Norland
- July 18, 2024
- Long Jaunt
- 11h median play time
Get on Steam"Norland is a single-player strategy colony sim set in a turbulent medieval world, where you must lead your kingdom to greatness amidst familial strife, famine, and external threats. With a focus on story generation, Norland boasts good game mechanics, wonderful graphics, and plenty of humor, but can be very grinding and is plagued by bugs."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging gameplay with a unique blend of city management and character-driven storytelling.
- Active developers who frequently release updates and respond to community feedback.
- Charming art style and immersive world that enhances the medieval experience.
- Limited number of lords (5) restricts family dynamics and gameplay depth.
- Balancing issues, particularly with resource management and character moods, can lead to frustrating gameplay.
- Performance problems, especially during autosaves and late-game, causing lag and crashes.
- gameplay255 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Norland is a blend of mechanics inspired by titles like RimWorld and Crusader Kings, offering a mix of city-building, resource management, and character interactions. While many players appreciate the depth and potential of the mechanics, there are significant concerns about balance, bugs, and a lack of variety in gameplay options, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further development to address its current shortcomings and enhance player engagement.
“Really fun game with surprisingly deep gameplay.”
“The graphics are charming, the gameplay loop is engaging, and my brain is letting off happy chemicals the whole time I'm glued to the screen :) Cheers to the developers for creating a truly unique game in a saturated genre.”
“The gameplay is really interesting and complex.”
“However, the overall mechanic is still a bit shallow and the decision choices are too limited in my opinion.”
“Don't buy this game, it's unplayable; I got stuck several times with bugs and it is missing basic mechanics.”
“The game is very good, but it needs to improve a lot of things in the gameplay itself.”
- story78 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is characterized as a dynamic and engaging story generator, reminiscent of titles like RimWorld and Crusader Kings, where each playthrough offers unique narratives shaped by random events and character interactions. Players appreciate the potential for rich storytelling and character development, though many express a desire for improved clarity in tracking character arcs and relationships. While the game excels in creating amusing and unpredictable scenarios, some reviewers feel that the storytelling mechanics could be further refined to enhance immersion and narrative coherence.
“A solid entry in what I'd call a story generator style game in the vein of RimWorld, but it remains something different yet profoundly familiar.”
“The game has great dynamic storytelling with an assortment of events that randomly occur throughout your playthrough.”
“I love the concept of role play, merged with strategy and management alongside the make-your-adventure that gets forged randomly over time, and each playthrough is unique and has a story to tell.”
“When you're invested in your pawns and invested in your colony goals, it's a blast, but it never really feels like a story so much as a complex series of mathematical events wearing your imagination like a skin-suit.”
“On the other hand, there's the storytelling part of the game. I thought I was going to develop a medieval dynasty full of cool events and unique paths, but I found it really hard to follow what's happening with my lords. I could see they were developing their relationships, but I couldn't find a place where I could read their story, their thoughts, their life. I'm not sure if this is hidden somewhere, but I think this game could benefit a lot if the lore of your game session was easily available to read.”
“There is no story this game can tell since all it would be is how the lord managed the daily production building where they need to remind a farmer how to do their job every 3 days or everyone else starves.”
- graphics64 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, stylized art style that evokes comparisons to titles like RimWorld and Crusader Kings, while also being noted for their polished animations and vibrant visuals. Players appreciate the unique aesthetic and the engaging character designs, although some express concerns about performance on lower-end systems. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, making it visually appealing and enjoyable to play.
“The graphics are beautifully rendered, and the game mechanics are easy to learn with a help screen the game provides as you progress.”
“The artwork is gorgeous, stylized, and seamless.”
“The visuals are great, the animations are crisp, and it's simply awesome to watch all your peasants run about.”
“The RimWorld elements are reduced to a rough imitation of the aesthetic without the weather effects.”
“Can't even reinforce my vassal... and how come a game with poor graphics causes this much lag!!!!”
“Some players might find the cartoony graphics and light-hearted visual style not fitting for the darker themes.”
- grinding35 mentions
- 6 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 91 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently criticized for becoming tedious and overly complex, particularly in the midgame where micromanagement dominates gameplay. Players report that while the initial stages are enjoyable, the repetitive tasks and balance issues lead to frustration and a loss of interest, making it difficult to recommend for long-term play. Despite its potential, many feel that the game's mechanics need significant reworking to enhance enjoyment and reduce the grind.
“No tedious micromanagement.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“While it's fun in the earliest stages, in that weird part of midgame where you have things running but can't really take your eye off it yet, it becomes tedious, which hurts the prospect of replayability in my view.”
“I can't actually recommend the game to my friends at the moment because of the sheer amount of difficulty mechanics in this game that make it feel tedious and unrewarding.”
“It's not that the game is hard; all the obstacles have clear ways to overcome them. It's just that the tediousness of the actions and constantly seeing your efforts quickly decay drains the fun out of the game.”
- optimization30 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with many players noting significant performance issues, including lag during autosaves and crashes, particularly as the game progresses. While some appreciate the developers' ongoing support and improvements, others feel that the current state is unplayable on even decent hardware. Overall, players are hopeful for future optimizations to enhance the gaming experience.
“I love this game since it was in demo. I love how the developer is giving attention to optimization.”
“That is an insane amount of support the devs are putting towards making the game run smoothly and as expected.”
“Still needs some bug and performance fixes since the twice daily saves (in-game) cause a little freeze each time, but overall very impressive performance for an early access game, especially at the price point.”
“But optimization 0/10 which makes this game average sadly, until they fix it.”
