Info about Going Medieval:

Official game description:
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
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About the Game
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When civilization is decimated by rampant plague, a lucky few emerge from the ashes. Help them settle in a dangerous wilderness reclaimed by nature. Build them a home, shape their lives, and defend them from bandits and beasts in a lawless, realistic post-calamity world. The Dark Age is yours to rebuild.
From three lost travellers to a thriving walled city, build greatness from desolation. Use 3D terrain tools to create the perfect stronghold, from sprawling multi-storey forts to winding underground caverns. Construct, furnish and decorate your chambers, workshops, chapels, libraries and more, using stone, clay, and other gathered materials.
Each settler is a unique character. Consider Grimbold, for example. As a Swineherd, his Animal Handling is second to none. But his personality is Savage, so he’d make a strong Brawler. He likes nice clothes, his religion is dear to him — and he’s hungry. Satisfy Grimbold’s needs, use his talents, and he’ll be a happy settler — key to a happy settlement.
Build impenetrable defenses and set traps against unrelenting waves of raiders. Research and craft medieval tech, arm your settlers and command them in battle. Tailor your strategy to your villager’s skills, and upgrade them through hunting and combat.
Explore your randomly-generated multi-level map and manipulate it to your will. Terraform the earth and water for construction, design, or military strategy. Build up or dig down, go humble or baronial, and use the modding tools to unearth a whole new level of creative freedom.
**_We think you'll love Going Medieval if you enjoy..._**
_RimWorld, Manor Lords, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Timberborn, Crusader Kings III, Civilization, Total War: Medieval II, Age of Empires IV, Frostpunk 2, Nova Roma, Kingdoms and Castles._

Release date: Mar 17, 2026

Categories: City Builder, Survival, Base Building, Resource Management, Character Management, Mod Support, Customization, Strategy

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 30; verdict: Standard; summary: The reviews indicate some concerns about potential Day-1 DLC and the overall value for money of the game. While there are mentions of DLC and pricing, there are no strong indications of predatory monetization practices such as pay-to-win mechanics or aggressive FOMO tactics.
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement; summary: The primary user complaints revolve around the lack of sufficient in-game information and guidance, particularly regarding complex mechanics and build guides. Users frequently rely on external resources like wikis and forums to understand the game, which suggests that the in-game documentation and tutorials are inadequate.
- Steam Deck: score 50; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback for the Steam Deck experience reveals several key issues. Stability problems, particularly with crashes in the main menu under Linux, are a significant concern. Game mechanics, such as auto-save crashes and multi-floor command issues, also pose challenges. Additionally, gameplay experience issues, including complicated controls and settler behavior, are noted. These issues collectively impact the user experience and highlight areas needing improvement.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $25.00 - $30.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that users find the game worth the full price, indicating that the community considers the base game price to be fair. The repeated mentions of the game being worth the money and providing good value suggest that the price range is acceptable to the community. Additionally, the context of the current base game price being $29.99 aligns with the positive sentiment expressed in the reviews.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 20.0h
  - Story completion: 10.0h
  - Session length: 3.6h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides insights into the playtime metrics for the game. The first quote suggests that while the game is fun, the player does not see a reason to invest more time, indicating that the game completion time might be relatively short. The second quote mentions a crash after 3.6 hours of gameplay, suggesting a session length of around 3-4 hours. The third and fourth quotes compare the game to RimWorld, implying that players familiar with RimWorld might find the game completion and story completion times similar, but potentially shorter due to the perceived shallowness of the game.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts with challenging survival mechanics and a learning curve, but becomes enjoyable and addictive once players overcome these initial hurdles and engage with the building and management systems.
  - Stance: Fun after initial challenges
  - Anchor: Overcoming early survival challenges and understanding game mechanics
  - Time to anchor: 2h 0m
  - Friction: Survival struggles in the early game; Shortage of people and resources; Steep learning curve for controls and mechanics
  - Unlock drivers: Understanding game mechanics; Building and management systems
  - Conditions: Relaxing art style; Detailed settlement planning; Rewarding progression systems
- Player Archetypes:
  - Relaxed Colony Builder (buy)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of a casual and relaxing colony-building experience.
    - Playstyle: Casual and relaxed, focusing on building and managing a colony at a leisurely pace.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: casual player; relaxed gamer
    - Reference games: RimWorld; Minecraft
  - Strategy Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Mastery of complex game mechanics and strategic depth.
    - Playstyle: Highly engaged and strategic, focusing on detailed management and long-term planning.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: strategy gamer; management enthusiast
    - Reference games: Dwarf Fortress; Stronghold; RimWorld
  - Critical Observer (no buy)
    - Motivation: Desire for a polished and fully developed game.
    - Playstyle: Observant and critical, focusing on the game's development progress and content updates.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: critical player; observant gamer
    - Reference games: RimWorld; Dwarf Fortress


