Patrician III

About

Patrician III is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Ascaron Entertainment ltd. and was released on November 18, 2010. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Patrician III - sequel to the award winning game Patrician II - features advanced in-game AI, which adjusts its difficulty based on experience and ability. In this economic sandbox game you can gain wealth and power in multiple ways - what you will do with it is up to you. Invite up to 8 of your friends for a multiplayer session via LAN or over the Internet. Become a fellow of the famous medieval…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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79%

Audience ScoreBased on 478 reviews

graphics10 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

Deep and engaging trading mechanics that allow for complex strategies and long-term planning.
Rich historical context and immersive gameplay that captures the essence of the Hanseatic League.
Offers a satisfying sense of progression as players build their trading empire and influence local politics.

Significant compatibility issues with modern operating systems, making it difficult to run without extensive troubleshooting.
Outdated graphics and user interface that may deter new players accustomed to modern gaming standards.
Steep learning curve with a lack of clear tutorials, leading to frustration for those unfamiliar with the mechanics.

graphics
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
76%
8%
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated, reflecting its 2003 origins, yet many players find a nostalgic charm in the pixelated art style. While some users note technical issues and limitations at higher resolutions, others appreciate the game's visual character and detail, suggesting that the graphics do not detract from the overall enjoyable gameplay experience. Overall, the visuals may not meet modern standards, but they are often seen as fitting for the game's depth and historical trading theme.
- “The graphics while dated maintain a character and level of detail that highlights the effort of the developers.”
- “I really love the style of the game - its graphics, the way you feel when playing it, the whole immersiveness of it.”
- “The graphics are a little dated but still enjoyable and the game works so well, with nothing odd or ill fitting.”
- “You will probably play it at 800x600 resolution because higher resolutions tend to break the game's visuals.”
- “I wouldn't recommend buying this if you have bad eyesight though, the text is blurry due to some sort of graphics bug, so it can be hard to read at times, even if you have 20/20 vision.”
- “Old, poor graphics, nothing works well in high resolution even when patched.”
gameplay
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
66%
6%
The gameplay of Patrician III is praised for its depth and variety, successfully integrating trading, resource management, and city-building mechanics, making it both satisfying and challenging. While the core gameplay of buying low and selling high is simple to grasp, mastering the game's complexities requires significant time and attention, appealing primarily to fans of detailed economic simulations. However, some players find the interface clunky and the gameplay can become monotonous over time, particularly for those seeking a more casual experience.
- “Very satisfying trading and resource supply-and-demand mechanics, complemented by well-integrated building, reputation management, and warfare aspects.”
- “There's a surprising amount of depth and variety to the gameplay.”
- “Patrician III is a classic old-school merchant trading simulation that has a simple core gameplay that's easy to understand yet difficult to master, all executed perfectly.”
- “The game launched in 2000 and it clearly shows its age; the gameplay feels clunky sometimes.”
- “It just sucks you dry and I can't figure out auto trade, and I'm not interested in wasting any more time with this game to go elsewhere other than the game to figure out some basic mechanics.”
- “Can overlook a dated interface, unintuitive mechanics, and little explanation.”
story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The game's story revolves around the player's journey to become alderman, featuring a variety of missions such as trading, battling pirates, and city-building. While the narrative offers engaging elements like quests and political maneuvering, some players find the mission variety lacking and experience issues with bugs and randomness. Overall, the story provides a rich backdrop for exploration and strategy, though it can become repetitive at times.
- “On your road to rank alderman, there are missions to storm a strong pirate hideout, start a new town of your own from scratch, and establish a land route for trading.”
- “The advanced missions, such as destroying a pirate nest or building a new town for the Hanseatic League, are rather difficult but awesome.”
- “There is plenty of interest in the game, including expeditions, quests to become alderman, and the challenge of building and protecting your city.”
- “The biggest con is that certain missions are too random or bugged.”
- “Another is the lack of mission variety except escort/hunt pirate/deliver package/deliver goods... that gets a little too repetitive.”
- “Example, you can take on a mission to bring 40 barrels of beer to a town for a good price, but on the condition that you get the beer there by a certain date and that date is only given in the European format, which is the opposite of the American format.”
stability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
The game's stability is mixed, with some users reporting bugs and graphical glitches that can hinder gameplay, particularly on modern systems. While it runs well on Linux and has no interface issues, there are significant loading problems and a lack of support from developers for troubleshooting. Overall, players may need to seek community fixes for error codes, as the game shows signs of age and instability.
- “It runs great on Linux, and there are no interface issues. Most of my playtime has been spent with the game paused in the background while I was doing other things, as it just takes a long time to learn.”
- “Game does not load - no sign of any fix or troubleshooting from the devs despite widely known problems.”
- “It can be a little buggy on modern systems, so I recommend that if you get an error code, you punch it into Bing and find fixes from other people.”
- “Graphical glitches made the game unplayable.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to frustration with the user interface and the need for extensive micromanagement. While some appreciate the depth of building and trading, many feel that the automation features are poorly implemented, making the grinding experience feel endless and unnecessarily complicated. Overall, the grinding can be rewarding for those who enjoy it, but it often detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “I prefer to get the best prices by doing things myself, but that just becomes so tedious and never-ending.”
- “It's interesting that they include fleet automation in the game, but make setting up that automation incredibly tedious.”
- “If you are not smart with expansion and diversification, you will find yourself doing a lot of needless port grinding.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
50%
The music in the game is consistently praised for its ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, providing a relaxing and immersive experience during gameplay. Players appreciate the combination of great soundtracks and sound effects, which contribute to the lively and interactive environments, making exploration and interaction feel rewarding. Overall, the music is considered a standout feature that elevates the game's charm and enjoyment.
- “It's super relaxing, the music is awesome, and it's just an awesome game!”
- “The visuals are lively, and the music adds tremendously to the atmosphere.”
- “After 10 years, this is still the best game of the franchise; the atmosphere and music are fantastic.”
- “The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short while.”
- “The soundtrack doesn't match the game's tone, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The music often drowns out important sound effects, making it difficult to fully engage with the gameplay.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
83%
17%
The game excels in creating a rich 13th-century atmosphere, with detailed maps of Northern Europe and vibrant town environments filled with interactive elements, lively visuals, and engaging music. Players appreciate the cozy and immersive feel, which enhances the overall experience and encourages exploration.
- “The map of northern Europe, where you'll likely spend a fair amount of time, is very atmospheric.”
- “The town maps are also atmospheric, with lots of people walking around, talking, music playing, and many buildings you can click on to learn and interact with. As a result, you get a distinct feeling that there is a lot to do and explore throughout the world of P3.”
- “The visuals are lively, and the music adds tremendously to the atmosphere.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
33%
The game offers high replayability, particularly for players who enjoy planning and management, with the ability to choose different parameters for each playthrough. However, some users note that once the game is completed, it may feel less replayable, especially after around 30 hours of gameplay.
- “High replayability.”
- “Replayability is amazing; you can always choose different parameters to follow as you play.”
- “Pleasant graphics and very cool gameplay if you like planning and managing, but not really replayable if you finish the game (took me ~30 hours).”
- “Pleasant graphics and very cool gameplay if you like planning and managing stuff, but not really replayable once you finish the game (took me ~30 hours).”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it very funny and contributing to an addictive gameplay experience.
- “Very funny, addictive gameplay.”