City States Medieval is a real-time game distributed via the indie.io platform and developed by Reviere World Studios. This small independent studio from Toronto has presented another strategic game in its medieval series, where the focus is not on empires but on the survival of city-states: the Republic of Genoa, the Emirate of Granada, and the Republic of Novgorod in the 12th century.
The game has many strengths, although it also possesses some weaknesses. One of its main advantages is its straightforwardness, fast pace, and very rich immersion in the atmosphere.
The 12th century is excellently represented in all visual aspects, from the world map to the city interiors. Furthermore, the characters and their dialogues convincingly convey the spirit of the era through typical accents and interjections in their native languages.
In addition to real-time strategy, the game includes elements of the 4X genre (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate). This means that besides developing cities and armies, the player can conquer new settlements, master various technologies, engage in trade and diplomacy. These elements are usually inherent to turn-based strategies, but here they are satisfactorily implemented in this real-time indie strategy.
Despite the large number of mechanics, City States Medieval implements them quite simply, which eases the process among the multitude of options and gameplay requirements. Everything is accessible through the menu with just a few clicks, without losing the complexity and depth necessary for these elements, making the process easier and more direct.
The game follows the fast rhythm of real-time strategy, focused on planning and executing strategy. In contrast, the learning curve develops gradually, without haste, presenting various mechanics one by one to avoid excessive complexity or harshness.
City States Medieval also has its drawbacks. Even as an indie game, some issues negatively affect the gaming experience and are rarely found in other independent projects from small developers.
Bugs are often present, especially in missions. During testing, it was quite frequent that a task did not complete, halting game progress until the next in-game month. This is a frustrating problem that significantly impacts gameplay, and click errors and crashes also occur frequently.
The interface is too simple, and this is not in a good way. The menus look like they are from a 90s game, suffering from the same problems: poor organization and confusing submenus. Another issue is the lack of clear indicators, such as when needing to find a specific city on the world map, which causes the player to get lost.
Similarly, the lack of distinct features in characters and bright colors makes combat confusing. Although this is a historical element, it complicates situations during critical and chaotic moments of battle. The same applies when trying to locate any structure—they are all very similar and lack clear markers other than their name.
Despite the good learning curve, this indie game is not very informative. Tutorials are unclear in their direction, and there is a constant lack of information on every aspect of the game. Moreover, the game lacks a glossary or guide, forcing the player to memorize everything as it appears during the game, which is extremely difficult given the number of options and mechanics offered by the game.
Overall, the translation is well done but contains many inconsistencies. Names of buildings and units often differ between missions and explanations compared to the game's interface, even if they are translated. This creates unnecessary difficulties in the game and, along with interface problems and the lack of clear indicators, degrades the gaming experience.
In conclusion, City States Medieval is an indie game that has its successes and failures, and it is quite balanced in these aspects. It is an interesting option for those who enjoy more complex strategy games, especially for those looking for something different from traditional games in this genre, as well as for enthusiasts of this historical period.