Summary
- Manor Lords, a new strategy game, offers an immersive city-building experience with a focus on community mechanics and resource management.
- Strategic similarities between Manor Lords and Civilization with differences in scope, customization, and end-game goals.
- Manor Lords offers a more narrow focus on medieval society without historical leaders, emphasizing player immersion and control.
Now that Manor Lords has been released in Early Access, gamers who are fond of strategy and city-building games have a new title to enjoy. Developed mostly by one person, Manor Lords brings a well-crafted medieval experience for players to revel in, and it could prove to be some serious competition for the upcoming Civilization 7.
There are major similarities between Manor Lords and the Civilization franchise, but there are also some notable differences when it comes to gameplay. Although both games emphasize the importance of building a functioning city, Manor Lords and its city building approach are more focused, whereas the Civilization series is larger in scope. At first, this may seem like a con for Manor Lords, but it can actually make the gameplay more immersive.
Manor Lords: How to Play in Third Person
Learn how to play Manor Lords in third person so you can explore every bit of the map and marvel at its beauty.
How Manor Lords and Civilization Are the Same
Emphasis on City Building and Resource Management
City building mechanics are at the heart of both Manor Lords and Civilization. Bringing a functioning community to life is one of the main goals of both games, and this is where many Civilization players may enjoy Manor Lords the most. Manor Lords can get quite in-depth with its community mechanics, as each villager can be assigned a role that has an important impact on the community's success. Whether a villager in Manor Lords is a hunter or a builder, the game does a great job at demonstrating how every role in a society is meaningful to its long-term success, which Civilization also illustrates well.
The backbone to any successful society is resource management, and Manor Lords emphasizes its resources similarly to Civilization. Both games illustrate how paramount a society's resources are, and if not kept up properly, can really be detrimental over time.
Customizable Experiences
One of the biggest reasons the Civilization games have become one of the top dogs in the city-building strategy genre is due to the games allowing a lot of customization. Of course, many games have difficulty options, but Civilization can get really detailed and truly caters to player preference. Manor Lords may not go quite as in-depth as Civilization, but it does allow for flexible customization with its gameplay. Manor Lords has three difficulty settings for players to choose from.
- Relaxing (no combat or invasions)
- Default (a balance between the two)
- Challenging (frequent attacks from outside forces, like Raiders and Bandits)
Naturally, Relaxing is the easiest setting, while Challenging is the hardest, leaving Default as a comfortable middle ground for players. Each difficulty level has further options as well, that can give the customization more depth.
How Manor Lords and Civilization Are Different
The Endgame
The main goal of Manor Lords and Civilization is to build a functioning society from the ground up, but the endgame is completely different. In Civilization, the games have a far broader scope, as the main outcome to hope for is a society that withstands the test of time, spanning generations. Manor Lords' focus is far more narrow, as the game only puts its emphasis on keeping a medieval civilization afloat. The goal isn't to become a superpower, which is one of the biggest deviations from Civilization's gameplay. In Manor Lords, players have to work towards gaining control over the whole map, but the scale is far smaller in comparison.
Historical Leaders and Societies
One of the most compelling parts about the Civilization games is that they actually act as great tools for learning real history. From Abraham Lincoln to Cleopatra, Civilization boasts some of the most influential leaders throughout history. However, Manor Lords deviates from this, leaving out any major historical figures or hero-types that society rallies around. The title of Lord in Manor Lords is more of an abstract concept, letting players embody the role themselves instead of putting a historical face to the mechanic. Despite this taking away the chance for players to learn some real-life history, having the power completely put in one's own hands actually makes the game feel more immersive.
Manor Lords
- Released
- April 26, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
Manor Lords is a strategy game that allows you to experience the life of a medieval lord. Grow your starting village into a bustling city, manage resources and production chains, and expand your lands through conquest.
Inspired by the art and architecture of late 14th century Franconia, Manor Lords prioritizes historical accuracy wherever possible, using it to inform gameplay mechanics and visuals alike. Common medieval tropes are avoided in favor of historical accuracy in order to make the world feel more authentic, colorful, and believable.
Manor Lords provides a gridless city-building experience with full freedom of placement and rotation. Building mechanics are inspired by the growth of real medieval towns and villages, where major trade routes and the landscape influenced how settlements formed and developed.
From boots to barley and hides to honey, Manor Lords features a great variety of goods fitting of the era. Materials need to be transported and processed into finished products through production chains, and you must balance the basic needs of your people against the desire to produce luxury items to ensure happiness, manufacture trade goods for export, or forge arms and armor to aid in your conquests.
- Developer(s)
- Slavic Magic
- Publisher(s)
- Hooded Horse
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, City Builder
