Majesty Gold HD
- September 3, 2009
- Cyberlore
- 30h median play time
The High Definition edition of Majesty Gold contains main game, the Northern Expansion Pack as well as 2 new quests and several other graphics and gameplay updates. Majesty is a Real-time strategy game with indirect control – your heroes have a will of their own!
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique gameplay that combines strategy and simulation, allowing players to manage a kingdom without direct control over heroes.
- Rich in nostalgia, many players have fond memories of the game from their childhood and find it just as enjoyable today.
- Challenging missions that require strategic thinking and planning, providing a rewarding experience when completed.
- The game can be frustratingly difficult, especially in later missions where the challenge spikes unexpectedly.
- Some players experience technical issues, such as crashes or freezing, particularly on modern systems.
- The AI behavior of heroes can be unpredictable, leading to moments where they fail to act as intended, which can detract from the overall experience.
- story79 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 87 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is structured around a series of independent missions, each with unique challenges and varying difficulty levels, often requiring strategic planning and multiple attempts to succeed. Players appreciate the humor and charm of the fantasy setting, as well as the freedom to approach missions in different ways, though some missions can feel overwhelming and frustrating due to their difficulty spikes and random elements. Overall, while the narrative lacks a traditional campaign format, the diverse quests and the ability to create custom scenarios provide significant replayability and engagement.
“In the campaign map, you are presented with a number of missions, each with a little story introduction and description of the restrictions and win conditions of the selected map.”
“You basically take the role of a game master and try to cajole your band of heroes into actually finishing the main quest, while they would rather gamble, drink, and flee in terror from the assortment of horrible creatures that infest Ardania.”
“The latter half of the story stages require specific strategies and copious saving/reloading to stand a chance, and even then an unlucky map generation or enemy spawn can kill you anyway.”
“Additionally, the game labels the missions 'beginner, advanced, or expert' often inaccurately, as one expert mission can give you 40 days with little disturbance while you freely build up exploration parties to attack a tower on the far side of the map, while another expert mission will send dragons after you from day one.”
“The game doesn't have a campaign per se - rather, it is a series of independent missions of varying difficulty.”
- gameplay39 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its unique blend of strategy and simulation, requiring players to manage a kingdom indirectly by incentivizing heroes through bounties rather than direct control. While it features simple mechanics, it demands strategic thinking and offers a nostalgic charm, enhanced by updated features and mod support. Despite some dated elements and occasional technical issues, the game remains engaging and replayable, appealing to both new players and those familiar with its original release.
“Franticly fun strategy/simulation gameplay, charismatic characters, and a nostalgic twist.”
“With a good chunk of variety and gameplay choices, the game really shines as an innovative game where you manage a city, hire heroes, and fight some very interesting challenges and monsters.”
“Where Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim shines is in its gameplay of indirect hero control, where instead of simply telling your subjects to do this or that, you provoke your heroes to action through offering bounties and rewards for completing tasks.”
“It does contain some messy holdovers from the original - trying to run a map with a huge number of heroes past day 80 will still cause HD to crash, but in normal gameplay, slowdown and crashes are rare, even on Windows 8 or Windows 10.”
“I do think that the caveat that people who didn't play the disc back in 2000 will run into rough and frustrating sections is a fair one - as general advice - if the game starts to stomp you, try recruiting paladins, who have the best survivability.”
“Majesty can be a pretty big time sink, since there's a lot of RNG going on in the background, which might make your playthrough more difficult or easier.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated, with many reviewers noting that while they may not be cutting-edge, they still possess a certain charm and functionality that complements the gameplay. The sprite graphics, although low-resolution, have aged surprisingly well and are preferred by some over the sequel's 3D visuals. Overall, while the graphics may not impress modern standards, they effectively serve their purpose and contribute to the game's nostalgic appeal.
“The setting and artwork in Majesty is enjoyable.”
“The graphics look pretty nice for this style and it well complements the sound design, which I love for this game.”
“Despite the age, the graphics hold up quite well.”
“The graphics are clearly dated despite what is apparently an HD upgrade, but they are functional enough to serve their purpose.”
“The only drawback to it is the outdated graphics, which nonetheless still retain their charm.”
“The visuals are dated, the interface primitive, and the core concept -- the 'D&D ant farm' -- has been expanded upon by the likes of the brilliant Dwarf Fortress and its derivatives.”
