, establish a new dynasty within a thematic setting—in this case, from the viewpoint of common people in the Middle Ages.

The game was first released in Early Access on Steam in September 2020, with the full version following a year later. In the subsequent year, the game was released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox. A major update, which added a new map and a co-op mode for up to four players, was made available for PC players on December 7, 2023. Console players received the same update on June 27, 2024.

Plot

The Valley

In a fictional medieval region surrounded by high mountain ranges, the player takes on the role of young Racimir, who starts near the village of Gostovia after fleeing from war in search of his uncle. However, upon arrival, the local castellan, Uniegost, informs him that his uncle has already passed away. Because his uncle was held in high regard in the area, Uniegost grants Racimir permission to settle outside the village and establish his own settlement. The player's task is to build this village, recruit residents, and ensure the supply of resources and production.

The Oxbow

As a prisoner and outlaw in a convoy, the player character, initially not named, narrowly survives a bandit attack on the camp at night. Apparently unconscious for some time, they awaken in the fictional village of Piastovia, in the house of the local healer. The doctor helps the player recover and asks about their background, though it quickly becomes clear that he already knows who they are. Since the area is in desperate need of housing, jobs, and skilled builders, the village lord gives the player a chance to rehabilitate by complying with his orders: founding a new village and paying taxes.

Gameplay

The player character is controlled from a first-person perspective, although since December 2021, switching to a third-person view is also possible. Basic resources must be gathered or obtained using tools that can be crafted, found, or purchased. For food, animals must be hunted, and/or plants gathered. As the player progresses, better materials become available, leading to more efficient and durable tools and weapons. Recruited villagers need basic provisions like housing and food. Through a detailed menu, the player assigns jobs to villagers and decides which materials they should produce. Each villager has their own personality and varying skills, so careful planning is required to manage resources efficiently.

The game simulates seasons, each of which affects the environment and the player, such as temperature changes and the availability of seasonal plants.

Several questlines and regular side quests introduce the player to basic game mechanics. Successfully completing quests increases "Dynasty Reputation," allowing more buildings to be constructed and more villagers to be recruited. However, many game elements must be discovered independently, following a "learning by doing" principle, where players gain experience in various tasks and can unlock skill bonuses through ability points.

A key aspect of the Dynasty series is ensuring not just the survival of the player’s lifetime but also the continuation of the family line through an heir. Players can interact with female villagers (or male villagers if playing as a female character on the new map) and gain or lose affection points depending on the character's personality through flirting options and gifts. Once enough affection is earned, marriage and spending a night together become options. If a child is conceived, and the heir grows old enough, the player has the option to continue the game from the heir's perspective.

Development

The developers began by looking at other games with similar content or techniques for inspiration in creating Medieval Dynasty. Producer Marcin Warszawski specifically cites Kingdom Come: Deliverance as an influence for the game's graphical design and historical setting, and games like Stronghold and The Forest for their city-building and survival elements.

Before the game entered Early Access, a comprehensive tutorial guided by quests was already in place to gradually unlock and explain game mechanics. However, after the release of a gameplay video, player feedback and internal discussions about available resources led to a complete overhaul of the game's start. The goal was to avoid limiting the open-world aspect and focus more on crafting the game world. Early Access was an important phase in the development process, with a strong emphasis on community feedback and its implementation.

On April 21, 2022, the developers announced the addition of a co-op mode, which was released on December 7, 2023 (for PC) and June 27, 2024 (for consoles). This fulfilled one of the most requested features. The co-op mode is only available on a newly added map, which also introduced the option to customize the appearance of the player character, including the choice to play as a female character.

Reception

Metacritic calculated an aggregate score of 73 out of 100 for the PC version of Medieval Dynasty.

The game was praised for its appealing graphical design, successful immersion, the freedom it offers in gameplay and building, and the overall content depth. However, reviewers frequently criticized the storyline for being somewhat shallow, the quests for lacking depth and variety, and the fact that many of the game's mechanics and options are poorly explained, making it especially difficult for newcomers to the genre to get started.

Testers of the console versions specifically criticized the UI design and menu navigation. Gareth Brierley mentioned that, although it is a game for the Xbox Series X, interactions with NPCs gave off "old-school Skyrim vibes."