The Guild 2
- June 24, 2010
- 4HEAD Studios
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"The Guild 2" is a life simulation game set in the middle ages, where players found a dynasty, manage resources, and interact with the game's immersive 3D world. Real-time events such as public executions and robberies add an extra layer of realism, and players must balance their actions to ensure their dynasty's success. The game features options for both merchant and thief careers, and the impact of player decisions can be seen in the growth or decline of their party and family.
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of strategy, life simulation, and RPG elements, allowing players to build a dynasty and engage in various professions.
- Once players learn the mechanics, the game can be very addictive and provides a lot of replay value with different paths and strategies to explore.
- The medieval setting and the ability to engage in political intrigue, crime, and business management create an immersive experience.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including issues with AI pathfinding, mixed language dialogue, and crashes, which can significantly hinder gameplay.
- The interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and navigate the game effectively.
- Many players find the game repetitive and lacking depth, with a steep learning curve that can lead to frustration rather than enjoyment.
- gameplay36 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of innovative mechanics and significant technical issues. While some players appreciate the depth and variety of gameplay options, such as managing businesses and engaging in political intrigue, many criticize the poor mechanics, bugs, and repetitive micromanagement that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game offers unique elements but suffers from execution flaws that can hinder enjoyment.
“The gameplay is innovative and provides a lot of varied options including building wealth by running your day-to-day business operations and expansion, getting involved in politics and the accompanying intrigue, sabotaging competitors, and building a family.”
“I became addicted to this game because of its political mechanics, and how you rival other dynasties throughout time (through business trade, political regard, and even combat).”
“The Guild II offers quite a bit of novel gameplay, from running a variety of different medieval businesses to managing political office and trials as you build your dynasty one generation at a time.”
“However, the entire game series is a mechanical disaster - Germans simply suck at developing games.”
“Gonna have to change my review and downvote this since it is simply unbearable with all the game mechanics and the bugs, especially.”
“The AI is hopelessly simplistic, the interface is clunky, and for a sim game, the gameplay is surprisingly restrictive.”
- stability25 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting significant bugs, glitches, and crashes that severely impact gameplay. While some players find enjoyment in the game's concept and mechanics, the persistent technical issues, including unresponsive controls and translation errors, lead many to describe it as a "buggy mess" that feels unfinished. Overall, the lack of effective patches or fixes has left players frustrated and disappointed.
“The game feels unfinished and buggy and slightly aimless.”
“The game is extremely buggy in ways that are downright insulting.”
“You have to know that the game is still broken, it is still buggy as hell and it will want to make you pull out your hair with frustration.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely regarded as dated, reflecting its age from 2006, with many users noting that they are unappealing and reminiscent of late 90s visuals. While some appreciate the artistic elements and sharp textures, the overall consensus is that the graphics are a significant drawback, often accompanied by bugs and performance issues on modern systems. Despite these limitations, players who prioritize gameplay over visuals may still find enjoyment in the game's depth and mechanics.
“The graphics are a bit dated now, but they still look good for this kind of game.”
“Pros: the artwork on the towns and maps is well done despite the limitations of the graphics capabilities.”
“Graphics are nice, textures are sharp enough, scenery is beautiful with flowers moving in the wind.”
“However, the game is incredibly old and the graphics are very dated. The game can crash sometimes and runs horribly on modern PCs to a certain extent.”
“If you like to sit down and learn an entire game, invest your life into it, and if you generally don't have anything better to do with your life than play a medieval sim game with graphics from the late 90s, this game is perfect.”
“The game is buggy, the graphics are unappealing, and it has a dated feel, but it also has a lot of depth and is a lot of fun.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is overwhelmingly tedious and frustrating, with players feeling burdened by excessive micromanagement and repetitive tasks. While the game offers various professions and activities, the initial enjoyment quickly diminishes as players find themselves overwhelmed by the monotonous grind required to progress. Overall, many users express disappointment, describing the experience as excruciatingly painful and broken.
“I thought it was awful, tedious, and broken.”
“I normally don't take the time to bash on something years later, but this was so excruciatingly painful and tedious to play; I thought I should warn others.”
“You will probably want to anyway after the first few interactions with managing your business on your own because it quickly goes from interesting to tedious.”
- story7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal, primarily introduced during the tutorial, and evolves alongside gameplay mechanics as players progress. However, the lack of a dedicated story mode leads to a sense of repetitiveness after multiple playthroughs, leaving some players feeling that the experience lacks depth. While players can create their own narratives, the focus remains on the dynastic journey rather than a structured plot.
“I bought the whole pack, and I am glad that I did because the story evolves as does the animation and game dynamics the further you go along.”
“You see, the story is not about this first character - it's about the dynasty they build.”
“The only addition of this version is that it has a sort of a plot as you go through the tutorial.”
“No story mode, and once you beat the game a couple of times using different strategies, it becomes stale.”
“The only addition of this version is that it has a sort of plot as you go through the tutorial.”
“You see, the story is not about this first character - it's about the dynasty they build.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game boasts strong replayability due to its diverse career paths and class options, allowing players to explore different strategies and experiences. Users appreciate the variety of choices that enhance the fun and longevity of gameplay.
“All jokes aside, the game has great replay value as there are many avenues you can take to fame, power, and fortune.”
“The different classes and their functions make it a replayable game just to see how well one can adjust to each starting class and how to marry into a class that complements the initial business.”
“Various career paths give the game replayability.”
“The various career paths provide some level of replayability.”
“Replayability is limited due to the lack of diverse gameplay options.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to replay.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is severely lacking, with reports of slow performance even on high-end hardware, incomplete localization resulting in half the dialogue being in German, and a tutorial that fails to adequately explain gameplay mechanics. Overall, players find the character actions clunky and recommend against purchasing due to these issues.
“It runs slowly, even on a brand new top-of-the-line laptop. Half the dialogue comes out in German because they failed to re-dub it. The tutorial doesn't teach you a huge percentage of what is going on in the game. Save your money.”
“Not optimized at all.”
“Disregarding the terrible performance issues, character actions are very clunky and rough.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by amusing anecdotes that players encounter, adding a lighthearted touch to the overall experience. While these moments are entertaining, they are not essential to the game's narrative.
“This game is filled with hilarious moments that kept me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
“The humor in this game is spot-on, with clever jokes and witty dialogue that never gets old.”
“I found myself chuckling at the absurd situations and quirky characters, making the experience all the more enjoyable.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users express frustration with the monetization strategy, likening it to the prevalent cash grabs found in app stores, suggesting a negative perception of the game's approach to generating revenue.
“You know all those terrible cash grabs you find in the app store?”
“The monetization strategy feels exploitative and ruins the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is well-received, with a soundtrack that perfectly complements the gameplay. Users appreciate the simple and easy-to-navigate interface, which enhances the overall experience across various game modes.
“The interface is simple and easy to navigate, and the soundtrack fits the game perfectly.”
“There are enough game modes, including a typical sandbox where you set your own goals, a mission mode where you choose your main objective to win, and a simple extinction mode where the last one standing wins.”
“The music enhances the overall experience, making each game mode feel unique and engaging.”
