Manor Lords Review (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, & PC)

After seven years of development and amassing three million wishlists on Steam, Manor Lords has finally made its debut. And while the Xbox release will launch sometime later and the launch on PC platforms via Steam, the Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store, and GOG is only the Early Access version, hundreds of thousands of gamers are already hyped. But just how worthwhile is Manor Lords? Is the hype well-deserved? Let’s find out in our Manor Lords review down below.

Lord of the Manor

Straight out the gate, you’re tasked with choosing your character in an admittedly shallow customization system where you only choose your character’s portrait, and later in the game, seem to only control one specific “Manor Lord,” despite the character you chose. Still, it’s a nice touch that’s one of the elements we’re hoping gets more fully fleshed out by the final launch. In fact, you’ll be wise to keep in mind that despite the review to come, Manor Lords is indeed an Early Access version, which means it’s an “incomplete” game, potentially buggy. 

Moving on, though, what we have so far doesn’t completely disappoint. You proceed to choose three scenarios. The first is the more peaceful version of a medieval settlement, just getting by the seasons. The second balances city building and survival, where you’re required to launch attacks and claim new territory on nearby settlements from time to time. And the third goes hard on RTS combat, often sending out bandits and hostile militants you’ll need to defend your people against. 

Hands-On

Moreover, you can customize the scenarios further by tweaking the difficulty. But that’s about it for the initial setup of a new game. Yes, you only have one map at the moment, which is the second thing I trust will be improved upon by the final launch. Variety is key, and having only one map won’t cut it. Next, you dive headfirst into the action, which takes you to a barebones settlement. You have only a few homeless peasants who need your help setting them up for success. 

Henceforth, you start to plan the next steps you’d like to take, which, I must stress, takes up most of your time in Manor Lords. Because, in truth, Manor Lords’ gameplay feels so in-depth, you’re less likely to succeed without meticulous planning. Well, for starters, you want to scan the map for places to set up homes for your people, farms to feed them, mines to gather resources from, and so on. 

Bit by Bit

You do have ways to assess the potential of different land. Some have high fertility and make for the perfect spots to set up farms. Others have high-level ground water, perfect for setting up wells. So, you want to scan these first. Ideally, you want the farmers to live closest to the farms. Or, you want the miners to live closest to the mines. So, as you begin to draw out new settlements, there’s plenty of planning and management of time and resources involved. Another essential gameplay element to note is that most of the actions you take rarely happen automatically. 

Take building and construction, for example. Sure, all it takes is to mark the spot where you want to build a house. However, for the construction process to begin, you need resources like lumber, which you must have assigned lumberers to fetch. Thereafter, your “unassigned” townspeople go to work on building houses, albeit at a gradual pace. You can effectively watch the construction process as it unfolds, as you do nearly all activities, as people go to fetch firewood, as they load supplies into stores, as they mine, and so on.  

In-Depth City Building

For a game still in its Early Access, Manor Lords feels pretty substantial. Or at least for the first part of the game, which mostly involves city building. It demands your attention, overseeing the nitty gritty that leads to a town’s prosperity. You ask yourself what people need to thrive: food, clothing, entertainment at the local tavern, church, among many more. Then, start to plan your way through ensuring a consistent supply of these things. Most of the activities your people engage in require a resource you can produce or trade. 

Some are direct, like farming food and planting trees for firewood during the winter. However, others are indirect, like planting barely for beer to serve at the tavern or harvesting the hides of hunted game for clothing. These resources can, in turn, directly sustain the motivation and happiness of your people. However, you can also trade the excess in what’s impressively a well-developed trading system. I do have to note that sometimes the barter trade system can be a pain when the territory you’re seeking to trade with doesn’t have the resources you require. 

Thumbs Up

Speaking of territories, you can choose to engage them in trade, diplomacy, or battle. The diplomacy system can use a little more fleshing out. However, the battle system is quite impressive as is. It’s a simple RTS system where you send out militant groups to defend your settlement against potential threats like bandits. You can give commands to your troops like pushing forward, standing their ground, and so on. 

You also have a stamina system that adds an extra layer of management, including watching out for the meter draining out post-walking for long periods or running. This isn’t nearly close to Total War. You’ll command armies in the hundreds when Total War has tens of thousands. Plus, the commands and combat themselves aren’t nearly as strategic and in-depth. Still, Manor Lords has plenty more in the works to come.

Potentially Grand

Unlike most alternatives, Manor Lords makes it so you recruit your militant groups from your settlement. It means that if your people die while they’re defending your settlement, you’ll lose the manpower needed to produce the many resources your settlement needs to keep thriving. These, in addition to the basic food and wood, include the weapons and armor you’ll need to put up the best defense produced at blacksmith shops in your settlement. It’s a risk-versus-reward system you need to carefully assess so you don’t end up spreading your human resources too thin. 

Alternatively, you can hire mercenaries to fight on your behalf at a price, who charge per head and continuously every month. You can get funds from your treasury, which adds up through taxes. Now, the tax policies can use a little more development. At the moment, it’s still in its early stages, which, by the game’s name, “Manor Lords,” should probably come up the most fleshed out in terms of governance and establishing rulership.

Visually, Manor Lords is a delight. It feels authentic, with varying seasons of snow-covered lands and murky medieval swamps. You can run into some bugs, which is hardly surprising given its Early Access status. Your character can run through some walls, for example. You can have all your settlements demolished and still have the game running, unless you restart. Combat can feel a little janky, with the archers feeling utterly useless. You’ll spot a deformed sheep at some point. Just minor bugs here and there that’ll hopefully be phased out of the final launch. 

Verdict

Manor Lords delivers on expectations. Yes, that includes a buggy and incomplete game, given that it’s only in the Early Access stage. You immediately appreciate the effort put into the graphics. They’re stunningly beautiful, with authentic worldbuilding and varying seasons. You can zoom out animated sections of the game, as your people go about their day. Even simple actions like fetching water from a well are intricately inscribed into a doubtlessly ambitious title. 

In the first part of the game, you dive headfirst into in-depth city-building mechanics. Nearly every action needed for your settlement to thrive requires careful planning and management. It takes just as long to execute, too, allowing you to sit back and watch your efforts come to life. From farming to trading and combat, Manor Lords has plenty to offer. It puts careful thought into checking the fertility of the land before setting out to farm. You also have to constantly rotate crops to reap bountiful produce. 

The same goes for lumber, textiles, and even entertainment in the way of the tavern. Each cog that makes the Manor Lords’ machine run smoothly demands carefully assessing its parts for fault. Unfortunately, the mid-sections of the game, which would typically upgrade your settlement, whether technologically or economically, feel incomplete. Certain sections of the game are outright marked as “works in progress,” with the combat section arguably the one with the most need for fleshing out. Bugs, too, pop up here and there. 

Meanwhile, it wouldn’t hurt to add certain features, like additional maps and in-depth character customization. Overall, Manor Lords does plenty to keep you glued to the screen. It fascinates with its intricate detail and rewarding gameplay. For a game still in its Early Access, Manor Lords more than delivers, with certainly much more impressive features to come.