Recent reviews by SirAxart

TL;DR: A great game with even greater potential, some but very few bugs and graphical glitches, a brilliant soundtrack and plenty of RP and storytelling opportunities, even though it is relatively easy and, in certain aspects, unbalanced. If you like colony management and simulation games set in the medieval era, buy it!

===
Although Going Medieval launched as an Early Access game, the developers managed to deliver a fairly enjoyable experience which is undoubtedly well representative of the final product. It is safe to say that even the current state of the game offers you plenty of “tools” – random events and game mechanics – to create your own head canon and immerse yourself in your own story. Its intriguing graphical style combined with an alluring soundtrack and a sufficiently unique setting is sure to create a distinctive experience, despite some similarities to other games in certain core mechanics.

Speaking of similarities; there is no way I can glance over and ignore a certain topic. Going Medieval is being, and in some respects rightfully so, constantly likened to Rimworld, and I think it is important not to dismiss these claims and opinions and I would like to put in my two cents here. There is no doubt that Rimworld, or at least a similar game with similar mechanics, has been a major source of inspiration for this project (and if you like Rimworld and are not afraid of adding another – Z – dimension to the mix and playing in a different setting, you are sure to like Going Medieval), but I have seen this being viewed as something negative and a major point of negative critique. While we can see that certain core mechanics have been essentially ported over from Rimworld, it does not necessarily mean that it is a bad thing. Going Medieval is taking what works and putting it in a different setting, which is great for the consumer, because avid fans of this gaming genre are given a different experience while being thrown into familiar waters where they know what they can expect from those given mechanics. All in all, familiarity is good, and this game should not be dismissed and viewed badly for it.

The developers seem to be dedicated to fixing any basic problems and shortcomings as soon as possible and are eager to hear the community’s feedback and suggestions. In its current state, Going Medieval is a solid foundation for future updates and has the potential to eventually spawn a passionate, dedicated, and extensive modding community. It is a step forward in the colony sim gaming genre and I cannot recommend it enough.


PROS:

• Familiar gameplay mechanics
  
• Great sound design
  
• Addictive gameplay
  
• A great foundation for future updates and new features
  
• Ability to create your own starting conditions and scenarios
  
• Randomly generated maps with three basic formats (Valley, Hillside, Mountains) ensuring almost infinite re-playability
  
• An active and well-moderated Discord server with channels dedicated to suggestions and feedback
  
• A detailed roadmap

CONS:

• Settler AI is a bit strange and frustrating at times
  
• Somewhat unbalanced
  
• Enemy attacks are quite easy and can be very easily cheesed
  
• Missing basic features (such as order queuing and prioritizing repairs)
  
• Missing modding support (although it is supposedly planned already)

Note that most of the cons I listed here will probably be fixed by the time the game comes out of Early Access, although seeing as the developers seem to be very passionate and willing to listen to feedback, most of them will likely be fixed much sooner. In the meantime, make sure to join the game’s Discord server where you can post feedback and suggestions, and ultimately help with its development.

Learning the combat system can be fairly frustrating, but as you play more and more matches, you start to learn new things about the game - gameplay tactics, weapon behavior and so on, and boy, is this game fun to play.

On the other hand, you don't have to play this game for too long to notice the negatives. As of now, the game needs some serious rebalancing, mainly when it comes to the equipment (which is connected with well-known meta builds and common, almost "cheaty" tactics in gameplay), and I believe that the developers will try their best to make the gameplay "fair" for everyone.

The whole "armory" system seriously needs an overhaul (mainly its interface). Also, the prices of many items simply don't make sense. Speaking of items, the game needs more weapons. I understand that it's basically still in development and that many features (such as new maps, gamemodes and maybe even new weapons and armor) are planned and will eventually end up in the game, but right now, the game just seems like a half-made product (what else can we really expect these days). Well, at least we can already play it and give feedback :)

Nevertheless, the game deserves a good overall rating. The graphics are stunning and the potential this game has is definitely great.
If you love Chivalry, War of Roses or similar games, you will LOVE this game :)