Patrician IV

About

"Patrician IV" is a strategy and trading simulation game set in the late Middle Ages, where you start as a merchant in the Hanseatic League with the goal of becoming its leader. Build up your own production, establish a merchant fleet, and gain political influence to found new towns. Face fierce rivals and use various tactics, including sabotage, to rise to power. The Steam Special Edition includes alternate textures for the Counting House and Cog ship type.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

51%

Audience ScoreBased on 451 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Patrician IV offers a fun and relaxing trading experience, allowing players to build their trade empire and manage resources effectively.
The game features improved graphics and a better interface compared to its predecessor, making it more accessible for new players.
Many players appreciate the depth of economic simulation and the strategic planning involved in trading and city management.

The requirement to create a Kalypso account and use an external launcher has frustrated many players, leading to accessibility issues and complaints about data privacy.
Naval combat is poorly implemented, often described as tedious and unengaging, detracting from the overall gameplay experience.
Several players have reported issues with product key activation, making it difficult or impossible to play the game after purchase.

gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
78%
5%
The gameplay primarily focuses on trading and managing an economic empire, with a simple buy low, sell high loop that some players find engaging, while others feel it lacks depth compared to previous iterations. While there are new features and improved visuals, many reviewers note that the core mechanics remain largely unchanged, leading to a sense of disappointment for fans of earlier versions. Overall, the gameplay is considered decent but simplified, appealing to a broader audience while sacrificing some complexity.
- “Gameplay primarily revolves around trading and the greater Hanse's economy, setting up your trade empire bit by bit while dealing with random events that happen in the world.”
- “The gameplay loop itself is rather simple: buy low, sell high; that's pretty much the game.”
- “The mechanics of demand and supply are realistic, and you can quickly overproduce or oversupply a market of a city that you came to trade in.”
- “The core gameplay has not changed with each iteration, yet always having something improved or even removed to streamline the game.”
- “Making money is the only thing going for this game, but you can achieve that in one minute of gameplay.”
- “I thought it was an improvement of Patrician 3, but I wasn't expecting this... the same mechanics, same map, same gameplay... disappointing... I still prefer Patrician 3 instead of this.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
66%
5%
The graphics in the game are a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the improved visuals and 3D rendering, while others feel that the transition from pixel art has diminished the charm and gameplay experience. Many reviews highlight that while the graphics may be visually appealing, they often come at the cost of performance and gameplay depth, particularly when compared to earlier titles in the series. Overall, the graphics are deemed decent but not the primary draw for players interested in the game's core mechanics.
- “Beautiful graphics.”
- “I would recommend Rise of a Dynasty even if you've never played the original, because it has improved visuals and a number of new gameplay features which are well worth having.”
- “Graphically stunning and gorgeous.”
- “The game has had many options removed from the previous game in the series and the graphics and the poor attempt at 3D rendering just hurts my eyes.”
- “Kalyptso destroys franchises, graphics over gameplay.”
- “The game needs to be brought up to today's standards in graphics.”
story
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
69%
19%
The game's story is largely criticized for its lack of depth and coherence, with many players noting that it feels non-existent or poorly defined. Quests are described as unwinable and vague, often failing to provide meaningful context or narrative progression. Overall, the storytelling aspect is seen as a significant weakness, detracting from the overall experience.
- “These missions will ease you into every aspect of the game by giving clear instructions and context, and then leaving you to work out the execution.”
- “Various events are lumped together as 'task accomplished', without specifying what it is exactly: a returned loan you gave, or a mission you took on.”
- “It doesn't have a story.”
- “And as far as the story goes, that's about it.”
- “So, as you can see, there isn't much of a story.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The stability of the game is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous glitches and crashes that render it nearly unplayable. Many express frustration over the lack of updates since 2010, which they believe could address these persistent issues. Overall, the game's stability significantly detracts from the overall experience.
- “It would be a decent game if it wasn't so buggy.”
- “I would really like to see an update that fixes those horrible glitches that make the game unplayable for me, although it seems that the last updates stopped in 2010 or so.”
- “6 hours of glitches and crashes.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The music in the game is generally well-received, noted for being enjoyable without being overwhelming or excessively repetitive. However, some users feel that there may be instances of too much music.
- “Music is good and not inundating or overly repetitive.”
- “Too much music.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, often requiring them to engage in repetitive manual battles to minimize costs. The automatic trade system is also criticized for being cumbersome and difficult to manage, adding to the overall frustration with grinding.
- “The only way to minimize this cost is to fight every single mind-numbingly tedious battle manually.”
- “Automatic trade is tedious to manage.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a satirical take on the frustrations of online account creation and tracking, with players finding amusement in the absurdity of the situation. Additionally, the game's poorly executed lip-syncing adds a layer of comedic value, enhancing the overall experience.
- “Essentially every Anno game ever created... only supplemented with hilariously terrible lip-syncing.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere in the game is consistently noted as present and engaging, contributing positively to the overall experience.
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently highlight the game's enjoyable mechanics and relaxed atmosphere, contributing to its high replayability. The combination of these elements makes it a game that players are eager to revisit.
- “Very chill, lots of fun mechanics, total replayability.”