It’s no secret that I’m a fan of medieval scenarios. I’ve done more than a few alchemist games on just this site (*cough* Potionomics *cough*). I’m also a fan of simulators, like Construction Simulator, Farming Simulator, or anything else that lets me see the nitty gritty minutia of these common, but unseen tasks. So when I had the opportunity to take a closer look at Medieval Machines Builder, I was excited to see what details might be presented for us to play with.
Medieval Machines Builder is a curious little mishmash of game types. Take the resource collection and crafting mechanics from your typical survival game. Take the gathering and building mechanics from your typical builder game. And of course, you have to scratch that itch and actually fire your weapon at targets. You’ll chop, hammer, saw, and more as you construct the perfect weapon to lead your army to victory!
Medieval Machines Builder First Siege releases Q1 2024 on Steam.
Story – Insert Tab A Into Slot B
Gotta be upfront with you right now. This is an early preview of Medieval Machines Builder, so that excuses a lot, but as of this preview, what I played had virtually no story. That’s not a terrible thing; I’ve played Farming Simulator, so I know how to make my own story, but still, this game really screams out for more. The story, for what little it is, is that you are an engineer sent to the front lines to help win the war. If they told me who our enemy was, I forgot it, not that you see them, anyway.
The entirety of the story is that you’re here and it’s time to get to work. You grab your tools, chop down some trees, and you even talk to a singular NPC (who doesn’t face you while talking.) But mostly, you just grab things and build. I’m not sure why we’re at war, there certainly seems to be no great pressure for me to finish in any time frame, and my targets are all empty structures.
I want more. I like the idea of building these weapons, but I need more to bite into here. If I’ve been called in because I’m the only one that can build this, make me feel like it. Put a little pressure on me. Let me see the rank and file soldiers fortifying the position, risking their lives for me so that I can build the machine that will save everyone. I want to see the enemy (at all!) trying to counter my weapons, or at the very least concerned that I’m building them. Medieval Machines Builder has some fun gameplay, but very little reason for me to feel engaged with it. So far.
When you bring the pieces together, they automatically slot into place.
Gameplay – The Art of Siege
I’m going to break this into two sections, because I have a bit to say about the gameplay itself. First, I want to go over the actual mechanics of what you’re doing because that’s the meat and potatoes. But then I really need to bend your ear a bit on the actual controls.
Mechanics – Safe, but Samey
Medieval Machines Builder is a fairly standard affair when it comes to the building. You have an axe, a hammer, a saw, and a few more tools that aren’t implemented yet. Chop down a tree to get a log. Heft that log onto your shoulder like you’re World’s Strongest Man Nick Best, and bring it back to camp. Play a few minigames to debark the log and saw it into the appropriate sizes. And… that’s it for gathering. Literally everything else was provided in the camp for me, like rope, nails, metal, etc. I did have to fetch an NPC a beer to gain access to one chest, but beyond that, I literally just grabbed all the premade pieces from around the camp.
Once you’ve gathered your supplies, drop them onto the build site with handy guides, hammer a few things, and voila! You have a catapult. To its credit, it fires more than just the boulders waiting in camp, but beyond that, it’s not terribly in-depth from there. Move to one part of the catapult to adjust height and to another to adjust distance… then whoosh! Send your missiles flying into enemy targets. Or… empty villages. There’s no resistance, nothing fighting back, it’s just target practice at this point. Hopefully there will be something more substantial in the final product.
Impressively, you even have to debark the wood before you can use it.
Controls – WASD vs Controller
For most games I’ve played, I usually have a preferred control style, something that makes playing the game feel easier, more intuitive. So when I saw I could do either mouse and keyboard or controller for this game, I figured I’d give them both a whirl to see which is best. And my results? It depends…
The item wheel, where you hold all your tools, is a bit clunky in this game. You press tab to open it, then move your mouse to the tool you want, including an empty hand. Contrariwise, you can hold down the shoulder button and just tilt the analog stick in the proper direction. Doesn’t sound like a huge thing, but when you have to swap between bare hands to carry and move things, then the tool to work on wood, over and over, it gets tedious. A dedicated “hands” button would’ve been amazing, but as it stands, the controller barely wins because it seems to default to hands, meaning I can put away my tool faster and easier.
Beyond that, Medieval Machines Builder is, in my opinion, better played with mouse and keyboard. It’s easier to navigate the camp and forest, though for what few things there are to do in the camp, you might not notice a difference.
I like the tool wheel, but I wish it was more convenient to navigate.
Audio & Graphics – Inoffensive, but Unimpressive
As I’ve said before, the music in an early access game isn’t a deal breaker for me. Not only can it change, but it’s very likely to change. That said, just to be thorough, there’s nothing particularly outstanding about the music in Medieval Machines Builder. To be honest, the audio in general is nothing to write home about. Serviceable. No voice acting. No catchy scores. Just footsteps and wood chopping sound effects.
The graphics however are… underwhelming. Again, it’s early access. But the environment in the preview I was given did little to suck me in. The NPCs don’t move. The area is a bit drab. And I’m pretty certain that I’m just a pair of floating hands. None of the tools, resources, or items in the environment seem to react to physics. Visually, the game just continues to remind you that you’re playing a simulation. Hopefully there will be some polish on it by release.
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- I was surprised to find a level up system.
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- There aren’t many maps available yet, but hopefully that will improve.
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- Launching projectiles at the village is actually kinda fun.
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- The NPCs are rather lifeless, but hopefully they’ll be improved.
Medieval Machines Builder First Siege was previewed on PC with a review key provided by Freemind Games.
