Medieval Dynasty (PS5)

Product Information

Live and learn – Develop your character by specialising or becoming a true jack-of-all-trades as you interact with NPCs. Europe in the early Middle Ages -- Nobles and clergy rule and the trade between nations brings prosperity as well as envy, distrust, and greed.

If I was across the river from the first town and looking at it, the wall around it would only show partially, on the closest point to myself. Much of the game is spent walking between villages, which takes a lot of real time as they are moderately far apart. it is when on top of that it tries to add some RPG elements that it starts to feel a bit iffy, but luckily it is easy to overlook that front. Tough winters and unexpected events challenge your skills and dexterity as you strive to build your own legacy.From this moment on, you’ve unblocked the ability to start building your first rudimentary tools and buildings and you can develop the necessary skills to survive and continue improving upon your town all by yourself. Defending against wild animals while hunting for food, gathering resources and crafting equipment, building a house and erecting a whole bustling village while founding a family all contribute to a unique gameplay experience across many genres. Food and water are pretty minor inconveniences, there is water absolutely everywhere and it's safe to drink.

The character models were also a bit uninspired, with only a handful of designs repeating over and over again. Sound is good, the music is mostly tranquil and well done for a long, mostly relaxing session of city-building from the ground. Building your own legacy is challenging because of winters that are tough and unpredictable events that occur. Bandits are going to make life awkward as you navigate between villages so ensure you have items to defend yourself.The way these are structured and presented makes it feel at times like the game wants you to treat it as an RPG, but if you do, the survival elements get in the way and you may feel like you are dropping the ball on the quest. You do get used to it, of course, but it is a strange choice, probably steaming from having to adapt the controls to an actual controller.