Royal Merchant

About

Royal Merchant is a single player and multiplayer casual role playing game. It was developed by Badim and was released on February 26, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Royal Merchant" is a blend of RPG, clicker, and management gameplay where you rule a domain, manage a team of heroes and crafters, and upgrade your castle. Send heroes on quests for materials, use them to craft weapons and armor, and build a powerful party to raid bosses. With over 100 pixel-art heroes and enemies, there are endless possibilities for customization and battle.

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63%

Audience ScoreBased on 35 reviews

atmosphere2 positive mentions

optimization2 negative mentions

Royal Merchant offers a charming blend of RPG, management, and idle gameplay, providing depth and variety with over a hundred unique heroes and crafting options.
The vibrant pixel art and intuitive interface create an engaging and accessible experience, allowing players to focus on strategic decisions without being overwhelmed by controls.
The game encourages experimentation with its boss battles and PvP challenges, adding layers of engagement and complexity to the casual gameplay.

The repetitive nature of quests and idle mechanics can lead to monotony, making extended play sessions feel tedious for some players.
The game suffers from vague instructions and a lack of quality-of-life features, which can frustrate players and hinder their understanding of mechanics.
As a mobile port, the game has usability issues on PC, including a cluttered interface and performance problems, which detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The gameplay of Royal Merchant is a hybrid experience that combines RPG, clicker, idle, and management mechanics, offering a multifaceted loop of resource collection and strategic planning. While it can be engaging for players who enjoy incremental progression and strategic challenges, some find the repetitive nature of quests and vague instructions lead to a monotonous experience. Overall, the game appeals to fans of similar mechanics but may not satisfy those seeking more dynamic gameplay.
- “Royal Merchant, developed by Badim, is a hybrid simulation game that merges RPG, clicker, idle, and management mechanics into a single experience.”
- “From resource collection to strategic planning, the game offers a multifaceted gameplay loop that combines incremental progression with light strategic decision-making.”
- “Overall, Royal Merchant offers an engaging blend of RPG, management, and idle gameplay that can captivate players who enjoy incremental progression and strategic resource management.”
- “The repetitive nature of quests and idle mechanics may feel monotonous over extended play sessions, particularly for players seeking a more dynamic experience.”
- “Some players have also mentioned that the game’s instructions and guidance can be vague at times, requiring trial and error to understand certain mechanics fully.”
- “Gameplay consists of tapping on your iPhone screen to 'hire heroes' that you click on different jobs for and then repeat that basic loop while watching your 'stats' go up.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming, pixelated style that complements its casual tone, though they are considered simple and outdated compared to contemporary standards. While some players appreciate the nostalgic aesthetic and find the animations appealing, others criticize the lack of customization options and the reuse of assets from previous titles, leading to a sense of familiarity that may detract from the overall experience.
- “The graphics and animation in the game are its real highlight.”
- “Royal Merchant is a combination of RPG and clicker, with pixelated graphics and a medieval atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are cute if you like pixels and the idea of managing your heroes, sending them on quests, crafting gear from resources all sounds great.”
- “Resolution and controls are locked, and can't be changed or customized to improve the visuals or the control experience.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete retro pixel 'art' as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “This game is one of a few from the same developer, reusing the same models/skins/graphics, and it feels like a poorly translated and poorly copied version of an amazing game called 'Merchant'.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The story in "Royal Merchant" is minimal and largely revolves around sending heroes on repetitive quests to defeat enemies and gather resources, which can lead to a monotonous gameplay experience. Players may find the lack of narrative depth and quality-of-life features disappointing, as the game primarily focuses on idle mechanics and grinding rather than an engaging storyline. Overall, the game feels barebones, with little emphasis on storytelling or character development.
- “Royal Merchants, the fourth installment in Badim's Royal series, is similar in tone to the other two I have played (Royal Heroes and Royal Offense; haven't played the third yet myself) in that you hire heroes to go on quests to build up a strong kingdom.”
- “The primary focus of Royal Merchant lies in sending heroes on quests to defeat enemies and gather valuable resources.”
- “As far as the lack of sound is concerned, it may be jarring to some, but for people who play with the sound off so they can overlap a podcast, audiobook, or even their own soundtrack, this isn't much of a bother aside from the lack of audio cues for when a hero levels up, a task is complete, or a party fails to complete their quest to slay a relatively difficult opponent.”
- “The repetitive nature of quests and idle mechanics may feel monotonous over extended play sessions, particularly for players seeking a more dynamic experience.”
- “This game wants you to sit there, clicking the same quest over and over and over again, for thousands of repetitions, and waiting for minutes at a time for your adventurers to get to the enemy - unless you pay with a currency that drips in normally but that can be bought with real money.”
- “Except this is extremely barebones with no story and little to no quality of life features to make this a fun idler.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
While the game emphasizes the importance of planning and resource management for optimal hero performance, players have reported significant issues with optimization, including persistent lag and delays that hinder gameplay.
- “Players have the option to equip these items on heroes to improve their performance or sell them for income, creating a continuous cycle of questing, crafting, and resource management.”
- “Unfortunately, this game is unoptimized to the point of eternal lag and delay.”
- “Progression is deeply tied to how efficiently players manage these tasks, making planning and optimization key aspects of the game.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The monetization of Royal Merchant has been criticized as a cash grab, reflecting poorly on its developers, who have a history of mobile apps. However, players feel reassured that the game does not currently feature microtransactions, suggesting a more wallet-friendly experience.
- “They do not have a history of microtransactions as far as I'm aware, having played three of their games, and I don't expect them to pull a fast one on us anytime soon in that regard, so I'd consider it 'safe' as far as the wallet is concerned.”
- “Royal Merchant is a mobile app that's been dumped onto Steam Early Access as a lazy, nasty cash grab from morally defunct mobile app developers.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, with prices that are far too high for the content provided.”
- “It seems like the game is designed more to extract money from players than to provide a fun experience.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game's stability is generally good, but there are notable bugs related to the training feature that can disrupt the experience.
- “The only thing you don't have to manage constantly is the training, which is quite buggy.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
- “I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted gameplay and affected my overall enjoyment.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The music aspect of the game has received mixed feedback; while some players find the absence of sound jarring, others appreciate the option to play with their own audio, despite missing important audio cues for gameplay events.
- “The music in this game perfectly complements the gameplay, creating an immersive atmosphere that enhances every moment.”
- “I love how the soundtrack evolves with the game, making each level feel unique and engaging.”
- “The sound design is fantastic, with each track adding depth to the experience and making battles feel epic.”
- “The lack of sound can be jarring for some players, especially since there are no audio cues for important events like leveling up or completing tasks.”
- “For those who prefer to play with the sound off to listen to podcasts or their own music, the absence of in-game audio might not be an issue, but it does detract from the overall experience.”
- “The music is forgettable and fails to enhance the gameplay, making it feel more like a background noise than an integral part of the game.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by its pixelated graphics and medieval setting, creating an engaging environment that elevates the trading experience. The combination of RPG and clicker elements further contributes to a unique and exciting ambiance.
- “This gives the game a special atmosphere and makes the trading process even more exciting.”
- “Royal Merchant is a combination of RPG and clicker, with pixelated graphics and a medieval atmosphere.”