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The turn-based strategy (TBS) genre has become increasingly complex, creating a barrier to entry for new players. Games like Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, while celebrated by long-time fans, can be overwhelming for newcomers. This has led developers to explore ways to simplify the genre while retaining its core appeal. Rising Lords, an independent TBS game developed by Argonwood, attempts to achieve this balance with a medieval European setting.

Rising Lords – Game Review

Simple Yet Engaging Gameplay

Rising Lords distinguishes itself with its remarkably small file size of around 600MB, a stark contrast to the trend of games requiring dozens, even hundreds of gigabytes. This is achieved in part through the game’s art style. Argonwood opted for simple yet colorful 2D graphics, reminiscent of medieval book illustrations, similar to Pentiment but with a more serious tone.

Despite being 2D, the art is meticulously crafted. Environments, units, special characters, and even animations, though somewhat stiff due to the limited frames, possess a unique charm evocative of medieval puppet shows.

Rising Lords – Game Review

Initially, Rising Lords appeared complex, incorporating elements of RPGs and card games into its TBS framework, featuring separate tactical and battle maps. A mandatory tutorial reinforces this initial impression. However, the actual gameplay proves surprisingly simple and accessible, reminiscent of early Heroes of Might and Magic titles. Resource management is streamlined, “heroes” possess unique mechanics, and cards function similarly to spells.

Rising Lords – Game Review

The gameplay revolves around a narrative that unfolds throughout each playthrough. Starting on a hexagonal world map akin to Sid Meier’s Civilization, the initial phase focuses on resource management, weapon production, addressing events like bear attacks, and accumulating wealth and population to build an army.

Rising Lords – Game Review

The latter half emphasizes military campaigns and conquest. Set in medieval Europe, Rising Lords doesn’t offer the diverse races and units found in Heroes of Might and Magic. Instead, it focuses on equipment and weapon development for army building, similar to Stronghold. Battles are balanced by minimal unit differentiation and a rock-paper-scissors counter system influenced by terrain advantages.

Rising Lords – Game Review

This balance can sometimes lead to stalemates, creating opportunities for cards to negate terrain advantages, boost morale, or instill fear, breaking the deadlock. Expanding territories require managing resources, food, tools, and weapons across multiple cities, allowing for specialization based on terrain. Automation options simplify this process for players who prefer less micromanagement.

The game’s mechanics are interconnected, encouraging players to utilize all available tools without over-reliance on any single aspect, avoiding the common TBS trap of emphasizing specific features for novelty.

A Narrative Overreach and Potential for Monotony

Rising Lords integrates narrative elements beyond economics and battles, incorporating character relationships and events. Predetermined events occur each turn, impacting income and providing engaging distractions. However, this design choice leads to a narrative that feels overstuffed and potentially overwhelming, distracting from the main storyline.

Rising Lords – Game Review

The sheer volume of events dilutes the story, making it difficult to follow, especially as it’s presented through text-heavy book format. Repetitive content across multiple playthroughs can also lead to monotony, exacerbated by the game’s slow pace.

Rising Lords – Game Review

Combined with the overstuffed narrative, this can create a sense of being lost within the game, detracting from the otherwise engaging gameplay and simple design.

In conclusion, Rising Lords successfully streamlines the TBS genre while maintaining its strategic depth. However, its overly ambitious narrative and potential for repetitive gameplay could hinder the overall experience.