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Addictive and engaging gameplay (weight 0.33): The gameplay is frequently described as addictive, challenging, and engaging. Players highlight its depth, complexity, and high replayability, which keeps them invested for many hours.
- Freedom in building and design (weight 0.31): Players appreciate the freedom and creativity allowed in building and design. The game offers simplicity and a clear design vision, enabling players to build as they desire.
- Excellent colony simulation (weight 0.27): The game is praised for its deep colony simulation aspects, with many players comparing it favorably to other colony sim games like Rimworld. It offers enjoyable and addictive colony-building experiences.
- Positive overall game experience (weight 0.26): Many players express their enjoyment and satisfaction with the game, describing it as amazing, brilliant, relaxing, and one of their favorites. The game is often praised for its addictive nature and overall quality.
- Regular updates and improvements (weight 0.23): The developers are commended for providing regular updates, bug fixes, and new content. This continuous improvement keeps the game fresh and engaging.
- Top medieval and castle building (weight 0.19): Players highlight the game as one of the best in the medieval and castle-building genre. It is recommended for those who enjoy survival colony management and medieval city-building games.
- Good graphics and visuals (weight 0.19): The game's graphics are well-received, with players noting the good lighting, shadows, and unique graphic style. The visual appeal and good UI experience are also highlighted.
- Plenty of content and activities (weight 0.12): Players note that there is plenty to do in the game, with lots of content, possibilities, and things to research. This keeps the gameplay experience fresh and engaging.
- Modding community support (weight 0.12): The game has a great modding community with many useful mods available. Players appreciate the modding support which enhances the gameplay experience.
- Game with great potential (weight 0.11): The game is seen as having a lot of potential for improvement and great gameplay. Players believe it can become even better with future updates and enhancements.
- Improved and well-designed mechanics (weight 0.09): The game features improved and well-designed mechanics, including massive AI improvements. Players appreciate the interesting and engaging mechanics that enhance the overall experience.
- Unique 3D vertical building (weight 0.09): The game offers a unique 3D vertical building system, allowing for versatile and creative construction. Players enjoy the fully 3D environment and vertical construction options.

Common complaints:
- Pathfinding problems (weight 0.26): The pathfinding system is frequently mentioned as broken or poorly implemented, causing issues with AI movement and navigation.
- AI inefficiency and issues (weight 0.23): The AI is often criticized for being inefficient, stupid, and sometimes non-functional. It frequently gets stuck and exhibits problematic behavior.
- Slow gameplay pace (weight 0.2): The game feels slow in terms of both gameplay pace and development progress, with updates being infrequent and incremental.
- Lack of content variety (weight 0.18): Players have noted a lack of terrain variety, events, and overall content, leading to a less engaging experience.
- Frequent bugs reported (weight 0.16): Players have reported a variety of bugs, ranging from minor issues to significant errors, including problems with modding.
- Settlers ignore commands (weight 0.16): Settlers often ignore player commands and do not perform tasks correctly, leading to frustration and gameplay issues.
- Long development time (weight 0.14): The game has been in early access for a long time with slow and minor updates, leading to frustration among players.
- Performance and optimization issues (weight 0.13): The game suffers from performance issues, including frequent crashes, lag, and stuttering, indicating poor optimization.
- Comparison to RimWorld (weight 0.11): Players feel the game is less functional and offers less value compared to RimWorld, lacking in complexity, development, and quality-of-life features.
- Lack of relationships (weight 0.1): There is a lack of emotional expression and relationships between colonists, including romantic relationships and family structures.
- Micromanagement required (weight 0.09): The game requires a significant amount of micromanagement, which can become tedious and overwhelming for players.
- Poor combat mechanics (weight 0.06): Combat in the game is often criticized as being poorly implemented and frustrating for players.
- Frustration with management (weight 0.06): Players experience frustration with character management, including issues with character deaths and inventory management.
- Multi-floor design issues (weight 0.05): The multi-floor design and operations are criticized as poorly implemented and in need of improvement.
- Turkish player complaints (weight 0.05): Turkish players have specific complaints about the game, including issues with warnings, gaining new settlers, and frustrating mechanics.
- Limited save slots (weight 0.05): The game has limited save slots, which can be inconvenient for players.

