Lords of the Realm III

About

At 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…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

45%

Audience ScoreBased on 22 reviews

optimization1 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

Lords of the Realm III offers a nostalgic experience for players who enjoyed it in their childhood, bringing back fond memories.
The game features a unique blend of real-time strategy and medieval kingdom management, providing engaging gameplay for fans of the genre.
Some players appreciate the game's artistic elements, particularly the beautiful and unique loading screen art.

The game has not aged well, suffering from slow performance, clunky controls, and a lack of modern display support.
Many players find the gameplay mechanics overly simplistic and frustrating, especially compared to its predecessor, Lords of the Realm II.
Technical issues, such as incorrect playtime tracking and frequent crashes, detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
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.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs in the controls and slow combat mechanics, 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.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The story in "Lords of the Realm III" is minimal and primarily conveyed through campaign and battle texts that provide brief context for the player's actions. Set in the European Dark Ages, the narrative lacks depth, focusing instead on resource management and strategic choices involving various named characters that offer bonuses to gameplay. Overall, while the setting is rich, the storytelling feels underdeveloped and secondary to the mechanics.
- “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. 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.”
- “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.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from poor optimization, lacking support for modern display resolutions and widescreen monitors, which results in a subpar experience on contemporary gaming PCs.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization of the game is viewed with skepticism, as players question whether it was a cash grab leveraging an established franchise or a rushed project that failed to meet its potential due to external pressures.
- “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 seems designed to squeeze every last penny from players rather than enhance the gaming experience.”
- “I was disappointed to find that many features were locked behind paywalls, making it difficult to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
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 impressions of the music in its successor. Overall, while the earlier game is remembered fondly for its musical elements, the latter fails to leave a similar impact.
- “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 tracks keeps the game fresh and engaging, with each piece adding its own unique flavor to the adventure.”
- “The music in this game is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “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.”