Grand Ages: Medieval

About

"Grand Ages: Medieval" is a large-scale, real-time empire simulation game that combines elements of trade, expansion, and exploration. Players must strategically found cities, manage resources, and defend their kingdom in a game world of over 20 million square kilometers. The game features 50 major technological advancements to research and utilize, as well as the production and trade of 20 different goods. This game is not a sequel to "Grand Ages: Rome" and offers a focus on economical domination.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+20

46%

Audience ScoreBased on 899 reviews

gameplay28 positive mentions

replayability9 negative mentions

Visually appealing with a large map and decent graphics.
Engaging economic management and trade system that requires strategic thinking.
Campaign mode serves as a helpful tutorial for new players.

Combat mechanics are simplistic and lack depth, often resulting in tedious battles.
Limited variety of resources and buildings, leading to repetitive gameplay.
Diplomacy feels shallow and is primarily based on monetary bribes rather than meaningful interactions.

gameplay
138 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
63%
17%
The gameplay of "Grand Ages: Medieval" is a mixed bag, with players noting its blend of city-building, trade, and military strategy, but often criticizing it for lacking depth and complexity. While the mechanics are accessible and the game offers a decent entry point for newcomers, many seasoned players find the gameplay repetitive and shallow, with limited engagement due to simplistic economic and combat systems. Overall, the game has potential but suffers from bugs and a lack of content, leading to a less rewarding experience for those seeking a more intricate strategy game.
- “The campaign slowly introduces you to new mechanics, allowing you to gradually learn how to play one step at a time without getting frustrated or stuck.”
- “Gameplay and pace of the cities is good.”
- “It's actually really peaceful and enjoyable just to watch your (eventually) sprawling country to just 'live.'”
- “While these mechanics are solid, they may feel somewhat shallow compared to more dedicated city-building or strategy games.”
- “However, the lack of substantial diversity in gameplay mechanics and a somewhat linear progression may limit long-term engagement for some players.”
- “The mechanics are too simple, combat doesn't add anything to the game, as it is automatic, diplomacy is very basic, the atmosphere doesn't feel medieval at all, and trade, which is the most developed component of the game, is extremely simple, and even automated.”
graphics
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
49%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their beauty and detail, while others criticize the lack of polish and cultural diversity in the visuals. Some players highlight the stunning art style and smooth performance, but there are also reports of technical issues, particularly with certain graphics cards. Overall, while the game boasts appealing aesthetics, it may not meet the high expectations set by other titles in the genre.
- “The graphics of this game are stunning.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and there is a lot of detail in the world.”
- “Graphically it's lovely to look at with a well-chosen art style and color palette.”
- “The game's visuals are serviceable but fall short of delivering a truly immersive experience.”
- “While the landscapes and cities are adequately detailed, the graphics lack the polish and intricacy seen in other titles within the genre.”
- “Graphics were messed up horribly and I redownloaded it twice with no change, please fix.”
story
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
6%
The story in "Grand Ages: Medieval" is generally viewed as a mixed bag; while some players appreciate its intriguing historical context and well-paced campaign that serves as a tutorial, others criticize it for being too short and lacking depth after the main storyline concludes. Many reviews highlight the campaign's engaging narrative elements, but express disappointment over the limited post-campaign content and repetitive missions, suggesting that the game could benefit from more variety and complexity in its storytelling. Overall, the game offers a visually appealing and technically sound experience, but players feel it falls short in delivering a robust and fulfilling narrative.
- “Some well-paced targets and a decent story made the campaign worth the money.”
- “The single-player campaign/tutorial is intriguingly written with a good learning curve and a well-presented story.”
- “The campaign story is decent quality and can get you around 8 hours of play.”
- “The most 'story' you'll get out of this game is a tiny bit of banter as you engage in diplomacy with other rulers.”
- “Even then, the lack of storyline and clear endgame conditions makes you wonder what you're spending all that gaming time for.”
- “The campaign acts as a basic tutorial, and while it explains some game concepts very well, it completely ignores other key aspects of the game, and if you try to follow the story to the letter, it will probably lead to bankruptcy and frustration.”
music
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
42%
8%
The music in the game is generally praised for its beautiful, relaxing, and atmospheric qualities, often described as soft and medieval-inspired, enhancing the overall experience. However, some players find the soundtrack repetitive or bland, with a few noting that it could benefit from more variety. Overall, while the music is a highlight for many, opinions vary on its depth and engagement throughout gameplay.
- “The music score is very beautiful and complements the roving landscape.”
- “Music – I personally love the music in this game, nice and soft medieval music.”
- “The towns feel alive and are incredibly visually appealing while the soundtrack is peacefully immersive, drawing you into this economic simulation.”
- “Music and sound effects are pretty repetitive.”
- “The soundtrack is bland, the voices are reused and have like 10 lines of dialogue.”
- “The music is bland and uninspiring.”
replayability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
54%
