Crown Wars: The Black Prince

With a ton of player customization options, some nice base management, and fun turn-based combat mechanics, Crown Wars: The Black Prince is a no-brainer buy for fans of the genre looking for their next favorite game.

62%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

optimization, grinding

62% User Score Based on 175 reviews

Critic Score 63%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $19.99

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About

"Crown Wars: The Black Prince" is a turn-based tactics and strategy game set in a world on the brink of collapse from the Hundred Years' War. As the lord of your domain, manage resources, recruit and train soldiers, and build squads to fight against the forces of evil. With brutal turn-based combat, your management and strategic skills will be put to the test as you plan missions and tackle the malevolent Order.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 175 reviews

story20 positive mentions

optimization7 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging tactical turn-based combat experience reminiscent of XCOM, set in a medieval context.
Character customization and class variety provide depth and allow players to create unique strategies.
The atmosphere and graphics are appealing, with a dark medieval theme that enhances the overall experience.

The game suffers from frequent crashes and performance issues, making it frustrating to play.
Mission timers create an artificial sense of urgency that detracts from the strategic gameplay.
The AI can be unbalanced, often overwhelming players with superior numbers and abilities, leading to frustrating encounters.

story
176 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
84%
5%
The game's story is often described as simplistic and lacking depth, with many missions feeling repetitive and unchallenging. While some players appreciate the B-movie style and the occasional interesting plot points, the overall narrative is criticized for being poorly developed and riddled with bugs that disrupt gameplay. Despite these issues, the tactical elements and mission variety provide a degree of enjoyment, though many feel the story fails to engage them fully.
- “Story missions involve rescuing kidnapped noblewomen, killing bandits, showing up for meetings that go haywire and spilling blood, etc. An extremely solid 6 or 7 out of 10 on story -- I love B-movies, I like simple plotlines, I want to be given some nice framing for mauling people with a bear.”
- “Additionally, Crown Wars - The Black Prince impresses with its authentic depiction of the medieval world and a deep storyline inspired by historical events.”
- “Overall, it feels a bit like a Wartales rehash with very similar artwork and models and oversimplified combat, with a decent system for between-battle setups, but one that does not feel cohesive as the story is not really developed enough to make what is going on really make sense.”
- “The story, of course, is all over the place -- like National Treasure had a baby with The Messenger and John Wick -- pretty bonkers.”
- “I really like the concept but there's no story I'm excited by and the gameplay doesn't feel compelling.”
gameplay
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
62%
7%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of opinions, with some praising the tactical depth and enjoyable mechanics reminiscent of titles like XCOM, while others criticize the simplicity and balance issues of the battle system. Players appreciate the variety in character progression and mission objectives, but many express frustration over grindy elements, technical bugs, and poorly executed mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a blend of interesting concepts and execution flaws, appealing primarily to fans of tactical turn-based games who can overlook its shortcomings.
- “And the gameplay is all there -- as is the music, sound design, and visual design.”
- “The fluid combat system and reasonable RNG (random number generation) make the gameplay enjoyable, and the tactical depth is comparable to well-regarded titles like 'King Arthur' and 'Final Fantasy Tactics.' The voice-acted story and enticing cinematics add to the immersive experience.”
- “Assembling troops for each mission and the necessity to manage resources wisely create an intense and satisfying gameplay experience.”
- “The battle mechanics are so simple and stupid.”
- “The mechanics of this game are wildly out of balance.”
- “Gameplay is puffed out with filler battles required for the resources to build up the infrastructure of the castle, the soldiers under the player's command.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
61%
13%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them pleasant and cozy, while others criticize them as blurry and reminiscent of mobile games. Although there are commendable aspects like detailed animations and atmospheric design, many feel the visuals fall short compared to contemporary titles, leading to a perception of outdated or simplistic graphics. Overall, while some appreciate the artistic style, others believe it lacks the polish expected from a 2024 release.
- “Graphics are very pleasant, kind of cozy -- very much not AAA mega wowie eye-bleedingly detailed.”
- “The detailed graphics and atmospheric music contribute to an immersive experience that transports players back to the era of the Black Prince.”
- “The game's atmosphere is captivating, and the graphics are impressive, especially the detailed recreations of historical weapons and characters such as Nicolas Flamel and Edward of Woodstock.”
- “What's with the horrible blurry graphics even on the highest settings?”
- “It forces me to play at a 30fps cap with medium settings while the graphics are not complex, as it seems more like a mobile game.”
- “Graphics are pretty mid for a 2024 game - they probably should have just gone for a stylized look instead to cover up the models and animation.”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
41%
