Manor-Lords:Main Page

Manor Lords is a single-player, real-time tactics video game and medieval city-builder, developed by Greg Styczeń of Slavic Magic and published by Hooded Horse.

It is playable on Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

Development

The creator and solo developer, Greg Styczeń, released the announcement trailer for the game back in July 2020. Over time, the game was wishlisted on Steam over two million times by January 2024, and then over three million closer to early access release.

While the game was originally intended to be released in late 2023, Styczeń focused his efforts on fixing bugs and adding more polish to the game, resulting in a delay.

Early access for Manor Lords became available on 26th April 2024, and has since surged further in popularity on Steam.

Game Play

Manor Lords is set in 14-century Franconia and has three distinct game modes. These are named Rise to Prosperity, Restoring the Peace, and On the Edge.

Rise to Prosperity focuses on city-building, On the Edge focuses on warfare and conquest, and Restoring the Peace provides a more balanced experience between the two. Players can also customize gameplay settings, such as off-map threats and starting positions.

The game is played from a top-down isometric perspective, however, you can also view your settlement from a third-person perspective.

Screenshots

City Building

CIty-building in Manor Lords is uniquely accurate to the setting of the game. Starting with a small settlement, you'll have to gather resources, establish trading networks, and manage supply chains, in addition to any threats to your settlement's cohesion.

There are even different types of taxation to navigate based on the actual systems in place at the time. These present you with different approaches to managing and scaling settlements. Resource management is also important, as the environment can be degraded through either the weather, deforestation, or even soil exhaustion. Players will need to navigate this carefully in order to help their settlement thrive.

Real-time Tactics

Small and large battles can occur as a result of threats in the game. These can include anything from bandits to rival lords moving in on your territory.

Players will have to decide the best response to these threats, and the economic impact of their decision on the settlement. There is also the loss of life to consider, as your settlers may perish as a result of the battle.

Positioning, equipment, troop size, and fatigue are just some of the factors to consider in real-time conflict that can turn the tide in battle.

System Requirements

Minimum:

OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel Core i5-4670 (quad-core) / AMD FX-Series FX-4350 (quad-core)
Memory: 8GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 (2GB)/ AMD Radeon RX-460 (4GB) / Intel Arc A380 (6 GB)
Direct X: Version 12
Storage: 15GB available space

Recommended:

OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
Processor: Intel Core i5-7600 (quad-core) / AMDÂ® Ryzen 3 2200G (quad-core)
Memory: 12GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB)/ AMD Radeon RX-580 (8GB) / Intel Arc A580 (8GB)
DirectX: Version 12
Storage: 15GB available space