Royal Merchant
- February 26, 2023
- Badim
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"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.
Mac OS
PC
Web Browser
Windows
Reviews
- Royal Merchant offers a captivating blend of strategy and economic simulation, providing depth and many possibilities for players.
- The graphics and animation are well-designed, creating a visually appealing medieval atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience.
- The developers are responsive to player feedback and committed to regular updates, which keeps the game dynamic and engaging.
- The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to lag and delays that hinder the overall experience.
- Gameplay can become extremely repetitive and monotonous, requiring excessive clicking and grinding without meaningful progression.
- The user interface is poorly designed, leading to accidental clicks and a lack of quality-of-life features that make the game frustrating to play.
- graphics11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game are a standout feature, showcasing charming pixel art that evokes nostalgia while effectively creating a vibrant medieval atmosphere. However, some players note the limitations of locked resolution and controls, as well as the reuse of assets from previous titles, which can detract from the overall visual experience. Despite these criticisms, the attention to detail and appealing design elements are generally well-received.
“The graphics and animation in the game are its real highlight.”
“The attention to detail in graphics and design is commendable, creating a visually appealing environment that truly transports you to a vibrant medieval world.”
“The charming pixel art style adds a nostalgic touch, reminiscent of classic games, while still feeling fresh and modern.”
“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, etc. It feels like a poorly translated and poorly copied version of an amazing game called 'Merchant'.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of strategic challenges and action, offering a rewarding experience that emphasizes resource management and decision-making. While some players appreciate the dynamic updates and engaging mechanics, others criticize the simplicity and repetitive nature of the core gameplay loop, likening it to other crafting and management games. Overall, opinions are divided, with some enjoying the depth and others finding it lacking.
“This is the perfect game for those who love strategic challenges and a variety of game mechanics.”
“The gameplay is both challenging and rewarding, requiring a delicate balance between resource management and astute decision-making.”
“The developers deserve praise for their commitment to regular updates, introducing new content and features that keep the gameplay dynamic and engaging.”
“This game is broken: poor gameplay...”
“Gameplay consists of tapping on your iPhone screen to 'hire heroes' that you click on for different jobs and then repeat that basic loop while watching your 'stats' go up.”
“Very simple mechanics, and you could check out of this game even while playing other big games while waiting for the countdown in matches, timeout, and more.”
- story6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story in this game is criticized for being extremely minimal and repetitive, focusing primarily on sending heroes on the same quests without any engaging narrative elements. Players find the lack of quality-of-life features and audio cues detracts from the experience, making it feel more like a grind than an adventure. Overall, the game fails to deliver a compelling storyline, relying instead on a monotonous quest system.
“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; I haven't played the third yet myself) in that you hire heroes to go on quests to build up a strong kingdom.”
“The story unfolds as you send your heroes on quests, each contributing to the growth and strength of your kingdom.”
“The quests are designed to immerse you in the narrative, allowing you to experience the challenges and triumphs of your heroes.”
“This game wants you to sit there, clicking the same quest 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 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.”
“All you do is send your heroes on the same quest over and over again, hundreds of times.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is enhanced by its pixelated graphics and medieval setting, creating a unique and engaging environment that elevates the trading experience. Players find the combination of RPG and clicker elements contributes to an exciting and immersive atmosphere.
“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.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
“Despite the medieval setting, the atmosphere fails to evoke any real sense of adventure or excitement.”
“The pixelated graphics contribute to a nostalgic feel, but the overall atmosphere is dull and unengaging.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
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 in this game feels exploitative, with constant prompts to spend money on features that should be included in the base game.”
“It's disappointing to see a game with such potential marred by aggressive monetization tactics that prioritize profit over player experience.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, leading to persistent lag and delays that hinder the overall experience.
“Unfortunately, this game is unoptimized to the point of eternal lag and delay.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users report that the training feature in the game is somewhat buggy, indicating that stability issues exist, but it is the only aspect that does not require constant management.
“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've encountered numerous glitches that disrupt gameplay and affect stability.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
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 atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience and immersing players in the world.”
“I love how the soundtrack evolves with the gameplay, making each moment feel unique and engaging.”
“The sound design is fantastic, with each track adding depth to the story and keeping me motivated during challenging quests.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it feel monotonous after a short period of play.”
“There are moments where the sound effects are completely absent, which can be disorienting and detracts from the overall experience.”
“While some may appreciate the option to play with sound off, the absence of audio cues for important events can lead to confusion and frustration.”