35%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as limited, with many players noting a lack of depth in mechanics such as trading, battles, and diplomacy, which leads to a repetitive experience. While there are various factions and strategies to explore, the overall consensus is that the game falls short in providing long-term engagement, with many players feeling that it lacks the complexity needed for sustained replay value. Improvements and expansions could enhance replayability, but as it stands, the game is seen as offering only a brief period of enjoyment before becoming monotonous.
- “The game offers a degree of replayability, with various factions to choose from and different strategies to explore.”
- “Try different things and if it doesn't work, well then you learn and add to the replayability of the game.”
- “While the game does have pretty much unlimited replay value, at its core, it's all about building the right industries and sending the right goods to the right place so you're basically doing the same thing all the time: building industries and sending traders away.”
- “This lack of replay value destroys the value of buying the game.”
- “The replayability could be higher... once I figured out an economic solution, all it took to expand was a simple clone of successful trade routes in different regions.”
- “This ridiculous tedium, lack of complexity, and low replay value renders Grand Ages: Medieval a dismal game.”
grinding
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious and monotonous, often lacking complexity or challenge. Players find the micro-management of supply chains and trading to be particularly burdensome, with repetitive tasks that detract from enjoyment. Overall, the game is criticized for its tediousness, especially in combat and resource management, leading to a frustrating experience rather than a fulfilling one.
- “Only get this when on heavy discount and only if extremely simplistic, tedious, and monotonous micro-management supply chain economy games without any joy, fun, or excitement are really your cup of tea.”
- “The on-rails quests and requirement to schlepp building materials across the map make it a very tedious game.”
- “I am very disappointed that this game, which has so much potential, is so poorly balanced that even at the beginning it's too grindingly difficult to move the story forward without an insane amount of frustration.”
stability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
73%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and unbalanced mechanics leading to a frustrating experience. Many players describe it as unfinished and riddled with issues, detracting from overall enjoyment. While a few users claim it feels complete and bug-free, the overwhelming consensus points to significant stability problems that hinder gameplay.
- “But, again: it feels complete and is truly bug free.”
- “The game is buggy, unbalanced, and unfinished.”
- “It's not a game, it's a bug-ridden con.”
- “I don't know if it was intended this way or if it's just glitches, but it seems like troops don't always want to engage enemies that are already in combat, which is rather strange.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is described as a mix of amusing moments and frustrating experiences, with players finding the in-game commentary and certain bugs entertaining. However, the initial humor tends to wear off quickly, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and boredom. Overall, while there are funny elements, they do not significantly enhance the gameplay experience.
- “Fighting system is also bad and made me laugh when I've been looking at my army struggling for days to slay just one bandit.”
- “In-game 'commentary' - rather funny to listen to, might have to turn the music down.”
- “Funny game.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with users highlighting issues such as poor zoom controls, missing resolution options, and performance problems, particularly in the campaign mode. While some players report no major bugs and acceptable performance, others express disappointment with the lack of optimization in various aspects, including economic charts and battle mechanics.
- “No major bugs so far and performance is perfectly fine.”
- “Battles could be optimized a bit.”
- “The bad zoom controls (why won’t it stop when I release the zoom key?), poor performance, and missing resolution controls just make it worse.”
- “The biggest disappointment for me was no Steam Workshop, and later in the game there are some performance issues—nothing game-breaking, but definitely annoying.”
- “My main gripes are with the poorly organized economic charts and the very poorly optimized campaign game.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is generally praised for its impressive graphics and atmospheric soundtrack, which contribute to a medieval setting. However, some players feel that the overall experience is undermined by simplistic mechanics and a lack of depth in gameplay elements like combat and diplomacy, which detracts from the intended historical ambiance.
- “The music and graphics are also very good and atmospheric, with lots of nice little details. Overall, I liked the game and would recommend it. I hope they expand on the ideas in the game.”
- “+ Nice graphics and atmospheric soundtrack.”
- “I can only say: this game is all I expected: a grand RTS game with a historical background set in a nice medieval atmosphere. Don't be misled by bad reviews based on battle expectations or lack of hardware configuration.”
- “The mechanics are too simple, combat doesn't add anything to the game, as it is automatic, diplomacy is very basic, the atmosphere doesn't feel medieval at all, and trade, which is the most developed component of the game, is extremely simple and even automated.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for misleading advertising, with users noting that the promotional materials exaggerate the game's features, such as showcasing vast armies and fleets that do not accurately represent the gameplay experience.
- “The ad videos are misleading.”
- “It suffers from an overblown advertising campaign that left too much to the imagination.”
- “If you look at the slides advertising the game, they show vast 'terrifying' armies and fleets ('armadas').”