Great Houses of Calderia
- May 2, 2024
- Resistance Games
- 15h median play time
Get on Steam"Great Houses of Calderia" is a feudal grand strategy game set in a renaissance-inspired mythical province. As a noble family, your goal is to rule Calderia and overcome the power-hungry Viceroy. You must manage your house leaders and their family members, each with their own stories and desires, by assigning them to key tasks and considering their traits and personalities. Make critical decisions during battles and diplomatic events to rise in the ranks.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of family dynamics and political intrigue, reminiscent of Crusader Kings but with its own distinct flavor.
- The economic management system is engaging, allowing players to focus on resource production and trade, which adds depth to the gameplay.
- The art style and visuals are appealing, creating an immersive Renaissance-inspired atmosphere.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making navigation and understanding game mechanics difficult for new players.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and lag, which detract from the overall experience.
- Many gameplay elements feel unfinished or underdeveloped, leading to repetitive tasks and a lack of meaningful interactions.
- gameplay95 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 80 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with players noting a lack of clarity in mechanics and a frustrating user interface that detracts from the experience. While the strategic elements and rich narrative offer potential for depth, many find the gameplay repetitive and shallow, particularly criticizing the poorly explained mechanics and frequent interruptions from random events. Despite these issues, some players appreciate the game's immersive setting and the engaging aspects of managing noble families, suggesting that with improvements, it could become a more rewarding experience.
“The game combines rich narrative elements with strategic gameplay, offering a deep and immersive experience in a visually captivating renaissance-inspired setting.”
“The gameplay flows through strategic planning and tactical combat, with significant player agency in shaping the house's destiny.”
“With high replayability and a dynamic gameplay environment, it offers a fresh experience with each playthrough.”
“The UI is hard to work out, the objectives don't always work, and the vast majority of the gameplay consists of 1) building a single building at a time, 2) responding to random events that pause the game, and 3) dealing with bandits, which are trivial and just time-consuming to handle.”
“My gameplay was constantly interrupted by people proposing the same trade deals to me over and over again, and since I cannot promise to trade away my entire food production more than once, I had to reject them, tanking my relations with all of my neighbors.”
“Complete and utter lackluster tutorial which fails to explain any meaningful game mechanics aside from how to assign farmers and send a family member away from your fief.”
- story39 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by its intricate narrative that intertwines personal and political dramas, with player choices significantly influencing the plot. While it offers a rich lore and immersive storytelling, some players note that the game can become confusing due to mission objectives and bugs, which detract from the overall experience. Despite these issues, the depth of character interactions and the ability to roleplay enhance the game's appeal, making it a compelling addition for fans of grand strategy.
“The game's rich lore and intricate storytelling are complemented by a dynamic narrative that reacts to player decisions.”
“The depth of the story is reinforced by the game’s detailed setting and character interactions.”
“Great Houses of Calderia is an immersive and captivating game with stunning visuals and engaging storytelling.”
“A major bug is found in the endgame; the 'storyline' is meant to end with a large war involving everyone on the map, but it offers an option to keep playing in a sandbox mode afterwards.”
“Without being spoiler-ish, there are a few map-wide events (a 'story' would be too strong a word) which eventually lead to a large war in which the player must participate.”
“This game lacks a story but is still a time killer; I've been playing nonstop for 2 days.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are characterized by detailed and stylized visuals inspired by Renaissance art, creating an immersive historical atmosphere with rich color palettes. However, some players feel that the overall graphical quality falls short compared to similar titles, citing issues with resolution and user interface design. While the art style is appreciated for its uniqueness, there are calls for improvements in texture quality and visual clarity, particularly on the main map.
“Detailed and stylized visuals inspired by Renaissance art, with rich color palettes and intricate designs that enhance the historical atmosphere.”
“Renaissance-inspired aesthetics: enjoy detailed and period-authentic visuals that evoke the opulence and intrigue of the Renaissance era.”
“This game perfectly blends strategy and adventure, featuring stunning graphics and captivating gameplay.”
“I lowered my graphics and tried to lessen the load for my computer and the game, but it didn't help.”
“Graphics are on a level below that of Crusader Kings 2; the sprites they use do not line up quite right visually.”
“I think the game could benefit from some high-resolution textures, or if the art style is changed.”
- optimization14 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering and crashes, especially during extended play sessions or at higher time speeds. While some users with powerful PCs find it manageable, others suggest that the game is not well-optimized for lower-end systems or widescreen monitors. Regular updates from developers are expected to address these stability and performance concerns, but players are advised to wait for further improvements before purchasing.
“The game runs smoothly with occasional technical issues; regular updates from the developers aim to address stability and performance concerns.”
