Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt – PC (Review)

Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt – PC (Review)

Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt is exactly that, Townsmen, rebuilt. Townsmen itself has been around since about 2012, so being about 7ish years old, I guess it was time to clean it up a bit. In case you aren’t familiar with Townsmen, it’s a fantasy city builder. So you can imagine a fantasy style Sim City, with a small story attached, you have Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt!

Right off the bat, Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt doesn’t have a steep learning curve. So some experienced players may feel it be a bit slow in the first missions. Though you can build anywhere it is very linear and forceful in its training. This game looks to be a mobile port. I say that cautiously as I am not 100% sure, but by the looks of the UI I would say so. The icons and menus are large looking to be used with fingers with touchscreens.

The gameplay of Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt, is fairly casual. You have minor missions in each chapter to complete before you can move on. These could be simply getting enough food for winter, or to rebuild burned down buildings. Though the early hours of the game are simple, it will ramp up and make you use all of the skills you’ve gathered throughout the earlier missions. The game did keep, well close to it, your kingdom’s layout from chapter to chapter, sometimes I placed buildings in areas where buildings for the story were meant to be in the next chapter. Unlike other strategy games with storylines, this one you really don’t move to different areas. All of the drama and work will be done where you start. After a bit, I was craving a change of scenery. Like I mentioned earlier, the missions will need you to build a building, upgrade a building, or work on getting your citizens to be happy, which is…easier said than done. What was nice, the missions weren’t just blind, thankfully.

Luckily they had a small story that would make some sense out of what and why you were doing these missions. The story is simple, to prove that you are a mighty leader and can handle a kingdom. Don’t expect anything mind blowing but its just enough to keep the game moving and you want to keep moving as well.

The graphics are fun and work well with the theme of the game. You can fairly quickly see whos angry or happy, or what building is working and what may be out of materials. Overall they are quite charming and really were something to look at when the seasons changed in the game. Seeing what once was lush green areas and then seeing the snow blanket the area and buildings really worked for my experience in the game.

Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt is a fun casual game and besides looking like a mobile port, it quite fun to play and get lost for a bit. Hardcore RTS or city simulator fans may be put off at first, due to the slow beginning. I’d recommend diving in if you’re looking for some fun, time-wasting simulation.

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Editor’s Note:  GameOctane editor Jason Germino received a code for review and to share his experiences with the GameOctane audience.  

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