Gameplay feedback:
- Detailed building and settlement mechanics (weight 0.29): Players can build and manage settlements, ranging from simple structures to complex castles, with a focus on detailed construction and growth.
- Colony simulation focus (weight 0.26): The game is centered around colony simulation mechanics, including city-building and colony management aspects.
- Settler behavior and interactions (weight 0.19): Settlers in the game have various needs, skills, traits, and activities, with a focus on their behavior and interactions.
- 3D gameplay and environment (weight 0.17): The game features a 3D environment with 3D building systems and gameplay mechanics.
- Strategic combat and planning (weight 0.17): The game offers strategic depth in managing settlers' needs, assigning tasks, and preparing defenses against raiders, with a focus on combat and war planning.
- Similar to RimWorld (weight 0.16): The game is frequently compared to RimWorld in terms of UI, mechanics, and overall gameplay, often described as a 3D version of RimWorld.
- Medieval setting and combat (weight 0.14): Set in a medieval environment, the game focuses on building and combat mechanics, including sieges and defensive structures.
- AI improvements and mechanics (weight 0.13): The game features AI improvements, including settler and villager AI mechanics, behaviors, and tasks.
- Research and modding support (weight 0.11): Players can engage in research activities and benefit from modding support and capabilities.
- Resource gathering and management (weight 0.1): Players engage in resource gathering, including ore and stone mining, and manage logistics and resources.
- Animal husbandry and farming (weight 0.09): The game includes mechanics for raising animals, farming, and managing animal pens and training.
- High customizability (weight 0.06): The game offers high customizability options, including clothing and building customization.

Performance notes:
- Optimization and performance issues (weight 0.33): Many players report various optimization and performance issues, including lag spikes, high resource consumption, and general performance problems.
- Bugs and glitches (weight 0.15): There are reports of various bugs and glitches, including issues with specific mechanics like pathfinding, water physics, and construction.
- Frequent crashes and save issues (weight 0.13): Several players encounter frequent crashes and problems with saving and loading the game, which significantly impacts the gaming experience.
- High system requirements (weight 0.05): The game has high system requirements, making it difficult for players with lower-end hardware to run the game smoothly.
- Menu and transition fluidity (weight 0.04): Players appreciate the intuitive menus and fluid transitions between terrain layers, which enhance the overall user experience.
- Multi-threading optimization (weight 0.02): Suggestions for optimizing the game to a multi-threading model instead of a single-thread model to improve performance.
- Graphics options issues (weight 0.02): Changing graphics options does not have any effect, which frustrates players trying to optimize their game settings.
- Clunky behavior (weight 0.02): The game sometimes looks or behaves clunky, affecting the overall smoothness of gameplay.