“There are a few things overall to be tidied up in optimization (mostly thinking occasional game crashes, and typos lol) but not much that I can say I'd want the game to change.”
“They do seem more computationally demanding on my PC for their quality, so there's lots of room for improvement in optimizing display performance.”
“It just seems like it isn't optimized yet for players.”
“As it stands right now the game is fun enough to play even without a lot of the more in-depth mechanics not implemented, that being said after playing for a little while the game takes a massive hit to performance and is almost unplayable when you choose the higher time speeds.”
“My game kept stuttering and dropping frames to the point it was giving me a headache.”
- replayability12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game exhibits high replayability due to its intricate systems, dynamic gameplay, and robust modding support, allowing players to create and share custom content. However, some users note that certain aspects of the game may lead to low replay value, particularly if the gameplay lacks depth and challenge.
“The game's intricate systems and modding support offer significant replayability and variety in each playthrough.”
“With high replayability and a dynamic gameplay environment, it offers a fresh experience with each playthrough.”
“The procedural events and character-driven stories ensure that no two games are the same, contributing significantly to replayability.”
“There is no depth to the game (build up population, have way more resources than you need, trade if you feel like but you really don't have to, and dominate without any real threats ever appearing), and there also seems to be no replayability.”
“If you're a Civ or CK fan, this is a bit simple with low replay value and some awkward design.”
“Low replayability.”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often citing repetitive tasks and artificial roadblocks that detract from the overall experience. Many reviewers note that the gameplay becomes monotonous after the initial playthrough, with a lack of depth leading to boredom, especially for those familiar with grand strategy games. The need to manage resources and navigate complex systems can feel like a chore rather than an engaging challenge.
“The game introduces several artificial roadblocks that just get annoying and grindy.”
“Having to wait hours in real life for a new citizen to pop is incredibly tedious.”
“Once again, if you are completely new to the grand strategy type of games, this may be a nice little beginner entry point, but know that it is shallow to the point of being extremely boring, and it's generally tedious after you realize how simple literally all of the gameplay ends up being.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches reported by users that negatively impact the overall experience. While some players have managed to continue playing despite these problems, the user experience is often described as poor and frustrating.
“Unfortunately, the game is super buggy, and sometimes the UX is so bad that it often feels like there is a bug.”
“I found some notable glitches that, while not ruining the game, definitely affected the experience.”
“Unfortunately, as of now, the game is quite buggy, and the UX is rather appalling.”
- music5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally criticized for being lackluster and unremarkable, with many reviewers noting a disappointing soundtrack that fails to enhance the gameplay experience. Additionally, the overall audio experience is described as eerily quiet, lacking voice acting and ambient sounds, which further detracts from immersion. Comparisons to other games highlight a desire for a more engaging and polished musical accompaniment.
“Please publish your soundtrack; it is very good.”
“Then content, better soundtrack and community.”
“It's basically what you would find waiting for you if your mom said, 'we have Crusader Kings at home.' Anyway, slow gameplay, awkward UI, unpolished art, and eerily quiet with no voice acting and little ambient sound and music.”
“Also, one last point: the soundtrack leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Go listen to the soundtrack of Imperiums: Greek Wars.”
- humor3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of absurdity and tactical enjoyment, with players finding the mini-games particularly hilarious. However, some feel that while the realistic mechanics add depth, they can detract from the overall comedic experience if they disrupt the game's balance and convenience.
“The mini-games are hilarious yet enjoyably tactical.”
“It's good to have realistic mechanics in the game, but not until these mechanics make the game less funny.”
“The economy is very funny to grow, even if it makes no sense in terms of balance and convenience.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by detailed and stylized visuals inspired by Renaissance art, featuring rich color palettes and intricate designs that effectively enhance the historical ambiance.
“The detailed and stylized visuals are inspired by Renaissance art, featuring rich color palettes and intricate designs that enhance the historical atmosphere.”
“The immersive sound design and ambient music create a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that draws you into the game's world.”
“The combination of lighting effects and environmental storytelling creates a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged and curious.”
- character development1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted for its depth, particularly through evolving family dynamics that contribute to a unique experience in each playthrough.
“Character development and the evolving family dynamics provide depth, making each playthrough unique.”
“The characters grow and change in meaningful ways, making their journeys feel authentic and relatable.”
“Each character's backstory is intricately woven into the gameplay, enhancing the emotional impact of their development.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a complex emotional response to the narrative, particularly regarding the moral dilemmas of forming alliances through uncomfortable personal sacrifices, such as marrying an unappealing character. This evokes feelings of conflict, empathy, and introspection about the characters' motivations and the consequences of their choices.
“Making plans to marry an ugly and cruel princess just to have an ally made me feel a lot of different emotions.”
