Lords and Villeins
released on Nov 10, 2022
Build and grow your settlement in a city-building simulation of medieval society.
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Feudal colony sim akin to Rimworld or Songs of Syx that focuses on the politics / social interrelations of feudalism.
You aren't just an omniscient ruler with perfect control over your subjects or the direction of your kingdom; you have to actually engage with establishing households, families, lineages of artisans. Your resources are taxed from the holding families rather than fully controlled, and to establish new families or improve existing ones you have to enable them to trade with each other as well as help them directly with gifts of materials.
In that respect it's particularly unique. Pretty tough to get into though, with a long tutorial that still leaves you feeling a little adrift in the main part of the game.
You aren't just an omniscient ruler with perfect control over your subjects or the direction of your kingdom; you have to actually engage with establishing households, families, lineages of artisans. Your resources are taxed from the holding families rather than fully controlled, and to establish new families or improve existing ones you have to enable them to trade with each other as well as help them directly with gifts of materials.
In that respect it's particularly unique. Pretty tough to get into though, with a long tutorial that still leaves you feeling a little adrift in the main part of the game.
Feels like it's overcomplicating itself for the sake of being unique. The more I play, the more confusing the progression gets.
For one, your settlers don't do much... without you telling them to. The resource management is a big headache, you have to constantly be giving the families resources for them to do anything.
There's no real direction either, sure it's a city builder, but it feels like I have no real reason to keep building more things, as it just feels like a big chore.
Although I have never played similar games like RimWorld or Dwarf Fortress, those games just seem like way better options if you're looking for a micromanagement colony sim.
For one, your settlers don't do much... without you telling them to. The resource management is a big headache, you have to constantly be giving the families resources for them to do anything.
There's no real direction either, sure it's a city builder, but it feels like I have no real reason to keep building more things, as it just feels like a big chore.
Although I have never played similar games like RimWorld or Dwarf Fortress, those games just seem like way better options if you're looking for a micromanagement colony sim.
Honestly a really competent city builder that still has a few bugs and confusing aspects but is overall enjoyable. The tutorials take a while but they are worth your time. I wouldn't pay full price for this game as it stands but if you got it as part of the humble choice bundle it is DEFINITELY worth a try.
This game is currently in the Humble Choice for October 2023, and this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before November 7th, 2023, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.
Become a lord, with the worst vassals possible.
Lords and Villeins has the player acting like a leader who can divide up a kingdom, create houses, parcel out the land, and decide what goes on. You build your city by designing zones, filling them with blueprints, and giving the household the materials to construct those blueprints. There are a lot of levels here, and just the first one took me the entire hour.
However, after that hour, I would have put down the game no matter what. None of the NPCs seems to have a single thought in their head. You have to give them the materials for everything, you can’t just have them pull from the big warehouse, instead, you’re expected to grant or gift them items, potentially selling goods so they can build the blueprints you’ve demanded. I get this might be an attempt to replicate how the lord fiefdom system worked, and why it was bad, but it just is all micromanagement with very little payback. Perhaps later there's a way to automate this, but it really should have been taught in that first mission because without that, the game is quite annoying.
Don’t pick this one up. I know there’s a strong community out there, but there’s a strong community for a lot of games. It reminds me a lot of Amazing Cultivation Simulator or what I’ve heard Rimworld is like, but also done in such a way I get more frustrated than feeling I have agency. Also, a lot of that hour was spent speeding up time because things take entirely too long here.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/rdJm-7HQysM
Become a lord, with the worst vassals possible.
Lords and Villeins has the player acting like a leader who can divide up a kingdom, create houses, parcel out the land, and decide what goes on. You build your city by designing zones, filling them with blueprints, and giving the household the materials to construct those blueprints. There are a lot of levels here, and just the first one took me the entire hour.
However, after that hour, I would have put down the game no matter what. None of the NPCs seems to have a single thought in their head. You have to give them the materials for everything, you can’t just have them pull from the big warehouse, instead, you’re expected to grant or gift them items, potentially selling goods so they can build the blueprints you’ve demanded. I get this might be an attempt to replicate how the lord fiefdom system worked, and why it was bad, but it just is all micromanagement with very little payback. Perhaps later there's a way to automate this, but it really should have been taught in that first mission because without that, the game is quite annoying.
Don’t pick this one up. I know there’s a strong community out there, but there’s a strong community for a lot of games. It reminds me a lot of Amazing Cultivation Simulator or what I’ve heard Rimworld is like, but also done in such a way I get more frustrated than feeling I have agency. Also, a lot of that hour was spent speeding up time because things take entirely too long here.
If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/rdJm-7HQysM