Recommendations:
- RimWorld comparison and recommendation (weight 0.22): Many players recommend this game to fans of RimWorld, suggesting it as a good alternative or complementary experience. Some reviews advise playing RimWorld first, indicating a high standard set by RimWorld in the colony sim genre.
- Appeal to colony sim fans (weight 0.19): The game is frequently recommended for fans of colony simulation games, indicating that it caters well to this specific audience. Players who enjoy building and managing colonies are likely to find this game appealing.
- Highly recommended purchase (weight 0.13): A significant number of reviews highly recommend purchasing the game, praising its quality and enjoyment factor. This indicates a strong positive reception among players.
- Specific gameplay improvements suggested (weight 0.1): Players have suggested specific improvements such as adding diagonal wall styles, solving infinite loading issues, and enhancing combat mechanics. These suggestions indicate areas where players feel the game could be improved.
- Mixed recommendations on purchase (weight 0.06): There are mixed reviews regarding the recommendation to purchase the game, with some strongly recommending it and others advising against it. This indicates a divide in player experiences and satisfaction.
- Worth playing despite flaws (weight 0.04): Some reviews acknowledge the game's flaws but still recommend it, suggesting that its strengths outweigh its weaknesses. This indicates a level of tolerance among players for minor issues.
- Support indie developers (weight 0.04): Several reviews encourage supporting indie game developers, highlighting the importance of backing smaller studios. This sentiment reflects a community value of supporting independent creators.
- Multiplayer and faction features (weight 0.04): Some reviews mention ambitious multiplayer-online map features and player factions, indicating interest in these aspects of the game. These features are seen as potential strengths or areas of interest.
- Unique vertical twist and medieval flavor (weight 0.03): The game is praised for offering a unique vertical twist and medieval flavor, setting it apart from other colony sims. This uniqueness is a significant selling point for many players.
- Combination of strategy and survival (weight 0.03): The game is noted for combining strategy and survival elements with Sims-like gameplay, offering a unique blend of genres. This combination is appealing to players who enjoy multiple gameplay styles.
- Sandbox lovers recommendation (weight 0.02): The game is recommended for sandbox lovers, indicating that it offers a high degree of freedom and creativity in gameplay. This appeals to players who enjoy open-ended and exploratory game mechanics.
- Positive feedback on graphics (weight 0.02): The game's graphic style is noted as appealing, suggesting that the visual presentation is well-received by players. This positive feedback highlights the game's aesthetic strengths.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.24): Players are frustrated primarily due to persistent AI and pathfinding issues, which cause settlers to behave illogically and get stuck. Additionally, unclear game mechanics, frequent bugs, and performance issues such as crashes and lag spikes contribute significantly to this frustration. The lack of late-game content, shallow faction systems, and the developers' slow response to community feedback also exacerbate these feelings.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.13): Players enjoy the engaging and fun gameplay, which includes complex management systems, crafting, and rewarding progression. The building mechanics and combat are particularly highlighted as enjoyable aspects. Many players find the game to be a great colony simulator with a pleasant building and resource management experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.09): Players are satisfied with the enjoyable gameplay experience and the surprising amount of content available. The game's building mechanics, character details, and room decoration are particularly praised. Regular updates and the active engagement of developers also contribute to player satisfaction.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Players are excited about the release of the game and its addictive gameplay. The anticipation for the full release and the potential of version 1.0 are significant contributors to this excitement. The unique concept, blend of gameplay mechanics, and the possibility of mods also generate a lot of enthusiasm.
- Disappointment (weight 0.07): Players feel disappointed due to high expectations not being met, with many noting a lack of challenge and slow progression. The game is often compared unfavorably to RimWorld, highlighting missing features, bugs, and a lack of depth and variety. The slow development and lack of updates also contribute to this disappointment.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Players experience joy from the enjoyable gameplay and the continuous content updates. The medieval setting, familiar systems, and the complexity of managing survivors are particularly joy-inducing. The beautiful art style and engaging gameplay also contribute to this positive emotion.
- Frustrated (weight 0.03): Players are frustrated with the time it takes to perform certain actions and the flawed building mechanics. Villagers often get stuck or behave illogically, and the game does not save in the background, leading to forced interruptions. These issues collectively contribute to a frustrating experience.
- Hopeful (weight 0.03): Players are hopeful due to the game's improvements and the fixing of issues before the 1.0 release. They look forward to future updates and continued enjoyment of the game. The active developers and promising roadmap also instill hope for the game's future.
- Hope (weight 0.03): Players have hope for the game's potential for future improvements and the developers' efforts. They anticipate more frequent updates and support for indie game developers. The clear roadmap and developer responsiveness also contribute to this hopeful outlook.
- Excited (weight 0.03): Players are excited about the potential of community mods and the gameplay mechanics and freedom. The hype for the 1.0 version and the game's rich, rewarding, and highly moddable foundation are significant contributors to this excitement. The quality of the game and its unique features also generate enthusiasm.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the detailed gameplay mechanics and historical references. The unique gameplay mechanics and regular updates contribute to this enthusiasm. Positive comparisons to RimWorld and the enjoyment of building mechanics also fuel this positive emotion.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Players feel anger due to game mechanics not working as expected and unrealistic settler behavior. The game being broken and unbalanced, along with increasing bugs and slow updates, also contribute to this anger. The audacity to raise prices despite these issues further exacerbates this emotion.
- Addiction (weight 0.01): Players find the gameplay and updates addictive, with deeply engaging gameplay and high replay value. The game's addictive nature and the overall gameplay experience contribute to this feeling of addiction.
- Relaxation (weight 0.01): Players experience relaxation from the game's relaxing nature and detailed building mechanics. The calming gameplay and soundtrack also contribute to this relaxing experience.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players love the game progression and unique gameplay. The engaging gameplay and customization, along with the ability to create fantasy scenarios and customize characters, contribute to this love for the game.
- Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players are anticipating the 1.0 release and future updates. The potential for more content and addressing core issues, along with the frequent updates and improvements, contribute to this anticipation.
- Positive (weight 0.01): Players express overall satisfaction with the game, calling it great and praising various aspects of the gameplay and development. The game's addictive nature, modding capabilities, and compatibility also contribute to this positive sentiment.
- Happy (weight 0.01): Players are happy with the game's performance on Steam Deck and the overall well-done nature of the game. Enjoying the game and its features, along with loving the game and extensive playtime, contribute to this happiness.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the meaningful updates and the development team's efforts. The good lighting and shadows, along with the devs' love for the game, contribute to this appreciation.
- Engaged (weight 0.01): Players are engaged by the beautiful and engaging gameplay mechanics. The game's building and farming mechanics, along with the progressive learning of mechanics and immersive setting, contribute to this engagement.}