41%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues and bugs, while others report smooth gameplay on higher-end systems. Many users highlight poor optimization as a major drawback, suggesting that the game struggles to run efficiently even on capable hardware. However, there are indications that the developers are actively working on improvements based on player feedback.
- “Performance-wise: it runs great on my mid-range AM4 PC.”
- “Haven't run into any performance issues yet and I'm just really enjoying the game.”
- “The optimizations show that the developers are listening to player feedback and continually improving the game.”
- “It's clearly a very bad optimization issue and, as usual, the devs never fix such problems as they point the fingers to your machine.”
- “A highly unoptimized, very run-of-the-mill TRPG.”
- “Still buggy, prone to crash, and pretty bad performance optimization.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and repetitive, with players expressing frustration over the slow-paced combat and the need to repeatedly perform mundane tasks. While some enjoy the weapon and armor customization, many find the experience boring and clunky, with a lack of meaningful progression and scaling issues that exacerbate the grind. Overall, the grind is seen as a significant drawback that detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
- “Now the combat setup is just grinding turns while trying to avoid rage quitting.”
- “Interesting concept, good mechanics, fine weapon and armor customization but grindy as your worst nightmare and has some close to game-breaking bugs.”
- “It's unfortunately just boring, clunky, very repetitive, and unnecessarily grindy for minimal increases.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
89%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting persistent bugs, crashes, and performance issues even after multiple patches. While some players find it playable on mid-range systems, many experience significant glitches, including game freezes and unresponsive controls, leading to an overall frustrating experience. Despite occasional redeeming qualities, the game's stability remains a major concern for players.
- “Performance-wise, it runs great on my mid-range AM4 PC.”
- “The game maintains a steady frame rate, even during intense action sequences.”
- “I've experienced minimal bugs and crashes, making for a smooth gaming experience.”
- “Glad Steam refunded that half-baked product that is still buggy after 14 patches!”
- “I get low-level fatal errors; the game just freezes.”
- “Still buggy, prone to crash, and pretty bad performance optimization.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it poor and not well-suited to the gameplay, leading to a lack of immersion during critical moments. While a few users appreciated the atmospheric elements, many expressed a desire for a more engaging and fitting soundtrack, describing it as mediocre overall.
- “And the gameplay is all there -- as is the music, sound design, and visual design.”
- “The detailed graphics and atmospheric music contribute to an immersive experience that transports players back to the era of the Black Prince.”
- “Graphics, music, and gameplay are all very good.”
- “The music is very poor and doesn't go well with the gameplay.”
- “The music is really bad and needs fixing; it makes waiting for the AI to move even more boring.”
- “I would have preferred a better soundtrack; the music is mediocre.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive experience, characterized by detailed graphics and atmospheric music that effectively transport players to a grim medieval setting. The accurate historical depictions, along with elements of occultism and dark arts, further enhance the captivating ambiance, making it a standout feature of the game.
- “The detailed graphics and atmospheric music contribute to an immersive experience that transports players back to the era of the Black Prince.”
- “The game's grim atmosphere is enhanced by its accurate depiction of the historical period and the introduction of occultism and dark arts.”
- “War of the Crowns: a grim medieval atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere and design.”
- “The game's atmosphere is captivating, and the graphics are impressive, especially the detailed recreations of historical weapons and characters such as Nicolas Flamel and Edward of Woodstock.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by fun and quirky unit barks during combat, which add an endearing touch to the experience. However, some players note a lack of the more absurd or "stupid" humor found in previous installments, suggesting a shift towards a more straightforward comedic style.
- “The most important thing is this: the actual unit barks during combat are fun, sometimes funny, and often quirky and endearing.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers highlight the game's potential for high replayability, comparing it to X-COM due to its mix of scripted story elements and random battles that can create varied experiences in each playthrough.
- “I see so much potential with this title, and I hope they stick with it because it could legitimately be a medieval rival to XCOM in terms of replayability.”
- “Replay value - the story and their associated battles may be scripted, but random battles can make prospective playthroughs different.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn criticism for its perceived overemphasis on female characters, which some players find historically inaccurate and annoying, particularly in the context of the game's setting. This sentiment reflects a broader frustration with how gender representation is handled in marketing and game design.
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, with constant prompts to spend money on in-game purchases that disrupt the overall experience.”
- “It's frustrating that essential content is locked behind paywalls, making it difficult to enjoy the game without shelling out extra cash.”
- “The game seems designed to push players towards microtransactions, which detracts from the enjoyment and immersion.”