- music16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and fittingness to the fantasy and medieval themes, featuring an impressive array of folk tracks that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the catchy tunes and superb voice acting, which contribute to the game's charm and humor. However, some users noted that the music can become repetitive, potentially detracting from the enjoyment over time.
“I can't recommend this game enough, I simply love it and the music is incredible.”
“Add to that awesome music and hilarious voice acting, and you've got a recipe for success!”
“The music is catchy and works with the whole 'fantasy, medieval' setting.”
“Open music tracks with a notepad.”
“Delete everything here (the game will have no music but it'll fix the freezes).”
“The sound effects, one-liners, and music can either aggravate or charm, as they will be repeated.”
- humor13 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its exceptional humor, characterized by funny voices, memorable dialogue, and a charming narrator who delivers comedic lines, including a notable Sean Connery impression. Players appreciate the humorous interactions and the game's ability to subvert traditional RTS tropes with a lighthearted approach, making it both entertaining and strategically engaging. Overall, the combination of hilarious voice acting, witty writing, and a whimsical fantasy setting contributes to a delightful comedic experience.
“This game is very funny, and very well made.”
“Add to that awesome music and hilarious voice acting, and you've got a recipe for success!”
“The presentation is also helped by its voice acting; the heroes all have really memorable (usually humorous) lines, and the game's narrator does a Sean Connery impression which has to be seen to be believed.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game is praised for its strong replayability, with many players noting that it remains engaging and offers diverse gameplay experiences even years after its release. The absence of optimal builds for missions encourages experimentation, while features like freestyle mode further enhance replay value. However, some players feel that the replayability diminishes after a few hours, primarily limited to completing scenarios.
“The developers of this game really put time and care into creating this, and it shows. For an old game, this still has a lot of replay value even in 2021.”
“There are no optimal builds for every mission, and it leads to tons of replayability.”
“Fantastic replayability - still interesting to play after all these years!”
“This usually happens within an hour or two of playing a mission, so the replay value is very small aside from completing scenarios.”
“Adding to the replayability value of Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim is the freestyle mode.”
“The game has a lot of replay value, for a 16-year-old game.”
- stability9 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 78 % negative mentions
The game's stability is notably problematic, with frequent random freezes and crashes, particularly during saving. While an updated version has improved performance on modern PCs, many users still report bugs and inconsistent behavior, making it a less reliable experience overall.
“With its HD edition, it runs great on modern PCs.”
“There's now an updated version that runs great on newer machines with higher resolution.”
“But the truly annoying thing is that the game freezes randomly and crashes.”
“Every time I save the game, it freezes.”
“Sometimes I can launch and finish a game; sometimes it freezes at the menu screen.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, "Majesty Gold HD" is praised for its improved optimization compared to older versions, particularly in terms of compatibility with Windows 7 and the functionality of the Steam overlay. However, some users have reported challenges with setup and streaming on Windows 10, indicating that while the game runs well on certain systems, additional tweaks may be necessary for optimal performance across all platforms.
“Overall, I'm glad I rebought this game on Steam; it's certainly a lot more optimized than popping in a CD from the 2000s, and it has all the DLCs I didn't know existed.”
“Regarding optimization, Majesty Gold HD may be more compatible with Windows 7, but it sure didn't show up on my computer. I had to make changes to the launch of the game so I could stream it over Twitch and get it into window mode.”
“Regarding the Windows 7 optimization, I downloaded Majesty HD to my Win 7 laptop, and Majesty Gold HD worked beautifully!”
“Regarding optimization, Majesty Gold HD may be more compatible with Windows 7, but it sure didn't show up on my computer. I begrudgingly upgraded my gaming rig to Windows 10; I hated Windows 8.1 on a desktop more. I had to make changes to the launch of the game so I could stream it over Twitch and get it into windowed mode.”
“I've poked around and saw there are other suggestions for optimization; you can choose your favorite.”
“Overall, I'm glad I rebought this game on Steam. It's certainly a lot more optimized than popping in a CD from the 2000s, and it has all the DLCs I didn't know existed.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Majesty Gold Edition is praised for its emotional depth, appealing to fans of strategy and simulation games through its wholesome and intricately designed world, which fosters a strong connection with players.
“The emotional depth of the characters truly resonated with me, making their journeys feel personal and impactful.”
“I was genuinely moved by the story; it tugged at my heartstrings and left a lasting impression.”
“The game beautifully captures the essence of human emotions, allowing players to connect with the narrative on a profound level.”