“The game needs more optimization; it's lagging for me when it is trying to autosave.”
“It was unplayable on my gaming machine, so clearly some optimization is required.”
- stability23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- -9 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with many players reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and significant bugs that hinder gameplay. While some acknowledge the potential for improvement and appreciate the developers' responsiveness with patches, the overall consensus is that the game is currently too unstable for a smooth experience. Players recommend waiting for further updates before investing, as the performance issues are particularly pronounced even on capable systems.
“As of July 22, 2024, there have been five patch notes released to keep the game aligned with player feedback and ensure a bug-free experience.”
“The developers are committed to maintaining stability, as evidenced by their regular updates and responsiveness to player concerns.”
“I appreciate how the game has remained stable since launch, with frequent patches that address issues and enhance performance.”
“Just wish it wasn't such a buggy mess for me in particular.”
“Busted and buggy, the game crashes 80% of the time whenever starting a battle; I don't recommend wasting your money on this game until its developers fix the game-breaking issues.”
“An incredibly buggy and inconsistent mess, a terrible release.”
- replayability22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the various gameplay styles and starting modifiers that enhance replay value, others find it lacking due to tedious midgame phases and limited customization options. Frequent updates from the developers show promise for future improvements, but current issues like save file corruption and a shallow building system detract from the overall replay experience. Many players express a desire for more content and procedural generation to sustain long-term engagement.
“The game offers high replayability due to the various gameplay styles and starting modifiers that add an extra challenge to your house's prosperity.”
“The character system, the family system, it is really shaping up to be a great classic with tons of replayability.”
“Difficulty is middling for this type of game, and replayability seems to be supported already with multiple starting options and 'mutators.'”
“While it's fun in the earliest stages, in that weird part of midgame where you have things running but can't really take your eye off it yet, it becomes tedious, which hurts the prospect of replayability in my view.”
“Decent game, but it has zero replay value; the building system, mood system, and even the skill system need a rework or rebalance.”
“There is so little replay value that I've been playing for a few hours, and now I wanted to continue, but the game crashed. I assume my save files are corrupt, and now I have to start over, but I have no excitement to do so.”
- humor21 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its quirky NPC dialogue, hilarious storylines, and unexpected comedic moments, such as absurd character interactions and exaggerated penalties. Players enjoy the blend of humor with gameplay mechanics, leading to memorable and often laugh-out-loud scenarios, though some find certain elements, like repetitive voice lines, less amusing. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with engaging gameplay, making for a fun and entertaining experience.
“The stories that come out of this game are sometimes really hilarious and other times incredibly heroic.”
“I was going to punish him for starting a fight with my character's son, but I was laughing so hard; you know what, he's wearing a mask of shame and he lost to a child, so I left him alone.”
“Overall, I like this game; it's got a cool and interesting art style, some fun mechanics, and very interesting and funny interactions between nobles.”
- music10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many players enjoying the soundtrack and sound effects that complement the gameplay. However, some reviewers feel that while the music is lovely, it could benefit from more inspiration from other successful titles in the genre to elevate the experience further. Overall, the soundtrack contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, though it may not fully meet the high expectations set by similar games.
“The music/soundtrack is incredible.”
“Lovely graphics, beautiful music and charming characters.”
“The background music sets the right mood, and the sound effects—from sword clashes to the daily chatter—are spot-on.”
“The potential of the game is obvious, but this is because of games such as Song of Syx, Against the Storm, Manor Lords, and RimWorld which have set the bar quite high, a bit too high though for Norland.”
“I assume it would be more fun once you have a larger settlement, but games like Song of Syx, RimWorld, etc. seem to scratch the itch much faster.”
“I think this game could benefit well with inspiration from Dwarf Fortress or Song of Syx where global conquest is feasible, but very time-consuming and engaging.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the emotional depth of the game compelling, with unique narratives emerging from randomized events and character traits that evoke strong feelings. The emotional struggles of characters, such as a queen facing personal tragedies, enhance the immersive experience, although some players express frustration with gameplay mechanics that can detract from the emotional engagement. Overall, the game successfully elicits a range of emotions, making each playthrough feel distinct and impactful.
“Gud game, I cried.”
“My first day with this game, for example, I grew increasingly concerned for the emotional well-being of my dynasty's queen, who'd experienced two miscarriages during her first two pregnancies and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.”
“I'll say it's like RimWorld with random events, pawn emotional traits, global and local map, and with randomized algorithms it generates a unique experience each playthrough, making each playthrough a different story.”
- character development4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is dynamic and enhanced by vibrant visuals that juxtapose darker themes, making complex narratives more accessible. While the detailed character design and customization options contribute to a unique gameplay experience, there is a call for a stronger emphasis on storytelling and character growth.
“The bright, colorful visuals and character designs contrast with the darker themes, making the complex storylines feel more approachable.”
“The deep gameplay, with its detailed character design and customizable start, ensures that every playthrough feels unique.”
“Character development is also dynamic.”
“This game needs to focus more heavily on the storytelling and character development.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized as an immersive blend of sandbox survival elements set in a feudal context, creating a unique and engaging environment. Additionally, there are hints of drama and intrigue, contributing to a dynamic and scandalous ambiance.
“Atmospheric sandbox survival in feudalism.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received criticism for misleading advertising, as users noted discrepancies between the store screenshots and actual gameplay, particularly regarding features like castle walls and defense building that are not present.
“The fake advertising is misleading; you see castle walls in the store screenshots, but they are not actually in the game, and you cannot build any defenses.”
“I found this game through ads, but the experience doesn't match the expectations set by the promotional material.”
