Lords of the Realm III
- December 3, 2015
- Impressions Games
Get on SteamAt the start of a game, the player must choose a noble by either selecting one of the default nobles or creating a new one. Nobles act as user accounts within the game, wherein completed campaigns and saved games are local to each noble. A noble consists of three customizable features: housename, portrait, and heraldry. Once a noble is selected, the player can choose to play a campaign or battl…
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game brings back nostalgic memories for many players who enjoyed it in their childhood.
- It offers a unique character creation system with a variety of noble factions and combinations, appealing to fans of strategy games.
- Some players find the gameplay fun and challenging, especially if they enjoy multitasking and managing multiple battles simultaneously.
- The game lacks modern support, displaying only in a 4:3 aspect ratio and failing to run smoothly on contemporary PCs.
- Gameplay mechanics are overly simplistic compared to its predecessor, with a shallow campaign map and frustrating real-time battle management.
- Technical issues, such as frequent crashes and inaccurate time tracking on Steam, detract from the overall experience.
- gameplay7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay is reminiscent of Total War games, featuring a dual focus on campaigns and battles, but it suffers from a shallow campaign map that detracts from the overall experience. Players find the mechanics overly simplistic and frustrating, as they are often forced to prioritize watching the campaign map over engaging in battles, which limits enjoyment. Overall, while the battles can be fun, the gameplay lacks depth and complexity compared to previous installments.
“Its gameplay looks like something out of the Total War games.”
“In singleplayer, you have two types of game modes: campaigns and battles.”
“Gameplay is horrendously simple.”
“The mechanics of the game are different than the previous installment.”
“Let's break the mechanics down in the campaigns to two simple game modes: 1) fighting/battle and 2) economic/political.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs in the controls and slow combat, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, it fails to meet expectations, especially when compared to its predecessor, Lords of the Realm II, which had its own issues but was still considered charming.
“The game is too simple, the controls are super buggy, and the combat is excruciatingly slow.”
“The Lords of the Realm franchise could have gone out strong; unfortunately, it ended on a whimper… a sad, simple, and buggy whimper.”
“I'm definitely exaggerating; Lords of the Realm II had its own fair share of glitches, but the sprites, music, gameplay, and strategies it implemented made it a charming and cult classic game. This one, on the other hand, well... like I said in the intro, the fact that this was the last game Impression Games made is more than a little revealing.”
- story3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The story in Lords of the Realm III is minimal, primarily conveyed through brief campaign and battle texts that provide context for the player's actions. Set in the European Dark Ages, the narrative lacks depth, focusing instead on managing resources and characters like lords and merchants, which adds some strategic elements but does not significantly enhance the overall storytelling experience.
“At first it doesn't seem quite so bad - although the first thing you find out is that basically the entire economy has been removed wholesale, and instead you just have underlings to manage each plot of land you own, and your choices are which ones - needing to assign enough food-producing serfs to support your army, choosing which knights to assign with their different unit types, churches for morale, towns for income, etc. One good part here is that there are numerous named lords, mayors, and merchants with different bonuses they add to their region or your nation.”
“As is the theme for the Lords of the Realm games, Lords of the Realm III takes place during the European Dark Ages.”
“The only sense of 'story' in Lords of the Realm III is in the text from the campaigns and battles where you're given a brief explanation, and sometimes a background of the battle or struggle you're about to participate in.”
“At first it doesn't seem quite so bad - although the first thing you find out is that basically the entire economy has been removed wholesale, and instead you just have underlings to manage each plot of land you own, and your choices are which ones - needing to assign enough food producing serfs to support your army, choosing which knights to assign with their different unit types, churches for morale, towns for income, etc.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game suffers from poor optimization, lacking support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, which results in subpar performance on contemporary gaming PCs.
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game is viewed with skepticism, as players question whether it was a cash grab exploiting the franchise's reputation or a rushed release of a more ambitious project that ultimately fell short.
“It is hard to tell if this game was a cynical cash grab trading on the goodwill fostered by an established property, or was it (as I suspect) a game with greater ambitions that were just not realized when the final game in a series from a once great publisher and a well-regarded developer was rushed out before the walls came crashing down.”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it constantly pushes players to spend more money to enjoy basic features that should have been included in the game.”
“I was disappointed to find that the game is heavily reliant on microtransactions, making it difficult to progress without spending real money.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The music in "Lords of the Realm II" is noted for its charm and contribution to the game's cult classic status, contrasting with the less favorable impression of the music in its successor, which reflects a decline in quality.
“The music in this game is absolutely captivating, enhancing the overall atmosphere and immersing players in the experience.”
“I love how the soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, making every moment feel epic and memorable.”
“The variety of musical styles in the game keeps things fresh and exciting, adding depth to the overall experience.”
“The music in this game is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after just a few minutes of play.”
“I found the soundtrack to be uninspired and forgettable, which really detracted from the overall experience.”
“The audio quality of the music is subpar, and it feels like it was an afterthought rather than a key component of the game.”
