Crown Wars: The Black Prince
- December 31, 2023
- Artefacts Studio
- 10h median play time
For the most part, Crown Wars: The Black Knight is a disappointing addition for a genre crying out for quality entries.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games Store"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.
PC
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game offers a surprisingly strong entry in the tactical turn-based genre with solid combat mechanics and eco-management fundamentals.
- Customization options for characters and companions are extensive, allowing players to tailor their experience with unique appearances and abilities.
- The tactical combat is engaging and challenging, providing a satisfying sense of progression as players develop their characters and strategies.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and unresponsive animations, which detract from the overall experience.
- Mission timers create an artificial sense of urgency that undermines the tactical gameplay, often forcing players into rushed decisions.
- Balancing issues lead to frustrating encounters, with enemies often feeling overpowered and spawning in overwhelming numbers, making certain missions feel unfair.
- story113 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story in the game is described as a mix of B-movie action tropes, featuring simple plotlines centered around missions like rescuing noblewomen and battling bandits, which some players find enjoyable despite its lack of depth. While the writing and voice acting have received criticism for being wooden and unengaging, the overall narrative structure allows for strategic decision-making that impacts gameplay. However, many players feel that the repetitive mission types and pacing issues detract from the experience, leading to a mixed reception regarding the story's effectiveness.
“The story, of course, is all over the place -- like National Treasure had a baby with The Messenger and John Wick -- pretty bonkers.”
“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.”
“The plot is enjoyable and moves at a challenging pace.”
“The story is all over the place -- like National Treasure had a baby with The Messenger and John Wick -- pretty bonkers.”
“I've had to stay locked out of the story while I farm missions to get my gear and weapons up to par.”
“The timer in missions in turn-based strategies is minus 5 points out of 10 for me, because it means that the developers can't balance the game properly, make interesting tasks and just make this timer that limits you in everything except tactics, take and run to kill everyone without any tactical moments.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its fluid combat system, tactical depth, and enjoyable mechanics reminiscent of titles like "XCOM," while others criticize it for being grindy, unbalanced, and plagued by bugs. Players appreciate the character progression and weapon customization, but many feel that the mechanics can be frustrating and lack the excitement found in similar games. Overall, the gameplay offers a blend of satisfying tactical elements and significant shortcomings that may deter some players.
“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.”
“Strategy 'layer' is a bit light, sure - but it serves (I'd like to see them expand on it in the future) - but the battlefields are all amazing and varied, character progression and skill trees fun and interesting (including leveling up skills in individual weapons alongside class skills, which is a great mechanic for a ton of variety), and I just thoroughly enjoy all the battles - especially as your mercs start developing their skill sets and finding synergies between them.”
“This is a lazy mechanic.”
“The mechanics of this game are wildly out of balance.”
“The map was a mostly open field, so there is no position that has any advantage over any other, and alerting any enemy always alerted the entire map, which has never been the case in any other mission. I was expected to fight 14 enemies (all of whom are at least equal to or better than each of mine) at once with 4 characters in a straight-up slugging match, which is the antithesis of tactical gameplay.”
- graphics13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as pleasant and cozy, though not particularly impressive compared to titles like XCOM 2, with some reviewers noting a simplistic, almost childlike aesthetic. While the customization options are appreciated, many feel the graphics are underwhelming for a 2024 release, suggesting a stylized approach might have been more effective. Overall, the visual design has its strengths, but it also suffers from glitches and a lack of polish in certain areas.
“Graphics are very pleasant, kind of cozy -- very much not AAA mega wowie eye-bleedingly detailed.”
“"Crown Wars: The Black Prince" stands out as a solid tactical RPG with many strong points, particularly in terms of its graphic design and animation.”
“Graphically it does well, the customization all looks nice and you can go into significant detail.”
“Graphics kinda meme, gameplay kinda boring, feels like an old game.”
“Children game graphics but has full 'bec de corbin to the face' violence in the first 3 minutes.”
“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.”
- optimization12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting smooth performance on mid-range and high-end systems, while others experience significant performance issues, bugs, and crashes. Despite some improvements noted after patches, many users still find the game poorly optimized compared to other titles, leading to a lack of depth and strategy in gameplay. Overall, while some players enjoy a stable experience, the game's optimization remains a concern for many.
“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.”
“Fired it up after I already played the demo at Nextfest and could immediately see that the devs took the time to polish the game more and optimized it.”
“A highly unoptimized, very run of the mill TRPG.”
“Very poor optimization.”
“Still buggy, prone to crash, and pretty bad performance optimization.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often describing it as a "grind your worst nightmare." While the game features interesting mechanics and customization options, the repetitive nature of leveling up and resource gathering detracts from the overall experience, making it feel clunky and unnecessarily drawn out. Many reviewers express that the grind can overshadow the enjoyment of missions, leading to a lack of excitement and engagement.
“Interesting concept, good mechanics, fine weapon and armor customization, but grindy as your worst nightmare and has some close to game-breaking bugs.”
“These interludes where all you do is groan in frustration as you slowly move your units around one at a time, doing movements that never interest or excite you but are just tedious busywork, while struggling against yet another isometric game's typically unwieldy camera.”
“Levels for your characters are really grindy and XP doesn't scale with mobs you killed but with the level of the mission, which is kind of ridiculous.”
- stability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- -29 % neutral mentions
- 86 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably problematic, with users reporting persistent bugs, crashes, and performance issues despite multiple patches. While some players find it playable on mid-range systems, they still encounter significant glitches, such as graphical errors and unresponsive elements, which can disrupt gameplay. Overall, the game is considered unstable and in need of further optimization.
“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, which really enhances the overall experience.”
“Glad Steam refunded that half-baked product that is still buggy after 14 patches!”
“The crash is usually preceded by graphical glitches; for example, the status bar that shows how many days remain until a companion is healed will be blank, only showing the green symbol that they are still healing.”
“Still buggy, prone to crash, and pretty bad performance optimization.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by quirky and endearing unit barks during combat, which are often fun and occasionally funny. 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 approach.
“The most important thing is this: the actual unit barks during combat are fun, sometimes funny, and often quirky and endearing.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised, with reviewers noting it as a strong component alongside the sound design and visual elements, contributing positively to the overall gameplay experience.
“The gameplay is all there -- as is the music, sound design, and visual design.”
“The graphics, music, and gameplay are all very good.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect has drawn criticism for its perceived overemphasis on female characters, which some players find historically inaccurate and annoying, particularly in contexts where it feels forced or insincere. 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 nearly impossible to enjoy the game fully without spending extra.”
“The game heavily relies on microtransactions, which detracts from the enjoyment and makes it feel more like a cash grab than a genuine gaming experience.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers highlight the significant potential for replayability in the game, comparing it favorably to X-COM and expressing hope for future updates that could enhance this aspect further.
“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.”
“The game lacks the depth and variety needed to keep me coming back for more after the first playthrough.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to replay, as the choices don't significantly alter the experience.”
