Manor Lords Review: A Promising Medieval City Builder Marred by Performance and AI?

Manor Lords has arrived in Early Access, promising a blend of city-building and medieval strategy that aims for historical plausibility over fantastical escapism. As a seasoned PC gaming enthusiast with a soft spot for the genre, I've been eagerly anticipating this title. Does it live up to the hype? The answer, as with many Early Access titles, is complicated. This Manor Lords review will delve into the game's core mechanics, address performance concerns, analyze community feedback, and even compare it to a genre giant: Crusader Kings III. We'll also explore how Manor Lords mods, specifically "Better AI Lords" and "Manor Lords Economy Tweaks", are impacting the experience.

Gameplay Impressions: Building a Medieval Estate

At its heart, Manor Lords tasks you with developing a medieval settlement, managing resources, constructing buildings, and expanding your territory. The game's appeal lies in its detailed building mechanics. You're not just plopping down pre-fabricated structures. Instead, you designate zones for residential areas, farmland, and industrial buildings, giving you fine-grained control over your town's layout. The visuals are stunning, with realistic-looking fields, forests, and towns that organically grow over time.

Modding the Experience: Better AI Lords and Economy Tweaks

One of the strengths of PC gaming is the ability to tailor the experience through mods. Manor Lords is already benefiting from a vibrant modding community. Two mods, in particular, stand out: "Better AI Lords" and "Manor Lords Economy Tweaks."

Better AI Lords Mod Analysis

The "Better AI Lords" mod, found on Nexus Mods here: https://www.nexusmods.com/manorlords/mods/17, attempts to address concerns about the vanilla AI's tactical decision-making during battles. While the base game's combat can feel somewhat simplistic, this mod aims to enhance the AI's ability to strategically position its units, utilize terrain advantages, and react dynamically to player actions.

From my experience, and based on user feedback, the mod does improve AI behavior to some extent. AI lords seem to be more aggressive and make smarter tactical choices. However, it doesn't completely overhaul the combat system. It enhances existing strengths but doesn't fundamentally change the core mechanics. User feedback suggests that mod installation is relatively straightforward, involving simply placing the mod files into the correct directory, as outlined in the mod's description.

Manor Lords Economy Tweaks Mod Analysis

The "Manor Lords Economy Tweaks" mod, available at https://www.nexusmods.com/manorlords/mods/7, focuses on rebalancing the game's economic system. It alters trade values, resource yields, and the cost of buildings, aiming for a more challenging and realistic economic simulation.

This mod appears to address a core gameplay weakness: the perceived ease of resource accumulation in the base game. By making resources scarcer and trade more crucial, the mod forces players to make more strategic economic decisions. It enhances the economic simulation, making it more engaging and challenging.

Modding: Ease of Installation

Based on user feedback, installing mods in Manor Lords is generally considered easy. Most mods come with clear instructions on where to place the files. Some users have reported minor issues with compatibility between different mods, but these seem to be relatively rare.

Performance Analysis: Stuttering and VRAM Issues

Unfortunately, Manor Lords is not without its technical issues. Many players, especially those with systems equipped with 8GB of VRAM, are reporting stuttering, particularly when foliage density and draw distance settings are set to high.

Specific Steam forum threads, such as this one and this one, highlight these problems. Users report FPS drops from a stable 60 to sub-30 when zooming out or when the camera pans across densely forested areas. Reducing foliage density from "High" to "Medium" seems to alleviate the stuttering for some, but not all, players.

Another thread here suggests experimenting with shadow quality and ambient occlusion settings to improve performance. The common system specs cited in these threads include RTX 3060 or similar cards with 8GB of VRAM, paired with mid-range CPUs like Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel i5-10400. These performance issues are significant and hopefully will be addressed in future updates.

User Review Synthesis: Praise and Criticism

The user reviews for Manor Lords are mixed, reflecting the game's Early Access state. Some players are praising its intricate building mechanics, while others are criticizing the lack of clear tutorials and player guidance.

One positive review from Steam user "MedievalMaster123" states: "The building mechanics in this game are incredible. I love the freedom to design my own town and see it grow organically. The attention to detail is amazing!"

In contrast, a negative review from Steam user "FrustratedGamer" says: "I'm completely lost. The game doesn't explain anything, and I'm constantly running out of resources. There's no proper tutorial, and I'm just fumbling around in the dark."

This conflicting feedback points to a potential difficulty curve issue. The game's mechanics are complex, and the lack of clear guidance can be overwhelming for new players. This could be a deliberate design choice, aiming for a more realistic and challenging experience, but it's also alienating some players.

Crusader Kings III Comparison: Influence and Regional Control

Manor Lords shares some similarities with Crusader Kings III, particularly in how it handles regional control. In Crusader Kings III, vassals amass holdings that provide income and levies, shaping the political landscape. In Manor Lords, influence is the key to staking claims on territory and expanding your region.

The influence system in Manor Lords allows you to spend accumulated influence points to claim territories adjacent to your existing holdings. Each territory offers unique resources and strategic advantages. However, claiming territory also increases the likelihood of conflict with neighboring lords.

This system, while simpler than Crusader Kings III's complex web of dynastic relationships, still leads to emergent gameplay stories. Alliances can be forged, betrayals can occur, and wars can be fought over valuable territories. The long-term impact of these systems on the player's strategic choices is significant. In Crusader Kings III, careful marriage alliances and strategic assassinations can secure your dynasty's future. In Manor Lords, wise use of influence and a strong army are essential for expanding your domain.

While Crusader Kings III often generates narratives driven by character relationships and inheritance, Manor Lords creates stories focused on territorial disputes, resource management, and economic competition. These different approaches create unique but equally engaging gameplay experiences.

Is Manor Lords Worth Buying in Early Access?

Manor Lords is a promising title with a unique blend of city-building and medieval strategy. Its detailed building mechanics and stunning visuals are impressive. However, the game suffers from performance issues and a steep learning curve. The modding community is already addressing some of these concerns, with mods like "Better AI Lords" and "Manor Lords Economy Tweaks" enhancing the gameplay experience.

Whether Manor Lords is worth buying in Early Access depends on your tolerance for bugs and incomplete features. If you're a patient gamer who enjoys supporting developers and providing feedback, then Manor Lords might be worth a look. However, if you're looking for a polished and bug-free experience, you might want to wait for a more mature release.

Ultimately, Manor Lords has the potential to be a great game. It offers a unique and engaging experience that scratches that city-builder/strategy itch. But, it's crucial to remember that it is still an Early Access title.

Final Verdict

Manor Lords shows considerable promise but needs further optimization and refinement. The modding community is helping to bridge some of the gaps, but the developers need to address the performance issues and improve player guidance. Keep an eye on this title as it progresses through Early Access – it could very well become a standout in the genre.

Score: 7.5/10 (with potential for significant improvement)

CTA: Check out Manor Lords on Steam and join the community to provide feedback!